Today, we’re going to talk about simplifying your wedding planning process. Let’s face it: there is a lot that goes into planning a wedding.
However, there are a few tips that we want to share with you about how to make things a little easier for you during this exciting time in your life! So, here are our top five tips on how to make your life easier while planning your big day.
1. Numbering RSVP Cards.
You may be thinking, “Why would this be necessary?” Trust us, it is a smart decision. Unless you have a place for guests to put their names on the RSVP card that they’ll be sending back to you, you have no way of knowing who they’re from.
Yes, you do have the envelope it will come in to rely on, but you would be surprised how many people don’t bother to put their name and/or address anywhere on the envelope.
I used this system at my own wedding, and it saved so much hassle it was unbelievable. We had at least seven guests only put our address on the outside envelope, so I was glad that my system was well worth the time I put into creating it.
Here’s how it works: give each of your guests a number. Write that specific number on the back of the RSVP card. We’ve seen some brides use invisible ink so that when the cards come back, only you can see what you’ve written. I went with very small letters in the bottom right-hand corner on the back of the RSVP with pen. No one seemed to mind my little, black numbers.
As you’re addressing your invitation envelopes, make sure you put the correct number with the person you’re addressing the invitation to. The easiest way to do this is to make a spreadsheet with every guest’s name on it, how many are in their party, what number you’ve assigned them, and whether or not they respond yes or no to attending.
When they’ve all come in, you have one place where everyone is listed, and it’s easy to count how many guests you have coming to your wedding.
2. Don’t wait until the last minute to do everything.
It can be very easy to procrastinate in the wedding planning process – despite how exciting everything is. Try to keep on the timeline that you have. If you don’t have a timeline, we’ve made one and you’re welcome to visit that here. (insert hyperlink to blog post after it posts!!)
Keeping up with everything, and getting everything done at the beginning of your planning process allows you the freedom to spend more time with family that may be coming in for the wedding the last couple of weeks before your big day. When crunch time happens, you’ll be glad you got everything done ahead of time.
3. Consider choosing a singular location.
Finding a reception site that also hosts ceremonies can save you and your guests a lot of travel time. Sometimes, venues will also give discounts if you book both your ceremony and reception with them (and after all you spend on your wedding day, who doesn’t love a discount?). Having everything in one place eliminates the need to hire any special transportation (which also saves you money), and it saves your guests on gas.
4. Prepare for inclement weather.
A lot of couples disregard inclement weather. But, anytime you decide to have an outdoor wedding without deciding to have a back-up plan of some kind, you’re taking a risk. Instead of waiting until a few weeks before the wedding to figure out what you’re going to do if a freak thunderstorm rolls through, plan for the “what ifs” ahead of time.
If you’re dead set on an outdoor wedding, be prepared for the unpredictable. Outdoor weddings are beautiful, and can be very versatile in design – they’re worth the risk. Just make sure you have a back-up plan should anything happen weather-wise.
5. Book as many services as you can with one vendor.
This tip eliminates unnecessary paperwork and simplifies your planning process in an organizational way. There are so many vendors that go into a wedding. You have a potential wedding planner, the ceremony and reception venue(s), the caterer, the baker, the rental company, the bridal salon, makeup artists/hair stylists, the photographer and/or videographer – you get my point.
Having paperwork for each one of these is a necessity, but it may be able to be eliminated. Having 20 different checks to hand out to 20 different vendors could be eliminated, too. If you can find a vendor that offers a few services, it may actually save you in the long run, like we talked about in tip three.
Sometimes, venues have an on-site wedding planner at your disposal. Venues may also offer their own catering and linens or place settings (and other décor items you would have rented from a rental company). Often times, a venue will have a base price for their bundled services that could actually save you money in the long run.
Look for opportunities where you could use more than one service that a vendor has to offer. Sometimes catering companies also do cakes. Some photographers also do videography. Most hair stylists are also makeup artists.
Do your research and see what works best for you, but know that there are ways to bundle services for your wedding to eliminate many different payments to many different people.
So there you have it, folks! Hopefully you’ll take these five tips to make your planning process a little bit more organized and efficient.
Do you have any tips you think brides should know about? We want to hear about them!
