Congratulations, you’re engaged! This is by far one of the most exciting milestones that many will enjoy in their lifetime, the next step? Planning your wedding! If you’re overwhelmed by all of the tasks and have no idea where to start, I’m here to help you kickstart your planning! Get in fiancé.. we’re planning a wedding.
STEP 01 – WHERE ?
Many of us daydream of eloping in Europe, but where do you really want to get married? Start off by deciding if you want to get married locally, a few hours out of town, or an overseas / cross-country destination. Then, picture what you would want your wedding to look & feel like. Write down a list of things you would love to have, and another list of things you’d like to avoid.
A FEW QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU GET THERE:
– If we choose a destination wedding, will any important people to us be unable to attend and is this something we are willing to accept? (think grandparents, family members with disabilities or illness, pregnant friends or those with young children)
– Do we want any outdoor wedding elements? (maybe an outdoor ceremony or cocktail hour)
– Do we want to hold our ceremony in a religious establishment? (considering the proximity from your ceremony to your reception may be important)
– Do we want to be in the city or in nature? Maybe a bit of both?
– What type of look are we ideally searching for? (Historic, modern, rustic, traditional etc.)
STEP 02 – WHEN ?
Once you’ve decided to jump into the planning process another important question you will want to answer is “when”? I usually suggest narrowing this down to a season, maybe even a few months & day(s) of the week. Your “where” might affect the “when”; If you’ve decided to get married here in Montreal and prefer a snow-free wedding you’re looking at May – October or potentially November.
Keeping your options too open may overwhelm you as there are a lot of venues to choose from & not allowing for much room for flexibility in your wedding date may cause you to miss out on venues that could be your perfect match.
A FEW QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU GET THERE:
– What season do we want to get married in? Is the weather something we want to consider? (rain, snow, hot, cold etc)
– What months would we like to get married in? Are there any major life events or commitments that might affect this decision? (planned trips, holidays, work schedules, children’s school schedules etc)
– Which day of the week is most ideal for us? (Saturdays are most popular, while some don’t mind a Sunday, Friday or weekday wedding)
STEP 03 – WHO?
Draft a list of all of your favourite people and categorize them into 3 lists… and (I cannot stress this part enough) keep it private.
A – Absolutely invited (your non-negotiables)
B – Budget permitting (would love to have them if possible)
C – Could do without (your first cuts, should you need to make any)
Once you have a completed guest list, this will give you the capacity range you will need to search for in your venues & will help you estimate your wedding budget.
Pro Tip: If your chosen venue’s capacity is smaller than your A, B & C list combined. Revise your A list to contain your venue’s max capacity (minus 2 for you guys & another ~5-7 for vendors who will be present during dinner). Send out invitations to your A list, if you have any declined invitations, replace that invite with your B list & so on.
STEP 04 – DRAFT A BUDGET
This process will look a little different for everyone. My best advice would be to discuss finances with your partner; be transparent about what you have already saved for this occasion, what your annual income looks like & what you can realistically put aside.
You can also seek advice from friends and family who have recently gotten married, or from a professional wedding planner that can provide you with an idea of what the average industry costs are currently looking like. However, weddings of all budgets exist and are possible. It’s also important to keep in mind that supply & demand (and inflation.. ouch) can cause differences in pricing each year.
One thing I would advise against is trying to calculate potential gifts you may receive and factoring this into your budget (as my father says, nothing in life is certain). If you are looking for a way to increase your wedding fund, a longer planning timeline could be a feasible solution.
Once you’ve outlined what a realistic budget range looks like for you, the most important part is to stick to it! Nothing sounds more horrible than blowing the budget and starting off this new chapter of life in debt – this is not the goal & will never be the goal. Remember that your wedding day is about celebrating your love with the people that matter to you most.
STEP 05 – EVALUATE THE SUPPORT YOU NEED
After outlining the basics, the final step in kickstarting your wedding planning would be to evaluate what type of support you might need as you move through this journey. For some people this might result in hiring a full service wedding planner, for others it might be a planners involvement in a partial-planning capacity.
One thing I can tell you for certain, is that a day-of wedding coordinator will be the best investment you make for yourselves and should be a non-negotiable in my opinion. You can’t realistically be setting up your tables while getting your makeup done & it sounds like a total nightmare to have to run around hosting your own wedding when you should be living in the moment and making memories. A seasoned coordinator will work with you in the months leading up to your wedding to properly understand your plans, troubleshoot any logistical issues & ensure your plans are well executed on the day of.
Once you’ve gone through these first 5 steps, you’re ready to start searching for a venue! If you’ve decided to work with a wedding planner, you will want to involve them in this step (if not already included in their service). Check out my favourite blank canvas venues in Montreal to help get your wheels turning!
Happy planning & until next time,
