So, someone popped the big question and the answer was yes. What’s next? Well, lots and lots of planning is in your near future before you can start spending the rest of your lives together living happily ever after. There is the engagement party, the wedding, and then the honeymoon, and you both need to make the most of it so you will have memories to last a lifetime and tell your grandkids about.
Do not stress though, if you start early and stay consistent you can enjoy the wedding day of both of your dreams. Here is a quick guide on getting things started, which includes some top-tier tips on how to ensure your party, wedding, your honeymoon run smoothly and help you get married happily.
Get The Party Started
Your engagement party is the first step you take toward the aisle. Part celebration, part announcement, the party you throw for all your close friends and family is an important part of the modern marriage process. Get your invite list completed early, and have an eye on your wedding invite list too. Some of the people who make the cut for your engagement party won’t be making the wedding breakfast but should be at the party afterward. This is an opportunity to save some time and get your guest lists for all three events completed.
There are lots of great engagement party themes if you want your get-together to stand out from the rest. By all means, throw a standard shindig if that is what you want, but you have an opportunity to have a party that people will remember and gives them a taste of the big day yet to come. Take a look at these top-notch engagement party ideas from Greenvelope. These ideas will help you create a custom party that will give your guests a special day of their own, and their online invite system is the perfect way to keep track of the numbers. When someone RSVPs, you will be notified, which makes party planning a little bit easier.
Planning Makes Perfect
The big day takes some big planning. You do not want to be micro-managing things during your wedding day so you need to have all your ducks in a row well before the main event so you can enjoy it. If you can afford it, get a wedding planner and event managerto do this for you. If you can’t, look for a close and competent friend that can be your point man or woman on the day to execute your plans and cut down on the stress. Your guestlist from your engagement party should have given you a good framework to build upon when it comes to who is coming, and where they will sit. Hopefully, you already have that box ticked.
Save your guests from headaches and unwanted or inappropriate gifts by having a gift list available too. People can still get you a gift that they want to give, but this encourages them to buy off the list and ensure that most of what you receive on the day is something that the two of you want. Long before your wedding and engagement party, you should be ticking these boxes and getting the basics of your wedding day plans in order. You can never start planning a life event like your wedding early enough, and the more you do, the better the day will be when it finally arrives.
Lights, Camera, Menu
Weddings are competitive. There are lots of them happening all the time, and the peak times of the year, like spring and summer, often fill up bookings in hotels, resorts, and everything else quickly. Get your date set in stone early, and start booking the people and places you are going to need as soon as possible. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of other couples out there planning their weddings. Do not be last in line. Start working on your shortlists early and get tasting menus and choose your wedding photographer as soon as you can. This will need some funding, as nothing is ever booked until a deposit has been made.
The venue and the menu are two of the most important things to book in advance. There is always a lot of competition for spaces at a popular wedding venue, and you do not want to have to make compromises on your wedding day plans. If you are having the ceremony at one place, and the wedding meal at another, you may face a challenge getting the same day and appropriate times at each venue if you take too much time. Before your engagement party, when invites are still making their way to your guests, you should be ticking off this box and getting your dates and places finalized. It gives you something extra to announce at your engagement party too.
Honeymoon Prep
Have you ever wondered why it is called a honeymoon? There are a few different opinions, but the most likely reason is that, back in the day, people couldn’t afford wine or champagne. But they could afford mead. This drink is a type of wine made from honey, and the first night of a married and merry couple would be spent under the influence of this honey-based wine; a honeyed moon. Nowadays, the honeymoon is more than just one night, it is a special vacation that will create memories that will last you both your lifetimes together.
This is an opportunity to spoil yourselves a little. You do not have to spend a lot of money to do it either. If you want to plan a honeymoon on a budget, look for a short-term rental or an Airbnb that has some high-end features like a hot tub and a luxurious bedroom. Find one that is a little out of the way and off the beaten track, but make sure you can get food delivered there. No one wants to cook on their honeymoon, or at least not every meal. Make sure you can get some groceries dropped off there too to cover late breakfasts and snacks.
If you do have a budget to play with, aim high and look for a great deal online. You can often score a few free upgrades on the day if you mention you are honeymooners. Maybe you can get a business class upgrade on flights or push your accommodation up to a suite at a resort. Make sure you check weather reports before you book. If you find a cheap deal on a first-class resort in the Caribbean, it may be because it is hurricane season, and you will spend your once-in-a-lifetime holiday stuck inside avoiding strong winds and lots of rain.
Follow these tips and you should be able to plan and execute the perfect wedding for you and your special someone. With prior planning and preparation, anything is possible. Starting early is the most important thing to do. There is a ticking clock that is counting down the days until the big one, and you cannot buy time. You can also have a lot of fun together too, your life will be full of plan-making in your future together so you should start practicing as soon as you can.
