Creating your perfect Day
Here comes the bride, all dressed in white… Well, not quite yet. There are one or two things to get sorted before the confetti falls and you take that first, tentative, glittering, life changing dance.
Weddings can be stressful, time consuming and expensive to plan, which is why the majority of wedding venues will add in a wedding planner into the cost of your day. But do you always need a wedding planner?
Of course not.
Some of the most beautiful and memorable weddings are those planned by the bride and groom themselves. After all, who knows better how they want their wedding to look, feel and be than those two who are tying the knot?
If you’re one of those who has the ideas for your own perfect day, but don’t know where to start then this is for you.
Your perfect wedding.
There are few definite things that you should do when thinking about planning your wedding, and we will go into each below. The most important thing, after you’ve stopped staring at the sparkling rock on your finger, is choosing how much to spend.
Setting a wedding budget.
Before anything else, sit down with your partner (and any people who may be contributing to your perfect day) and figure out how much you’re willing to spend. This is the single most important job you have to do, and will make the rest of your planning so much easier. Once you know how much you have to spend, then create a graph, or pie chart or just a list of how much each part of the wedding gets, remembering that the venue will most likely be around 50% of your budget. Saving this to a spreadsheet or document you can always refer back to is a great idea as well. This budgeting may feel overwhelming and have you questioning if it’s better just to elope, but once it’s done you have a solid foundation on which to build on, and with some good planning and savvy decisions, your day doesn’t have to cost the world.
Choosing a wedding venue
A windswept cliff top, a city cathedral, a marquee in a field or maybe a gorgeous 
Georgian Manor House in the country. Deciding on your venue will link the budget and the theme together in perfect matrimony. The venue is where you show your guests the type of wedding you’re having, a place you can stamp your personality on your day. But how to choose a venue? Decide what sort of wedding venue in Northumberland suits you, where in the county you want to get married and how many guests you’d want for the day and have a good search. Call each venue and chat through your plans and ideas and see if you’re a good match. A big point here, make sure you and the venue are a good fit. If they are pushy, talk down about other venues you’re thinking about or only talk about the venue and not your day, then stay away. A good venue would bend over backwards to make your day superb, and you’ll get that feeling straight away. If not, move on.
Don’t forget Wedding Insurance.
How boring. Insurance. Finance. Brokers. Eye roll. But do not underestimate this step. As seen from your budget, it’s a big day with lots of separate parts. Wedding insurance will give you the peace of mind that you need should something completely unexpected happen. Insurance can cover you for your photographer running late to the venue flooding to the flowers dying enroute. There are numerous insurance packages for you, with most starting at the price of a tank of petrol. A miniscule price to pay for the knowledge that you’re covered. Look especially for those with Covid cover, although if you’ve picked the right venue, they will do all they can in the unlikely event of a Covid-forced cancellation to accommodate your day.
Who’s coming to your wedding, and how do they know?
Round up your friends, call your family, you’ve chosen your date and it’s time for them to cut down on carbs. Save the dates and invites can be costly. Instead of personalising save the dates, why not create a Facebook group with all the day’s details for those you want to attend, or use one of the many wedding websites available to alert your guests and give them everything they need to know, including gift registries. You can even get them to pay for your honeymoon.
If you still want the more personal touch, wedding stamps are a great idea to save your aching hands from writing a hundred identical invites.
Wedding table plans.
The invites are back, RSVP’s are noted, the theme is picked and the venue is chosen. Now comes the fun part. Where will everyone sit? And what table settings will you have? Although everyone wants to catch up with friends and talk to family at weddings, it’s also a great chance to combine your nearest and dearest. Create table plans with this in mind. Seat some friends from uni with those you met travelling, put your childhood friends with some of the guys from work. Play around with personalities, drawing the best out of every guest to give them the best day possible. Happy guests mean a happy wedding.
Table settings are fun to play with as well. Maybe polaroids of you and your partner, somewhere different and special on each table. Fairy lights in jars to bring some sparkle to the table, and if possible, forget the chair covers.
Get Hitched.
It’s here, you’ve done it. Guests are seated, tables are set, ties are knotted and hats are pinned. The music plays and the happy tears flow down red cheeks. All that’s left is to walk down that aisle, happy in the knowledge that you’ve planned a perfect day, and begin the rest of your life.
Congratulations on your perfect wedding day in a beautiful venue, and we wish you a lifetime of happiness.
