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So you’re engaged! He popped the big question, or you did, whatever the circumstances leading up to it, your life is now barrelling at an alarming fast rate towards your wedding day. So much to plan, so much to pay for, so much to organise and so many long lost aunts suddenly appearing in expectation of an invite.
You’re surrounded by friends and family offering well meaning advice.
Once the initial gushes of congratulations have been ahhh’d and inspection of the ring is over with multiple ooohs, its all interrogations and opinions. “When’s the big day? Where are you having it? You don’t really want that do you? Book this, go here, do this, do that!”
PHEW!!
Before you overwhelm yourself with panic STOP! This is YOUR WEDDING. It is the day you may well have been dreaming about since you were a little girl.
Once the initial wave of congratulations and questions are over take some time to just enjoy that new glow of just being engaged. This in itself is a huge milestone in your life and a time that will wizz by as you get distracted by making plans, bookings and spending money for that one big day. Before that stress takes over just take some time to revel in each other, enjoy your newly engaged status and remember why it is exactly that you are where you both are. It’s all because two people fell in love…
Planning your wedding should be fun, exciting and enjoyable. Don’t let things overwhelm you.
First things first. Daydream. Let your imagination run wild and revel in the possibilities. We all know that getting married is a big responsibility. That it will require budgeting, disappointments , panic, cut backs and compromise. But it shouldn’t start like that. It should start with you fantasising about all the possibilities, the dresses, the shoes, the castles and the cake you can contemplate. This is basically what Pinterest was made for!
A great way to build a bank of all things wedding related is to browse wedding blogs. Now naturally you can start with my own, which features not only full wedding blogs but also feature posts that concentrate on specific details, from The one with the animals and children, to The one with all the shoes. You can also find a plethora of handy wedding planning advice here too. Below is just a small selection of wedding dedicated blogs to get your started!
Grab some magazines and get cutting and sticking! Nothing is more fun than creating yourself your very own wedding scrap book. Even if some of it is impractical, unfeasible or just downright ridiculous, enjoy yourself, serious stuff can come later. Wedding Ideas magazine is perfect for idea inspiration, they regularly post full weddings and pages of detail, decor and dress inspiration too.
So once you have gorged yourself on every magazine, blog and daydream you can handle, a good place to start getting down to business is with your guest list. Never is there potential for more stress and argument, then when you are setting down to paper who makes the cut.
Try to tell yourself, this is your day. It is up to you (as a couple of course) to decide who YOU want to YOUR wedding. What does it matter if your great great cousin, twice removed on your mother’s side has had a hat in the cupboard for years even though you’ve not even seen her in over a decade? Or if your chosen bridesmaid doesn’t like your potential groomsmen. Base your decision on the people you care for, the people you want in your life and the people you want to share your special day with.
Once that hurdle is over you can start to consider venues, music, catering, photographers and all that business. But really, the most important step is to make sure that the most wonderful day in your life is filled with the people you want it to be with (or without those you don’t).
Oh and the dress. Don’t forget the dress.
