There are people who loves to plan and there are those who don’t. In my case, I love to plan, I love it so much that I have previously planned this day 2-3 years ago.
April 2020 was originally the year we would like to get married. Unfortunately due COVID-19 restrictions we decided to prioritise everyone’s health and wellbeing hence we decided to put hold on our plans and see how 2020 would turn out.
1st of April 2021 me and my fiancé celebrated our 10 years anniversary as a couple. We have discussed about having a civil wedding to legally register our partnership instead. On the same month we then officially announced that we will be getting married on October the same year.
Let the countdown begin!
6 MONTHS BEFORE THE WEDDING
Let’s get planning
- Wedding Planning
- Before planning your wedding if you are in the UK visit GOV.UK website about planning your wedding. This will layout all the steps required to legalize your marriage or your partnership.
- Wedding websites worth following are:
- Budget Setting – Not having a budget would be lovely, however, if you spend more than you can afford your special day might turn out to be your worst day ever. Sitting down with your fiancé and agreeing on what you can afford will help you throughout the entire process.
- Set the Date – Allow for back-up dates in case the date you originally wanted are unavailable.
- Ceremony and Reception Venue Hunting
- Both wedding websites listed above are great websites to visit when looking for your potential ceremony and venue.
- TIP: Select at most 3 locations you would like to have your wedding ceremony and reception as normally these venues are pre-booked a year or more in advance.
- Food and Wine Tasting – This service was offered to us on some venues. It is worth asking if they offer food and wine tasting prior to your visit especially if you have not visited the venue before.
- Reserve your Date – Once you have selected your dream venue agree and reserve your date. A few would ask for a deposit which will be deducted on your final payment.
- Draft Guest list
- Drafting your guest list can be tricky especially if you are on a budget. If budget is not the issue then the more the merrier they say. However, still be mindful and intentional of whom you invite, as you do not want to miss the key people who have been present from day 1.
- TIP: Hiched.co.uk created a blog post especially on “How to Cut your wedding guest list” click here. As we were planning our wedding when restrictions are still in place in the UK we tried to narrow down our guest list by selecting those whom we have interacted with within 6 months to a year.
- Book Registrar
- In the UK to legalize you marriage or civil partnership a registrar or authorised person will need to be present on the day. To know more about Booking a registrar and the costs associated, visit GOV.uk website or click here.
- Contact and Book Suppliers
- As you only have 6 months to plan you wedding these are the list of suppliers that will require booking in advance and its better to get them out of the way prior to moving on with decorating your venue. The list of suppliers below were based on what we wanted for our wedding. The list can go on depending on your preference and priorities. We were lucky enough to have friends and family who are creative and talented to carry out the roles below.
- Wedding OrganizerWedding CoordinatorCreative Director or In charge of DecorationVideographer Wedding Planning
- Before planning your wedding if you are in the UK visit GOV.UK website about planning your wedding. This will layout all the steps required to legalize your marriage or your partnership.
- Wedding websites worth following are:
- Budget Setting – Not having a budget would be lovely however, if you spend more than you can afford your special day might turn out to be your worst day ever. Sitting down with your fiancé and agreeing on what you can afford will help you throughout the entire process.
- As you only have 6 months to plan you wedding these are the list of suppliers that will require booking in advance and its better to get them out of the way prior to moving on with decorating your venue. The list of suppliers below were based on what we wanted for our wedding. The list can go on depending on your preference and priorities. We were lucky enough to have friends and family who are creative and talented to carry out the roles below.
- Ceremony and Reception Venue Hunting
- Both wedding websites listed above are great websites to visit when looking for your potential ceremony and venue.
- TIP: Select at most 3 locations you would like to have your wedding ceremony and reception as normally these venues are pre-booked a year or more in advance.
- Food and Wine Tasting – We were offered food and wine tasting service on some venues we have visited, this gave us an insight of what the venue can offer. It is worth asking if they offer food and wine tasting prior to your visit especially if you have not visited the venue before.
- Reserve your Date – Once you have selected your dream venue agree and reserve your date. A few would ask for a deposit which will be deducted on your final payment.
