Wedding planning is not just exciting for the couples but it also stirs up excitement in the relatives and family members. Wedding planning is complicated as there are lots of things to do starting from choosing church music, invitation cards to the wedding reception. The following are 11 wedding planning tips for couples who are planning to get married soon.
1. Know the Number of Guests You Need to Invite
First, you must know who are the guests that you will invite to your wedding. You must roughly know the number of guests before you can order the wedding reception. If you don’t know how big the place you should rent, just use the estimate of 25 – 30 square feet per guest.
2. Wedding Must Not Coincide with another Event
You must make sure that the wedding date does not coincide with a big event. You can do research online to find out nationwide public holidays. If you have a calendar planner, make sure to check it too just to confirm that your wedding date does not clash in any of the appointment. Many couples like to have their weddings on the weekend because they usually get Monday off for work.
3. Take the Weather into Consideration
You should take into account the weather conditions when planning a wedding. For example, if you are planning a wedding in summer, you can include a bug repellant in the gift bag of your guest. Check the forecast channel – if there is hurricane in the area, be sure to make the necessary adjustment to a safer date.
4. Don’t Plan a Wedding that is too far
Many people like to dream about a wedding with a romantic setting in a distant location. However, keep in mind that the distance of the location will make it inconvenient for some of your important guests to arrive at the wedding. The key is to avoid having the wedding at a location that is too far away from your guests.
5. Use a Reward Credit Card to Pay Your Wedding Expenses
If your wedding is expensive, you may want to consider signing up a rewards credit card. Using the credit card to pay for your wedding allows you to earn rewards points and miles that can be used to pay for your honeymoon trip. One reminder is to pay off all your card bill at the end of the month so that you will be exempted from paying interest charges.
6. Reduce the Guests List to Cut Down Expenses
If you find that your wedding cost is getting expensive, you can try to shorten the guest list. A large part of the expense comes from the dining at the wedding reception. For example, if a table costs $150, eliminating one table of 5 will save you $750. Usually, the reception takes up 50% of the budget. The rest of the expenses will be divided on other aspects like flowers, wedding clothes, music, photography, and gifts. You should not always leave at least 10% of the budget for covering surprise expenses.
7. Don’t Expect All Guests Will Arrive
You must set too high expectation that everyone you invite will arrive at the wedding. Usually, about 10%-20% of the guests will not attend the wedding. The percentage of attendance is largely influenced by the location and the time the wedding start. Take a look at your list and check how many out of town guests are there. Many guests are likely not to show up if you organize your wedding near the holiday time as they have their own holiday plans.
8. Getting a Prenup
Married couples nowadays are different than before. Their marriage usually don’t last and most will divorce within a few years. If you have a prenup, you don’t have to worry about losing any premarriage asset. Discussing about a prenup can be hard for couples who are in love and dreaming of starting a family together.
It requires a good explanation to persuade your spouse into signing a prenup. For example, you can give a good reason like prenup is necessary to keep your company safe. If there are children from previous marriage, explain that prenup can protect them. In addition, you should explain how a prenup can ensure both parties will receive provision in the event of a divorce.
9. Children in Wedding
If you want to avoid the involvement of children in your wedding, you may decide to have a wedding that is only attended by adults. Alternatively, you can hire a child care service to look after the children of the guests. The child care service can be provided at a hotel room, or a space within the reception area or the house of a family member.
10. Check with the Church Rules
You should get clear on what is allowed and not allowed if the wedding ceremony is to be held at the church. You will have to ask the manager of the church for a list of restrictions. For example, some churches do not allow planting tent stakes outdoor during a photography session.
11. Guests Must Be Able to See and Hear You
At the wedding reception, you want to make sure that all the guests can see and hear the speaker. It is inevitable that you have some guests sitting at a table located far away. However, you can fix this by renting a better microphone and audio speakers. You can ask your wedding planner to help you in this task.
Article Submitted By Community Writer