Planning a wedding can be a stressful event. However, if you have a good plan, it doesn’t have to be! From the flowers to the cake to the guests; everything requires a decision and that decision should have been made two days ago. If you are having a serious case of the wedding disaster jitters, take a deep breath and check out the tips that have been included below. They are sure to save you some time and perhaps your sanity.

Get your guest list in order

It’s your day, but your guests are important too. The first thing that you need to determine is how many guests you will be inviting. Knowing this information can make many other decisions so much easier, such as what venue you will choose, what food you will serve, even the style of cake that you will be choosing. Pin this number down quickly so that everything else will begin to fall into place as well. Even though you may not be planning to send your invitations out for some time, you will still want to gather up a list of those who you will be sending a ‘save the date’ to. Whether you are having a close, intimate gathering or a large free for all, you will want to plan for the number of people that you expect to make an appearance. You can usually expect about 70% of those who are invited to show up for the big day.

Think about the weather

The next question that you should ask is what the weather will be like when you are planning your wedding. If it will be in the summer and you are considering an outdoor wedding, this may help you choose the dresses for your bridesmaids. Try choosing light and flowing dresses so that your girls won’t become overheated and start to show sweat stains on the dresses. This will make for some uncomfortable photos after you say your “I do’s”. Likewise, if your wedding is in the winter you will want to plan accordingly. The last thing that you would want is to be standing outside shivering while you are marrying the man of your dreams.

Set a Budget

More than likely, you don’t have an unlimited amount of money to spend on your wedding, even though that would make things so much easier. Weddings are expensive and it is easy to get carried away quickly. It is best to set a budget early on in the process so that you are not overwhelmed by spending more than you had planned. Below is a general breakdown of how you should expect to allocate your money:

• 49% for reception
• 9% for flowers
• 9% for entertainment
• 12% for photographer
• 3% – for invitations
• 3% – for gifts for the wedding party
• 8% – for the wedding planner
• Remainder for surprise items

Keep in mind that this is not an exact science and you will need an additional budget when it comes to the wardrobe for you and your wedding party. However, this will give you a general idea as to what you can expect.

Plan for an Emergency

You never know when something will fail on your dress or a button will pop off of your groom’s jacket at the last minute. Being prepared for these potential disasters will save you some stress, tears and pictures on your big day. Make sure that you have an emergency kit available so that you can take care of a few of those last minute problems that pop up with your wardrobe. You’ve spent hours and hours and a ton of money planning your wedding; when the big day finally does arrive, you deserve to have exactly the day that you paid for. Having a disaster will not be in the card for you if you plan for an emergency.

Conclusion

Your wedding is a special day and you can make it even more special by making a plan from the very beginning. This plan will help you to relax and enjoy the planning process as you draw closer to the most special day in your life.

Best for Bride

Best for Bride is an all-inclusive wedding planning store that specializes in beautiful wedding gowns, bridesmaid dresses and everything that you will need to make your special day even better. You will easily be able to mark every item off of your list when you choose Best for Bride as your one stop shop in the wedding industry.