The First Steps

Now that you are formally engaged, you are probably on a high with emotion, can’t wait to tell everyone, and have lots of ideas running through your mind for the wedding, but wait, now is the time to think first, make sure that both sets of parents know before telling all your friends, in this modern age it is common that parents are not aware before the event, since the tradition of asking the brides father for his daughters hand in marriage seems to be a thing of the past.

Once the parents are aware, you can now tell your friends, celebrate and talk about ideas, but don’t make any decisions or arrangements that cannot be changed. Once the initial time for celebrating is over, discuss with your intended any arrangements that you both particularly want, then it is time for you both and the parents sit down and discuss possibilities for the forthcoming event, parents do like to be involved but do remember this is your day, one you want to remember for the right reasons in the future, but be tactful when declining someone else’s idea if it doesn’t tie in with yours. There may however be times when, it may be best to listen to what other people have to say, for example, the bridesmaids are giving themselves to you for your special day, and if one is not happy with what you want them to wear, it could be better to compromise rather that upset a long standing good friend.

At this stage you have plenty of time ahead for making the arrangements, but don’t make the mistake of leaving everything to the last minute, it is better to have everything organized with plenty time left. Planning is the key, try to allocate tasks for making enquiries on services between yourself, your partner, and both sets of parents, parents do like to think they are making a contribution.

It is important to budget for your wedding, it seems that as soon as a wedding is mentioned the price of everything seems to double, so after everyone has made some enquiries and has some idea what the cost of these items is, it’s a good idea to sit down, work all the costs out to see if the all fall within your budget. There are many ways to cut the cost of your wedding without compromising on the overall effect of the occasion, I recently read a book, Cost Cutting Techniques for Your Dream Wedding which had some very good ideas, you can also download FREE Save Money on your Wedding. Both of these can be viewed by clicking on Recomended Resourses on right. Visiting bridal shows is a very good way of finding out what is available, and at what cost, but again don’t book compulsively, as once booked it cannot be changed, use the bridal shows as fact finding missions.

Being organized is critical, you don’t want to leave anything to chance, keep all receipts of deposits and letters of confirmation in a safe and easy place to find, and keeping a detailed list of essential wedding tasks so you can tick off each item when it has been booked is essential.

Remember to take your time and cherish the experience of arranging your own wedding, as this is the beginning chapter in the rest of your life.