- Draft Guest list
- Drafting your guest list can be tricky especially if you are on a budget. If budget is not the issue then the more the merrier they say. However, still be mindful and intentional of whom you invite, as you do not want to miss the key people who have been present from day 1.
- TIP: Hiched.co.uk created a blog post especially on “How to Cut your wedding guest list” click here. As we were planning our wedding when restrictions are still in place in the UK we tried to narrow down our guest list by selecting those whom we have interacted with within 6 months to a year.
- Book Registrar
- In the UK to legalize you marriage or civil partnership a registrar or authorised person will need to be present on the day. To know more about Booking a registrar and the costs associated visit GOV.uk website or click here.
- Book Suppliers
- Planning your wedding in 6 months means that your suppliers will require booking in advance.
- The list of suppliers below were based on what we wanted for our wedding. The list can go on dependent on your preference and priorities. We were lucky enough to have friends and family who are creative and talented to carry out the roles below.
- Wedding Organizer
- Wedding Coordinator
- Creative Director or In charge of Decoration
- Videographer
- Photographer
- Caterer
- Wedding Cake Baker
- Violinist
- Florist
- Hairstylist
- Make-up artist
- Master of Ceremony
- DJ/ In charge of Music
5 MONTHS BEFORE THE WEDDING
Let the spending begin
- Inform Maid of Honour and Best Man about their roles
- Inform Bridesmaids and Groomsmen
- Wedding Bands Shopping
- Finalize Wedding theme
- Hair and Makeup trial
- Draft Invitation
- Discuss Decorations for Ceremony and Venue
4 MONTHS BEFORE THE WEDDING
Saying Yes to the Dress
- Draft menu on the day and number of guests
- Start Purchasing Decoration for Ceremony and Venue
- Start Browsing Bridal Gown and Grooms Suit
- Booked Notice appointment at the registrars office
- Wedding gown shopping or fitting
3 MONTHS BEFORE THE WEDDING
How well do you know each other?
- Attended Notice appointment at the registrars office
- Finalise Ceremony details
- Confirm Entrance, Signing and Exit song
- Draft Vows
- Finalise ceremony sequence
- Paid deposit on selected venue
2 MONTHS BEFORE THE WEDDING
The meeting
- Purchase Bridal Gown (Ceremony and Reception)
- Purchase Grooms Suit
- Pamamanhikan – This is a Filipino tradition where the Grooms family visit the Bride’s family home to discuss marriage plans.
- Take Pre-nup photos
- Visit Wedding venue with your design team
- Finalise RSVP
- Purchase decorations
1 MONTH BEFORE THE WEDDING
Finalising bits and bobs
- Hen Do/ Bachelorette Party
- Send out wedding invitation
- Purchase Bridal Shoes
- Purchase more decorations
- Discuss wedding ceremony and reception programme with team
- Visit venue for final measurements and layout
- Discuss live stream options for the ceremony
- Last minute wedding hair trial
- Wedding make up final trial
- Wedding menu changes and request
1 WEEK BEFORE THE WEDDING
No more turning back
- Stag Do/ Bachelor Party
- Final meeting with venue staff
- Final meeting with wedding coordinator and organizer
- Wedding Menu finalised
Planning a wedding in 6 months is Achievable.
Try to enjoy every bit of the journey from the beginning to the end. It is truly a rollercoaster experience which will require a lot of patience and dedication. I would not have been able to do all of this myself without the help of all my family and friends who have been supportive and pro-active all throughout.
Choose your battles wisely. Little do you know that a family member or a friend is happy to help you out to make your special day extra special.
Share some of your wedding planning stories and what are you biggest tips or lessons learned through out the journey?
If you’ve missed my previous post please click the links below
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Travelling on a budget? read my previous post about Wanderlust Fund – Savings Challenge.
Planning for your next destination? read this post Planning a trip to Poland, Book your holiday through social media, How travel around 6 European countries in 10 days, How to plan your trip and Travel Essentials – Summer Holiday
BLOGGING TOPICS:
Are you considering blogging on the side? check out the 10 blogging lessons you need to know
PERSONAL FINANCE TOPICS:
Interested in personal finance topics? read 10 money saving tips and my top 5 money mistakes