Charlotte Ricard-Quesada: “I often get told by my clients “we don’t know where to start, help!”. Obviously, it’s my job to guide and reassure them along the way, but there is also a logical process to wedding planning so that you guarantee your dream day. I’ve outlined the top 5 actions that you should do when you start your wedding planning journey.”
1. SET YOUR BUDGET AND RESPONSIBILITIES
I know this sounds obvious, but you would be surprised at how many people go into wedding planning without being truly honest about their own wedding budget. Establish who is paying for your wedding (parents, family, you both) and what the budget truly is. Once your realistic budget is established and set, and all parties involved feel comfortable with it, establish your and your partners’ responsibilities. Who will manage what? Are you able to invest in a wedding planner so that they can take the burden of planning and guide you along the way?
2. WHERE & WHEN
Research, research, research! You will need to trawl through websites, directories, photos, and actual venues to find your dream one. If you don’t have a wedding planner to do this for you, you need to keep a detailed sheet of your research so that you can look back on it and compare prices, distances, capacities etc. You may also need to consider family availabilities and therefore be searching for a venue with a precise date in mind, or, if you have given yourself a longer engagement period, you may be able to adapt to venue availabilities. Either way, never hesitate to hold a date at a venue. This means that it gives you a little more time to think about it without feeling pressured.
3. GUEST LIST & BRIDAL PARTY
Depending on what your budget is and what venue you have picked, you will probably have some limitations on guest numbers by now. You may have already had a rough number in your mind whilst working through the above points, but now you need to sit down and establish who is invited and who is part of your bridal party. You also need to make that all important decision – are children invited or not? My tips when speaking to clients about this is follow your gut, try not be overly influenced by precise people and don’t cave into too many political invitations if you can.
4. MOOD BOARDS & INSPIRATION
Creating your mood boards or at least saving images of things you like will be very helpful when you start reaching out to suppliers. It’s a visual tool that we all use and base our quotes off. Whether you have a pinterest board, Instagram saved posts or create an actual mood board – go for it!
5. CRUCIAL SUPPLIERS
Have you been following a photographer or florist for years? Reach out to them quickly! If you want to have them on your big day, suppliers book up quick, so make sure you email the suppliers that you consider crucial fast. Once you have your caterer, florist, photographer, videographer, music and AV booked, you have covered the largest ones, and you can take a breather.
For more tips and advice, visit: la-fete.com, @lafeteofficial
