You've dreamt about your wedding day since you were a little girl. The man of your dreams plans the most romantic evening...dinner...dancing...you end the evening with a late night stroll through your favorite park. The air is crisp and the stars are bright. As you're walking through the park, he stops...turns towards you...gently kisses you on the lips...and while looking deep into your eyes starts to bend on one knee. You start to get butterflies because you know what is about to come next. And then you hear those four sweet words...
"Will you marry me?"
Ahh the perfect engagement right? In the beginning you're excited...can't believe that it's happening...and after a few days reality starts to set it...you think to yourself..."I'm really getting married!" Now it's time to plan the perfect wedding but where do you begin? How do you go about selecting the perfect location? Find the vendors that match your personal style and budget? How do you fit in phone calls, vendor meetings, dress fittings, engagement parties, showers, tastings, and site visits while still working, your family responsibilities oh and let's not even think about trying to maintain an active social life all while trying to remain sane.
The first thing that I suggest is that you take a deep breath...and have a glass or bottle of your favorite drink. In other words calm down. Planning a wedding...excuse me YOUR wedding can seem like a overwhelming task but if you break it down into bit size pieces, planning it can be manageable if you take it one task at a time.
Starting the planning process...
First determine your wedding style. To get some insight on your particular style try answering the following questions:
1. When envisioning your wedding, do you see a celebration that is modern/contemporary or classic/traditional?
2. Do you imaging a part of your wedding (ceremony or reception) taking place outside?
3. You envision your wedding taking place in the spring, summer, fall or winter?
4. What would be your ideal number of guest at your wedding?
5. Your wedding colors should be:
- deep and passionate
- soft and subtle
- natural and organic
- contemporary and chic
- romantic and bridal
- unusual and fresh
6. Your ideal wedding meal would be:
- buffet dinner
- seated formal dinner
- seated family-style
- cocktail party
- brunch
- lunch
- other
8. If you had to describe your wedding in a sentence or two, it would be -
9. You don't want your wedding to be - (fill in the blank)
10. Other words that you might use to describe your wedding would be:
This exercise works best if you and your fiancé answer the questions independently and then come together and share your answers with each other. This starts the dialogue on how you both envision your wedding which should aid you when talking to potential vendors and making decisions on the types of products and services you will need in order to make your "dream" wedding a reality.
If you want to take this exercise one step further, then I would recommend that you also create an idea board. Take all of those bridal magazines that you went out a purchased right after he popped the questions, grab a pair of scissors and start to cutting! Cut out dresses that you like, cars that you think it would be cool to ride in and centerpieces that inspire you...cut out everything! Love a color of a dress in a magazine but hate the style? Cut it out too...just make a note to yourself on why you cut it out (for the color) so you can communicate this with those helping you plan your special day.
Determining your style is the first step in planning your wedding. So grab a sheet of paper...answer the questions...and look through your magazines with scissors in hand...and have fun!
Check back later when we look at step 2 in the planning process...creating the wedding budget!
Happy Planning!
Erika Beckwith - Beckwith & Associates, LLC
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