You just got engaged? Congratulations!!! Amazing time of your life is ahead of you two, full of emotions, beauty and excitement. However, it is also quite an overwhelming list of tasks to do and decisions to make… Among the whole array of things to consider, there’re a few most important ones to figure out, so I put together a comprehensive TO DO plan for all recently engaged lovebirds out there!
SET THE DATE First and foremost, talk about when you want to get married. Is it a warm summer day or a beautiful golden crisp autumn morning? Is it a weekend or are you flexible with weekdays? Just figuring out your perfect month first is good enough, and allowing a little more flexibility (having 2-3 alternative days options) is great when it comes to choosing the venue or vendors (in case they’re booked on some of the dates you considered). Once this settled, you can start gathering your perfect team…
SET YOUR BUDGET I can't stress the importance of this step enough. It is crucial that you are very clear from the beginning about the amount you want to spend on your wedding. Whether it is big or small is of secondary importance — but you need to have a defined vision of what it is you want to spend. This helps reduce unnecessary stress later on, as well as provide a better idea for your planner on which vendors to approach when you start planning the day.
FIND YOUR WEDDING PLANNER Choosing your wedding planner is a big deal — as this is the person who is going to be your advisor, right hand and a friend throughout the process, which lasts on average12 months! Personal connection is important, so work with someone who shares your vision. Wedding planners who offer creative direction, as we do here at XENIA MOTIF, will provide you guidance in the design process as well, overseeing not only the logistics of the day, but also the overall creative vision, from floral design to musical accompaniment.
RESERVE YOUR WEDDING VENUE Wedding venue defines the stylistics and tone of the whole event, so it’s important to make this choice very carefully. If you’re already working with a wedding planner, they will help shortlist the best venues that answer your preferences and requirements, as well as help arrange a personal inspection to the place when necessary. Taking your wedding planner along for the inspection is always a great idea, as they can help to pinpoint strong and weak points, establish the best place for the ceremony, visualise the layout, and so on. If you’re planning a destination wedding, do consider travel logistics to the venue for yourselves and your guests.
FIND YOUR PERFECT PHOTOGRAPHER Photographers are the most sought-after wedding vendors, and if you’re after the best ones, you need to think about it as far in advance as possible, as their schedule gets booked quite quickly. Important things to consider, when choosing a photographer: — personal connection: you need to feel comfortable and relaxed in front of the camera, so take your time to connect with the photographer by a video call, ask questions, talk personal stories, find common points of interest. — imagery style: you need to be in love with the style of imagery. You can not ask the photographer to change their style specifically for your wedding, just like you can’t ask a classic artist to suddenly paint an abstract piece. — price: price range in the world of wedding photography is quite wide, and can vary significantly depending on their experience, popularity, equipment used, travel requirements, and so on. Choose someone whose works make your heart flutter, and whose rates feel reasonable to you.
Got these main things sorted? Congratulations, it’s going to be easier from here onwards, because you will have an amazing professional team who always have your back.
We love working on weddings all over the world with our couples, do not hesitate to reach out if you need a professional help with your dream wedding!