30 THINGS NO ONE TOLD ME ABOUT PLANNING A WEDDING

Today marks exactly a year to go until we get married, so I thought I'd mark the occasion by sharing some of the things I've learnt and wish I'd known before we started the whole planning process! It might seem like a hell of a long time to go until the big day (tell me about it!) but this past twelve months has flown by, and our anniversary on the 7th of July marks a year engaged which feels crazy! It feels like just yesterday when Dan got down on one knee in the most beautiful place and made me the happiest girl in the world (soppy, I know. Soz!), and back when we first settled on a date it seemed to feel forever away, but now reality is sinking in and the planning is in full swing!

 

• That figure you had in your head for how much the whole thing is going to cost? Double it. 
• Seating plans are the work of the devil.
• You're going to become obsessed with bridal magazines, even though you're probably never going to do any of the things you see in them.
• Dress shopping is one of the most stressful parts. Cue trying on A LOT of dresses, scrutinising your reflection in every single one, then ordering the first one you tried on.
• The little things add up! Photo booths, garden games, wedding favours and table centre pieces might seem like small expenses, but add those together and you've racked up a small fortune.
• Every day stationery = affordable. Wedding stationery = not affordable in the slightest.
• You'll find you become a whizz at DIY in a bid to shave off pounds from the budget.
• You'll wake up in the middle of the night remembering something you've seen on Pinterest that you MUST. HAVE. AT. WEDDING.
• You will most definitely want a donut wall.
• Alcohol is more expensive than you remember, especially when you have to purchase enough decent bottles of wine for fifty guests instead of one of the corner shop bottles you usually go for at the weekend.
• Feeding fifty mouths is also one expensive task. Bye bye savings!
• You have to book EVERYTHING way in advance to make sure you get it.
• Suddenly you become precious about your wedding and God help anyone who dare pass judgement on any of your choices. ESPECIALLY the dress!
• You know how you promised you'd never be a Bridezilla? Yeah.... you might want to take that back.
• You could probably cover yourself in diamonds for the same price as wedding flowers.

 

• Your Pinterest board is going to become a large part of your day-to-day life and will probably get more attention than your family or friends.
• A honeymoon costs HOW much??!!
• You'll become so protective over your plans and will only tell a select few in case another future bride could copy all of your ideas (even though you've probably copied yours from somewhere else!)
• You'll start to question if your music taste is suitable for a wedding playlist. Sir Mix A Lot, anyone?
• Arguments with your fiancé about whether you should postpone the date to save more money are the norm. 
• Menu tasting is the BEST. THING. EVER. Hello, free four course meal!
• You will most definitely need a shiny new organiser (or two) to do all your wedding planning in (but you will hardly use it)
• You will have SO many questions to ask the venue/caterers/entertainment that you'll become slightly annoying over email.
• Prepare yourself for a lot of tears whenever you watch any wedding related video for inspiration. Those first looks and groom's speeches at strangers' weddings are emotional, man!
• You'll find yourself bartering with suppliers to try and save even just a few pounds. The number of times I've said 'do you offer discount for mid-week weddings?' in emails in cringeworthy.
• Planning a hen party is probably about as stressful as planning the wedding. Try and pass as much of this off to the maid of honour and bridesmaids as possible. 
• You don't need to visit every wedding fair. Unless there's the chance of getting to sample free cake.
• Your bridesmaids will be your absolute rocks through the whole process and will keep you sane
• You're house will start to look like a flea market piled high with glass jars, pieces of wood and lengths of fabric for those Pinterest-worthy DIY projects.
• Some days you just want the whole thing to be over so you can just marry the guy and get on with your future together!

In all seriousness, no matter how stressful the next year is going to be finalising guest lists, going for fittings and making sure the whole day runs smoothly, its also one of the best feelings to be able to plan something so special with the person I want to spend my life with. If you're planning a wedding too, just try to remember to enjoy the process and everything will fall in to place (or at least that's what I keep telling myself!).

What would be your top tips for planning a wedding? What advice would you give?

C x