So you have just got engaged and the planning is about to begin for the wedding day. But where do you begin?

Planning a wedding can be stressful, there are so many things that need to be considered so the day runs smoothly and your guests have as much of a great experience as you do. There are choices to make and vendors to select, but before you can start that you need to know what you NEED to do now and what can be saved to do later. Some things can be planned and booked early on in the wedding planning, so your day just how you want it.

So where to start? I have put together 10 steps to start off your wedding day planning.

Step One - The Budget

Before you select a date, send an invite or head off to the bridal dress store we need to look at the big picture. Your budget need to be set. Sit down and decide on the wedding budget you are comfortable with. This will help you to get a good idea on how much you have and where you can allocate those funds. Work out what savings you have, how much you need to save and whether family members will be able to assist you.

Once you have an outline, section it up into venue, food and drink, photography, outfits, decoration and entertainment.

Depending on those figures will help you to decide how many guests you would ideally like to invite. It will also help with style of the wedding day. Will it be a large wedding, at a grand venue or a small wedding with family and close friends in an intimate setting.

Step Two - The Wedding Party

You may have already been thinking about your bridal party, long before the proposal. We all have close friends and family that our ‘ride or die’ and these are the ones that will be there for you, supporting you and there with the tissues. So choose well. Don’t choose because you feel you have to, but choose those that will make your wedding day complete and there for any little hiccups, there to give you their help and are happy to see you have the best day ever. Confirm your bridal party, and most importantly make sure you make it clear what is expected of them and what you are expecting the to purchase.

Step Three - Wedding Date

Think about times of the year:

Winter: Winter weddings are gorgeous! However, they do take some additional planning simply because of the sunset time. The hard part about a winter timeline is the fact that the sun sets around 4pm, so you will be inside for most of the reception and portrait photos will need to be on a tighter schedule.

Summer: Summer weddings are amazing! I love that there is so much daylight and all the trees and plants are in full bloom! In some months, the light will last until 8:30pm! It means you can utilise outside more, with warm evenings and beautiful golden sun sets. But remember at the peak of summer we can get some high temperatures, and the groom may not want to wear a heavy three piece suit.

Spring: Spring weddings are wonderful because they are the perfect temperature! However, I recommend having plenty of Claritin and Piraton on hand just in case allergies start to flare up. Spring weddings normally mean the potential for some blooms!

Autumn: Autumn weddings are stunning! I love the temperature and the colours! are simply breathtaking Early autumn dates can be warm and earlier sun sets.

If you’re looking at your budget and know you need to save over the next few months you might want to select a date that gives you time to save or if you’re looking to cut costs where you can, consider a wedding date that isn’t a weekend. Now much more popular are Sunday and Monday weddings. Some venues have a lower rate for these days rather than the more popular Fridays and Saturdays.

Step Four - Guest List

Now you have your ideal date, it’s time to start thinking about your guest list. This isn’t so much the final list and sending out invitations, but more looking at the numbers. Consider who are your must haves at your wedding, who at the would likes and final who are the maybes. Go over the draft list a few times until you have a guest list number you are happy with.

Step Five - Find your Venue

This leads nicely on to looking at venues, knowing roughly how many guests you will have will help narrow down places to hold your wedding. Wedding venues can get booked up well in advance, so if you can secure yours then it can make the rest of the wedding planning much simpler. Also you will find some local wedding venues will arrange a wedding planner, catering and help with other areas you can then cross off of your to do list. Sometimes you’ll find wedding venues host wedding fairs or open days through the year, which helps to see how they set up for a wedding.

Step Six - Book your Photographer

Like venues good photographers get booked up, often wedding photographers take bookings two, three years in advance. So get your wedding photographer booked in. You spend so long planning your wedding, you spend your hard earned money on the big day, so capturing all those little details, and having those images of your day, will be the memories you look back on years to come. It will be handed down to your children and grandchildren, so don’t underestimate the importance of photography.

Look in the local area or get recommendations from friends. Often Wedding Photographers also offer engagement photo shoots, which are nice to use for save the date cards.

Stories in Focus - Wedding Photographers

Hi, if we haven’t met, we’re Cheryl & Gareth, a husband and wife team that make up Stories In Focus Photography. When we're not capturing dreamy images of the prettiest couples in England, you can find us walking around the Lincolnshire countryside with our little dog, Dolly, or enjoying the bars and restaurants around Stamford.

As wedding photographers in Stamford on the Cambridgeshire / Lincolnshire border, if you would like us to quote on your wedding photography, take a look at our availability and download our price list.

Step Seven - Primary Vendors

Primary vendors are usually booked at least 8 to 10 months before your wedding. Catering, cake makers, bridal dress and suits all need to be researched and the sooner the better. Once you research a few vendors you can make some decisions and check on their availability for your wedding day.

Wedding cake vendor — Sugar Blossoms Cake Studio

Step Eight - Secondary Vendors

Once you have your primary vendors booked, think about moving on to your secondary vendors. Reach out to hairdressers and make up artists, ask for trial runs and find your look. Look at outfits for your wedding party. Visit local florists and research bouquets and floral arrangements.

Step Nine - The Invitations

If you’re having your wedding day on a weekday or a year or more in advance, it’s customary to send out a save the date card. But otherwise invitations are usually sent out about three months before your wedding. Whether that’s a physical or digital invitation. Remember to add on an RSVP date, this will help you and your vendors with numbers.

Step Ten - The Loose Ends

The loose end list can be rather long and includes, picking your rings, all the legal paperwork for your marriage, speeches, wedding insurance, transport, honeymoon.... and the list will go on.

Remember - You’re spending a significant amount of your time and money, things can go wrong or not according to your plans. please consider purchasing wedding insurance, I’ve heard so many couples that used it, even after the wedding day when items have been lost or damaged.

For our lovely couples, once booked with us, we send out a copy of our Wedding Planner and The Wedding Guide to help your wedding day run well and to make sure you get the best out of it.

If you wanted to purchase our planner book, without booking with us, it is available on Amazon: The Wedding Planner £10