Beneath the Celebration: How to Plan a Wedding and Organization
Many people view a wedding as a special day where they attend, witness the couple wed, sit down for the reception, have fun and make merry all day. But behind the scenes, there is a lot of planning and organizing that is involved in a wedding. What you need to plan a wedding is the number one question that should be on your mind.
All the day’s activities must be split and planned for, budgeted to the last detail. This is why most couples hire a wedding planner to help tie all the loose ends and ensure that nothing goes wrong on their special day.
A wedding is a culmination of many activities; if done correctly, it can leave fond, lasting memories in the minds of everyone present. Assuming that you have secured the budget and are now looking to allocate the funds to individual activities and tasks, where would you start?
Well, first and foremost, calm down. Relax. Think clearly. Get a pen and paper. Have your partner or a friend present; there’s no harm, though, in jotting the activities alone before presenting them to the wedding planner. Here are some things you should consider:
- Budget: Determine your overall budget and allocate funds for each aspect of the wedding
- Guest list: Create a guest list and keep track of RSVPs. These days, it’s pretty convenient to add a scannable bar code to your wedding invitation or a link to the Google form which guests can fill out to RSVP. This will allow you to keep track of the guest lists in a single spreadsheet.
- Attire; wedding attire includes the wedding gown, shoes, the groom’s suit, the clothing to be worn by the maids, page boys, and so on. When budgeting for these, know who’ll cater for what, whether maids are paying for their dresses or the planning committee will cater for their costs. In this budget, you can also include the cost of flowers and other decorations that’ll be needed.
- Reception; this is where your guests will be welcomed to be seated and follow the day’s proceedings. A wedding reception hall has to be spacious, nicely decorated, and easily accessible to your guests. The reception cost will include the wedding hall, design and sprucing up the place, foods and drinks, and the wedding cake. All these costs may consume approximately 50% of your total budget and rightly so; ensure that the tasks are delegated to a competent and reliable team that won’t disappoint or do a poor job.
- Transport; how are guests going to move from Point A to Point B? For instance, if the wedding has been conducted in a Church and the delegation now wishes to proceed to the reception at a Private Garden, how will guests move?
Are there any special groups of people that need to be moved in advance? The secret usually lies in having a transport manager coordinating all the above aspects. Allocate an amount from the budget in case he/she needs to step in and save a situation. - Entertainment; wedding entertainment is an integral part of any wedding. Most guests tend to hold dear the memorable moments they danced or watched some entertainment during a wedding they attended. So, budget for entertainment and ensure that you’re creative while at it. Live bands, DJs, Dance troupes, Magicians, and much more; pick something that will entertain your guests thoroughly.
- Wedding rings; you can do a quick online search and estimate how much a good wedding ring costs. Compare and contrast the prices from different shops in order to have an idea of how much to allocate.
- Videography/photography; wedding videography and photography are another crucial ingredient to a successful wedding. While it is important to allocate a substantial amount to the same, ensure that pick someone professional and competent. This is because once the wedding is over and time has gone by, only the wedding photos will remain to remind you of this wonderful day. Never pay a wedding photographer or videographer the entire amount at once; pay 50%, and clear the rest once the photos are shot, processed and ready. This motivates the photographer to do a better, more professional job so they can get full payment.
Printable Checklist for Wedding Planning & Budgeting
Print the checklists below to help you properly plan out the event. If you need help with anything else, just get in touch and our planners will be more than happy to give you some advice (no strings attached).
