Whenever I hear about Wedding Planning, whether from a friend, a tv show, or a magazine, it always seems to have to be a stressful time in your life! Why?! It should be one the most exciting and happy times of your life! This has been my main point of focus when I have started to think about planning my own wedding - How can I do this without it being stressful?!
And so far, it has worked. I will admit, I have not yet thought of every tiny little detail of the wedding itself but I have gone through all the main important bits and I haven't yet lost any sleep, I haven't started drinking any more red wine than I already do and most importantly, I haven't broken up with my fiancee.
I want to get one thing clear which I think will help you to also plan a stress-free wedding - I am planning this wedding day for my fiancee and myself. No one else. It may sound super selfish, but the truth is, that's what your wedding day is about, the two of you declaring your love to each other and celebrating the rest of your lives together. Obviously, there will be problems that arise and concerns to think about, but I am really trying not to worry or dwell on anything!
Focus on what you and your future husband want from your wedding day, not what all the blogs and magazines tell you it SHOULD be!
It will help you to write a little checklist of all the big and important things to get sorted. It helps to do this in a certain order too! I have been told a hundred times "Get your venue first"! This is really important! There is no point deciding a floaty beach wedding dress is for you and then booking a wedding venue in the North of Scotland in November! In Leeds, there are limited venues and the best ones are very popular, so it is really important to get your venue booked as soon as possible. It can also be quite hard to get the venue you want in the right month or at a weekend if it's a very popular venue. So first thing's first - Get your wedding venue booked first!
Everyone will have a different checklist as everyone deems certain things more or less important than others, but mine went like this:
Venue - Guest list - Wedding Photographer - Caterers - Dress - Flowers - Entertainment - Decoration
This has helped me simplify the day so much that I can't possibly think it is stressful when there's only 8 things to really organise! This is the initial checklist I have started with anyway - I will write a more in depth detailed checklist once I have organised all the big things first.
Booking your wedding photographer early is also really important if you are getting married in the Summer months to avoid disappointment. The best Wedding Photographers in Leeds and Harrogate tend to get booked up months and months in advance so if you have your heart set on a particular wedding photographer in Leeds, get in touch as soon as you can. Luckily, I know a lot of Wedding Photographers, so this bit has been quite easy for me. I understand that, for most people, this can be quite confusing! Most people have never hired a photographer before and don't know exactly what to look for. A little research is required but I would say deciding on what style of photography you want is the most important thing for you to do. Whether you prefer a more formal approach from a traditional wedding photographer or if you would like something a bit more modern and creative, there is a wedding photographer out there for everyone.
As a contemporary wedding photographer, I tend to prefer a more modern and clean approach to my work, producing bright, clean images that focus on the natural portraits rather than the more formal and forced way of shooting a wedding. To view some of my recent wedding galleries, click here.
For more information on booking a wedding photographer, have a look at my other blog posts here on 10 Questions you should ask your wedding photographer.
The most important thing you must do, whether you're booking a wedding photographer, a florist or caterers, DO YOUR RESEARCH! Check out reviews, previous weddings and work they've done, and meet with your suppliers before you book them. This way, you can avoid all kinds of stress in the lead up to your wedding day!