Wedding Planning Basics: Where, When, How Many, How Much

Before you begin the wedding planning process, you need to decide on a few key things: where (in general where do you want to have your wedding), when (wedding date or approximate day/season/time of your wedding), how many (a general idea of how large or small you want your wedding, approximate number of guests) and how much (what’s your wedding budget). These elements are interdependent of each other.

Next, you’ll need to determine what elements are most important to you, what are somewhat important, and what you can really do without. For example, you might insist on having a sit-down, five-course dinner or you might rather have a buffet with a sampling of little plates. You might really want to hire a particular band, or you might want a DJ to play a wide variety of music. A wine enthusiast couple might choose to incorporate certain fine wines into their event. Some people may place a higher importance on some wedding elements than others, whether it be any of the following: food, open bar, entertainment, flowers, photography, and so on. Make a list and prioritize.

All the while, you will want to start thinking about your wedding motif/theme/overall design scheme, as this will also play into and interact with some of the aforementioned elements (like location, wedding date, important elements, etc.). This theme/motif/design scheme can be infused into many of the other wedding planning decisions, giving you a road map, starting point, or some direction in which to head.

Where: Wedding Location
Where you hold your wedding will set the tone for everything else. Your wedding date, budget and wedding motif may play an important role in your wedding venue, or vice versa. You might have always wanted to hold your wedding at a certain spot, and therefore, the location might determine your wedding date (depending on its availability), motif (the location might have a distinct design scheme on which you can build or be inspired), and budget.

Types of wedding locations: hotel, banquet/ballroom, beach, church, abroad, casino, restaurant, home, garden, arboretum, church, boat/ship, dock, office building, winery, castle, historic site, zoo, barn, ranch, forest, chapel, theater, greenhouse, cliff, bridge, chateau, brewery, museum, villa, courtyard, opera house, vineyard, cathedral, warehouse, park, monastery, gallery, cottage, library, hot air balloon, landmark, field, desert, movie set, amusement park, lighthouse, anywhere you can think of

When: Wedding Date
When to hold your wedding is a big decision. Not only does time of year affect your location choice (and vice versa), but it also sets the flavor for many other things, including flowers (what’s in season), décor (winter wonderland or summer sunshine), wedding attire, etc. An outdoor wedding works better in late spring or early summer than in winter. Bridesmaids wearing black velvet on a hot summer day won’t work; but on a cold December evening it looks lovely. It’s also important to think about the time of day you would like your wedding to be. If you’re not a morning person, then an early morning wedding might not suit you. Do you want to be married at sunset? What time do you see your wedding ending? Will you be taking pictures before the wedding? These questions and more will help you decide on a wedding time.

Before choosing your wedding venue, you might already have a general idea of when you’d like your wedding to take place. However, you may pinpoint the exact date once you choose your wedding location. Your wedding site might also help you pinpoint a specific wedding time as well.

How Many: Approximate Wedding Size
Another important wedding decision is how many guests you’d like to have at your wedding. Eight? 50? 200? It’s beneficial to decide early on the size of the guest list. Your wedding location might have a limit as to how many guests it can accommodate. Let me tell you, sometimes determining your wedding guest list can be a difficult process. You and your fiancé and both families may have plenty to say on this. Keep in mind what’s important to both of you as well as your budget.

How Much: Wedding Budget
I won’t go too much into this except to say that it’s very individualized and very important. Too many people go into debt because they wanted to have a huge, over-the-top platinum wedding that they really couldn’t afford. That’s not really how you want to start your married life. Establish a realistic budget (how much, a reasonable, doable range, who is paying for what and how) and stick with it. You can have a beautiful wedding on a variety of budgets.

More wedding planning basics, coming soon.

For more info on planning weddings with themes and motifs see:
http://amorebelladesigns.blogspot.com/2011/01/motifs-and-themes-for-weddings-and.html
http://amorebelladesigns.blogspot.com/2011/01/planning-your-wedding-around-theme-of.html