Helen was our Dream Dress Super Glam Bride, with her Mori Lee lace fishtail wedding gown, sheer veil designed by Elizabeth Dickens and statement necklace… So here are Helen’s top tips for planning your perfect wedding day!
I could write a novel the length of war and peace about my wedding day – it was perfect to me and I loved every minute but then who doesn’t?! I could bore you with why I picked the flowers I did or the venue but you’ll come to your own reasoning for that – instead I’ll impart a few ‘top tips’ to help you plan your own perfect wedding and create your own fairytale moment!
Budget!
I love a spreadsheet so maybe I revelled in this a little more than most but if you want to help yourself in the long run, be realistic on what you can afford. My husband and I decided on £8000 – to some that seems masses to lots it’s probably peanuts but it’s the figure we worked out we could comfortably save without having a year living on the bread line.
Prioritise
Think of all the things that a wedding comprises; venue, guests, dress, photographer, party etc. and put it in order of importance. There is no right answer here, for us it was number of guests and fantastic photographs that hit the top of our list – this helped massively in deciding venue and working out where we could scrimp & save on the budget and where we weren’t willing to sacrifice.
Get Recommendations
Both the wedding dress shop – Dream Dress Bridal and the hair & makeup artist – Harry Jon, came as recommendations from friends who had used them and loved them and I couldn’t be more pleased with both! Using suppliers / venues others rave about just makes sense! Why have the fear of the unknown?!?
Be You
It’s your wedding day and it should reflect your personalities and the things you love. You don’t have to have fruit cake just because it’s traditional. You don’t have to wear white if it doesn’t suit you just because it’s what people expect! We did a cocktail making session for guests whilst we had our couple shots and a brass quartet to play in between. A very eccentric mix but very ‘us’ all the same.
Research
The Internet is a wonderful thing. If you’re prepared to look you can find loads of amazing ideas and view hundreds of venues without even leaving the comfort of your home. It really does pay to do a little research first, look at reviews, find items you may want. You can save time and money by surfing the net to get those finishing touches for less or by whittling down the venue list to your top 3 to avoid dragging your soon to be spouse round hundreds of pointless locations.
Have Fun!
Planning a wedding doesn’t have to be a chore, it’s not all about the 1 day.
Budget!
Yup it’s that important it’s on here twice! If you want to reduce the stress levels make a budget and stick to it! I knew I’d found the perfect photographers in Red 5 Studios, but given our tight budget I knew I’d have to compromise on something else. For us it was the table decorations, I had intended to have real flowers but at over £50 per table I could see the numbers mounting up in a less than favourable way! I also ended up getting the button holes from a florist on the market – they worked out half the price of the high street shop and just as beautiful. The stall had a folder of images of past work; they just weren’t on line & obviously had cheaper over heads for running meaning the customers got the savings passed on!
Remember planning a wedding doesn’t have to be a chore, have fun with it – enjoy the chance to bond with your partner and make the day truly reflect you! Don’t worry what others might think, family and friends will be happy no matter what you decide and if they’re not – so what?! Those that truly support you would wear a bin bag if that’s what you desired! Stick to your budget and you’ll avoid any additional heart ache – it really is there to help not hinder you. And finally just be you – you’ll have way more fun getting creative and planning your special day if it reflects who you are & what you like, and if things are seeming all a bit much – just remember it’s only one day!!!
Good luck creating your ‘happy ever after!’
x