Let’s get started | YSW’s definitive guide to wedding planning
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Event planning has been listed among the five most stressful jobs in the world and at YSW we can totally vouch for that because organising a wedding is a major
project!
You’re about to be managing budgets, expectations, travel, deadlines, suppliers and so much more – usually alongside other life and work responsibilities.
Plus, it’s something most people have never done or even dabbled in before.
So, where do you start?!
“They need an idea at the beginning of which elements are important to them, who is important, what style of wedding they want and, more than anything, what they’re comfortable spending.
This determines how many they can invite and what locations they can consider,” advises Kimmie Brown of award-winning wedding and event consultancy LITU.
In other words, as soon as the dust settles on the engagement celebrations, sit down with a pen and paper and explore your non-negotiables, compromises and preferences.
Kimmie with one of her couples – PHOTO | Duke Photography
Who does what?
“I always do a call with the couple and can tell if one doesn’t want to deal with the planning… Or if one is taking over!” laughs Kimmie.
Meanwhile, wedding planner Oskar Gilchrist-Grodnicki of The Wedding Guru – Oskar, says to explore your strengths and weaknesses early on, take on tasks that work best with your skillset and keep in touch.
He always advises blocking out time for weekly wedmin catch-ups – put your phones away, fill up your fizz and focus on blitzing that to-do list.
“Wedmin check-ins also ensure it isn’t just one of you getting overwhelmed; you take the responsibility of working through it all together,” Oskar explains.
Money talks – literally
Often the elephant in the room, most planners recommend looking at your budget ASAP.
“First, identify your savings then add on any support you might get from family (more on that in a moment).
Finally, decide what you hope to save before the wedding.
Experts recommend you shouldn’t borrow more than you can repay in one year – but only if you have to,” says Oskar.
With a figure in mind, look at your must-haves, wants and nice to-haves – and earmark how much you’re willing to spend on each.
But unless you work in the industry or have been heavily involved in planning someone else’s big day, it’s unlikely you’ll be up to speed on wedding photography costs or what you can expect to shell out on booze for 150 guests.
So, ask for advice from family/friends who have done it before or check out comparison websites.
Before you get to that point though, you need to tackle the often-awkward issue – family contributions, says Oskar.
“In this day and age, it isn’t inappropriate to ask both sets of parents if they would like to support your wedding plans financially.
“But remember if you ask for support, you might need to give out some control and consider the people who support you in the decision-making.”
One more must for the early days… Wedding insurance.
Because we’d all like to hope that nothing goes wrong, but what if it does?
And in the grand scheme of things, wedding insurance will cost less than your wedding cake!
Top tip
“Setting up a dedicated, wedding email address you can both access will save so much time and frustration.
“You’ll avoid scrolling through thousands of emails or being missed off a reply when you both want to be included in the conversation.” – Oskar.
Here’s how project manager Hayley kept on top of everything ahead of humanist Tim Maguire marrying her and Jamie at Melville Castle…
“I use spreadsheets at work to track actions, budgets and reporting so am fairly experienced.
“But anyone can download and use ready-made Excel templates.
“Spreadsheets felt better than a physical planner because it was easier to edit elements as things inevitably changed throughout the process.
“I also had a quick access folder on my laptop for all wedding correspondence.
“The spreadsheet had a budget tracker (what was due to pay when and a spend vs budget comparison), an on-the-day timeline (great for the venue, hair and make-up), and briefing documents for suppliers.
A good example of this was flowers – I documented all my ideas to explain my vision.
“It felt easier to do this visually than explain over a call.
“Being super-organised helped me feel more at ease but others may prefer a more relaxed approach.
“You do what feels right for you.
“That said, everyone needs to plan to some extent as you’re the central point between all your suppliers.
“One last tip: Although it seems like I had control, make sure both you and your partner choose things that are important to you.
“I led on music and décor, for example, and Jamie took charge of food and wine.”
