Just engaged or in the midst of wedding planning? From budgets to guest lists, venues and stationary details, chances are you’ll have quite a few decisions coming your way. As we know it can be a little tricky knowing just where to start, we’ve decided to put together all the tips and tricks that we’ve learned from hosting weddings over the last decade, in the form of an ultimate wedding planning checklist. So, cosy up and grab a notepad and read on for more…
1. Start with Some Prioritising
Once you’re ready to really get planning, it can be useful to think about prioritising. What do you envision for your wedding day? What’s important to you both? What are you prepared to spend a little more on if necessary? Discuss your ideas and work out what you would definitely like for your wedding day and what you could live without. When you feel like you’ve prioritised various elements of your wedding day (venue, catering, music, floral design etc), it’s a great idea to move straight onto your budget.
Read more: Your Ultimate guide to choosing wedding suppliers
2. Wedding Planning Checklist – Set The Budget
While it may not be the most fun aspect of wedding planning, the budget is very much an important aspect of it all and setting firm foundations right at the start will help you later on. To start with, try to set an approximate figure for how much you’d like to spend on your wedding day. From there, you can allocate the budget according to each of your priorities for the different aspects of the day (venue, photography, music…). Once you’ve got a budget in mind, you can start on the hunt for suppliers who are a perfect fit for your celebration.
Note: while you might not have a specific idea of a total figure at this point, just setting an approximate amount will still be a helpful base for the rest of your wedding planning, which will likely be adjusted over time as you do more research.
A tip: don’t forget to allocate a small part of your budget to a contingency fund just in case you overspend on any area. It’s worth creating a simple spreadsheet so that you can keep track of your wedding outgoings and deposits etc.
3. Choose The Venue and Set the Date
Next up in the wedding planning checklist is the venue! Whether you’re hoping to get married imminently or in a few years’ time, the earlier you get around to choosing your wedding venue, the better. Once you’ve got your wedding venue, you’ll be able to set a date and then gather quotations from suppliers, send out save the dates and really begin your planning journey.
Here at Pynes House, we’re proud to offer our stately home as a wedding weekend venue, where a number of our couples choose to extend their celebrations for a three day wedding experience. If you’re interested in seeing our country house wedding venue for yourself, please do get in touch to book your in-person or virtual show-round.
Note: wedding suppliers and venues can get booked up from 1-2 years in advance so it’s a great idea to enquire sooner rather than later, to avoid disappointment!
See more: The Pynes House Gallery – The House & Grounds
Read more: Everything You Need To Know About Pynes House
4. The Guest List
Perhaps a slightly less exciting task, the guest list is an important aspect of the day which is well worth sorting earlier rather than later if possible. While you might not have everything nailed down at this point of your wedding planning checklist, it’s important to have at least a rough idea of numbers before you start your venue search or booking suppliers, as vendors will generally enquire as to how many people you have on your guest list in order to provide quotes. This goes the same for your wedding venue, as they’ll have a maximum capacity number.
At our Devon wedding venue, we can seat up to 96 guests in the Ballroom for the wedding breakfast but also have the option of a marquee in the gardens for larger weddings. Please drop us a note here to find out more about our capacity options.
While we’re on the topic of guests, have you thought about the wedding party? We’re sure you already have an idea of who you’re going to ask to be by your side on your special day but think about how you’re going to ask them and the responsibilities you will delegate to each member.
5. The Wedding Style
What can be quite an enjoyable element of the wedding planning checklist, choosing the style of the wedding day can be your chance to really make the day unique to yourself and your partner. Do you love the sound of a minimalist, intimate affair with your closest friends and family or a lavish celebration with abundant florals and luxurious fabrics?
Here at Pynes House, many of our couples opt for minimal decorations, in order to do justice to the ornate Georgian interiors of the house – head over to our blog for more on styling inspiration (click here for an ultimate guide to country house wedding styling, or here for some styling ideas for a summer wedding).
Note: think about speaking to your talented vendors for more ideas and inspiration for the season of your wedding – they’ll be happy to help.
See more: Suzie and Andy’s wedding
6. The Wedding Planning Checklist – Choosing Your Suppliers
As much as choosing suppliers can be seen as a little daunting with all the options available to you, it’s also an opportunity to work with talented professionals, to create a day suited to you both as a couple. A useful way to approach searching for suppliers can be to create a prioritised list of all the vendors needed (florist, photographer, caterer, cake artist, make-up artist etc), and then to work through this list, searching for one supplier at a time and moving on through the list as you book each supplier.
Luckily for you, we’ve also got a blog feature is packed with helpful advice on choosing your wedding suppliers. Don’t hesitate to get in contact too, to see our recommended supplier list.
7. The Seating Plan
When it comes to seating plans, we recommend putting a whole evening aside to sit down and tackle them if you can. You can always revisit it later on down the line if needed, but once you have a base plan in place, you’ll make it easier for yourself in your wedding planning journey in the long run!
8. Some Last Words of Advice
Some words of advice from one of our recent brides, Nancy –
“Treat wedding planning as little mini dates that should be fun. We planned our menu one sunny day while having a picnic in the park. We had many trips to the pub or to a café with our notepads and laptop to do some planning, which made the experience so enjoyable. If you think you spend 1 year + planning your wedding and the weekend is over in a flash – the planning is all part of the experience.”
See more: Chris & Ann’s Classic Pynes House Wedding
From choosing suppliers to budgeting and styling, we hope our ultimate wedding planning checklist has given some useful wedding planning tips and tricks in your wedding planning journey. For more wedding planning guides, head over to our outdoor wedding venue inspiration feature here, or your ultimate guide to choosing a weekend wedding venue, here. Do also head over to our real weddings gallery to see some of our Pynes House couples in action or follow us on Instagram and Facebook for daily updates!