The Exciting Journey of Wedding Planning: 3 Key Steps to Start on the Right Foot

Planning your wedding is an exhilarating experience. Scrolling through Pinterest boards and Instagram feeds, envisioning your vibe, style, and colour palette, and discovering trends you never knew existed—it's a thrilling journey! But it can also feel overwhelming with endless ideas, locations, and choices. Even the task of finding a venue can become daunting.

With engagement season upon us, we want to help you navigate the first steps of your wedding journey with confidence and ease. That’s why we’re sharing the three most important decisions to make before diving into wedding planning, straight from the experts.

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1. Work Out Your Budget

Your budget is the foundation of your wedding planning journey. Here’s how to approach it thoughtfully:

• Have a conversation with your partner about the type of wedding you envision. Is it an intimate gathering with close family and friends, or a grand celebration with extended family and parents’ guests? If your family is contributing financially, it’s important to consider their input on the guest list.
• Discuss Contributions: As uncomfortable as it may be, discuss with your partner whether parents or in-laws will contribute to the budget. If so, how much? Will one side contribute more, or will the wedding be entirely self-funded? There’s no right or wrong answer, it’s about what works for you as a couple. Even smaller contributions, like covering specific services such as the cake or placecards, food and beverage costs, can be helpful.
• Map Out Your Finances: Open a spreadsheet and list your sources of funding, whether from savings, a mortgage loan, credit cards (great for earning travel points!), or family contributions. Allocating your funds thoughtfully will give you a clear picture of what’s possible. Consider if you're also willing to wait an extra 6 months to save that little bit more to create your dream wedding. 

          

         Photographer: Georgia Burns Photography 

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2. Create Your Guest List

Before falling in love with a venue, start working on your guest list.

• Build a Dream List: Write down everyone you’d love to invite if budget weren’t an issue. From there, categorise guests into A-list, B-list, and C-list to prioritise.
• Organise Details Early: Include first and last names, emails, phone numbers, addresses and age groups (e.g., 0-2, 2-13, 13-18, and adults) as you build your list. This simple step will save you hours later and keep the process seamless.

         

         Photographer: Octavia Weddings 

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3. Consult a Wedding Planner Early

This tip isn’t just because we’re wedding planners, it’s because hiring a planner early can save you time, money, and keep it effortless

• Schedule an Initial Consultation: Even if you’re not ready to hire a full service planner, consider a 1-2 hour paid consultation. An expert can review your budget, guide you on where to allocate funds, and outline what the planning journey entails. This isn’t their free consultation either, it’s a tailored session designed to help you make informed decisions.
• Hire a Planner from the Start: If your budget allows, bring a planner on board early. Planners consider logistics, timelines and budgets to ensure you avoid costly mistakes. We’ve seen brides excitedly purchase items on Etsy or eBay that end up unused or even worse thousands of dollars weeks before the wedding because they never asked the venue when suppliers had to come back to collect their items. Planning with a professional eliminates these missteps.

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By focusing on these three steps—budgeting, guest list creation, and early planning consultations—you can lay a solid foundation for your wedding journey. If you’re ready to get expert guidance, we offer a 2-hour consultation to help you start your planning process on the right track.

https://www.vickyrahmic.com/products/2-hour-wedding-coaching-session

Let’s make your wedding planning an exciting and effortless experience! 💍