Define Your Wedding Vision

Congratulations on your engagement!

Most brides-to-be have visualised their big day since they were little girls, but post engagement bliss rapidly catapults you into the wedding planning process, which many couples tend to find a bit overwhelming. Wedding planning entails endless details, deadlines, money and sometimes enough stress to make you want to jump ship and elope. This no pressure wedding planning guide will take you from “YES” to “I DO” lickety split, like a pro! Planning a wedding should be fun, even if you do experience a few bumps in the road when you walk down that aisle towards the love of your life, it will all be worth it.

Mysouthafricanwedding.com delivers a plethora of expertly devised wedding planning tools, templates, checklists and of course a multitude of breath taking, authentic, local inspiration so you can craft you wedding fairytale, wedding detail by wedding detail as you connect with wedding pro’s on the go!

So roll up those lovely lady (or man) sleeves and get started:

FIRST THINGS FIRST, ANNOUNCE YOUR ENGAGEMENT

Most couples prefer to share their big news with their parents and close family first. Ideally, you should tell both sets of parents in person, if you don’t live nearby do it via Skype or FaceTime or at the very least a special phone call. The throw an engagement party to share the news with your friends and extended family.

DEFINE YOUR WEDDING VISION

Even if you would like to just enjoy being engaged for a while before you start thinking about all the intricate details, now is a great time to consider your vision for your big day. Talk idea’s with your fiancé, think about the style you’d like, a magical fairy lit outdoor wedding, the sand between your toes at a special beach wedding, a sophisticated sit down dinner in a fancy ballroom or a ceremony atop table mountain. This is not the time to talk money, just visualise your dream wedding, bearing in mind above all else how you want to feel on the day.

RELATED: Define your wedding vision

Remember: There is no wrong way to celebrate your wedding day. It’s about you guys! Your wedding can be formal or casual, religious or civil, non-traditional or by the book, it’s entirely up to you, after all it is your wedding day.

RELATED: Types of wedding ceremonies in South Africa/Wedding traditions

SET THE DATE OR AN ESTIMATE AT LEAST

“When are you getting married?” is the most common question you will be asked once you’ve announced your engagement. While it’s not necessary to set a firm date now, consider the month and season you want to get married in. This will give you a great indication of how much time you have to plan your day and get organised. Consider where the celebration will be held, whether travel will be involved and how many guests you intend to have. Prices are normally higher during popular wedding seasons, but there are also some wedding dates you should avoid.

RELATED: Popular wedding seasons in South Africa / Wedding dates to avoid

PLAN YOUR WEDDING GUEST LIST

Use the wedding guest list planner, sit down with your fiancé and family members to get a base number of the guests that will be attending your wedding day. The more guests the higher the PP (Per person) price. You can cut down later if necessary, but this is a great starting point for planning your wedding budget.

RELATED: Wedding guest list planner

DETERMINE YOUR WEDDING BUDGET (OR THE BOTTOM LINE AT LEAST)

Many couples these days fund their own wedding, however if you’re fortunate enough to have folks who are keen to contribute now is the time to talk money matters.  Decide on your bottom line, see who can contribute and how much. Then figure out how much you need to save. Remember: Getting married is of course more than just one big celebration, so consider all aspects of being engaged, planning your wedding and life beyond the wedding celebration. As you near limits you can decide where and how you need to cut costs.

RELATED: Is taking out a personal loan for a wedding a good idea? / Wedding budget calculator

GET ORGANISED

The #1 secret to planning your dream wedding perfectly is to stay organised. Buy a file and separate it into sections for each main category. This way you can keep record of quotes, contracts, inspiration and store all the wedding planning templates and checklists you download in the bride’s toolkit. Use dividers to separate your planning file into the following main and sub categories.

VENUES/BRIDAL WEAR/CAKES + CANDY/BARS + CATERING/GIFTS + STATIONERY/ JEWELLERY + ACCESSORIES + FLOWERS + DÉCOR/ PHOTO’S + VIDEO’S / FORMALITIES / ENTERTAINMENT / HAIR,MAKEUP + BEAUTY/THE GROOM

Then sub divide each of these sections into : QUOTES / CONTRACTS + PAYMENTS / INSPIRATION / TOOLS + INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Pinterest wedding vision board

Pinterest is the best way to create and then define the wedding mood board of your dreams. A Pinterest wedding vision board allows you to:

SAVE TIME

ACCESS WEDDING PRO’S ON THE GO

SAVE DIGITAL WEDDING AD’S (Exclusive to mysouthafricanwedding.com) Learn how it works

SHARE CREATIVE DETAILS WITH YOUR FIANCE AND BRIDESMAIDS EASILY

Click here to register

Download the “QR Reader” app for your smartphone

We’ve integrated QR Codes on SA’s exclusive wedding planning, style guide and photo inspiration showcase for an interactive wedding planning experience. From YouTube video’s to interactive quizzes and valuable information, this handy tool is a great bonus.

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