Wedding Planning: Three Important Questions

With the holidays just behind us, many people are celebrating a new time in 2011…wedding planning!  It is no doubt an exciting time.  However, wedding planning can also be a slightly stressful time, particularly in the beginning when its hard to know where to start.  So to help with that stress, we have gathered three of the most important questions to ask yourself to help start planning your big day.

What is our budget? We know, this isn’t the most fun question to ask, but in all honesty, it’s an incredibly important question to ask, particularly in the beginning of the wedding planning stages.  To many couples start planning their dream day, only to later realize, they don’t have the money to make it happen.  That scenario usually leads to a great deal of disappointment in a time that is supposed to be filled with fun.  So be realistic with yourselves.  How much can we really afford to spend on our big day?  Whether you, family, or a combination of the two are paying for the big day, it’s important to know the answer to this question.  It will help you get a grasp on what you can and can’t do in terms of location, numbers, vendors, etc.  And remember, a memorable day is possible with any budget! Setting Your Wedding Budget / Wedding Budget Etiquette

What do we want our wedding to feel like? This question is much less about hard facts and numbers than the above question.  In fact, this question is all about the emotional feel your want your big day to have.  Do you want it to feel small and intimate; do you want it to feel like a big, fun party?  Do you want it to feel romantic or do you want it to feel energetic; do you want an elegant vibe or a earthy vibe?  These are questions that will require discussion between you and your fiancé.  Think about the feeling that you not only want to feel on your big day, but also the feeling you want your guests to walk away with.  The answers to this question will help you narrow in and focus as you choose a date, location, and important vendors.

What are our priorities? This question is best addressed by creating a rank order list from most important to least important.  Because most couples have a budget, it is important to realize that most couples can’t have every detail exactly as they wish.  Creating this list of priorities will help you focus on what is the most important to you.  If the guest list is at the top of the list and floral is somewhere near the bottom, that may help you make decisions when you get close to reaching your budget.  If food and drink is towards the bottom of you list, maybe you can think to do a dessert only reception.  Whatever you have to cut back on, having this list of priorities as a constant reference point will make that cut a little less stressful.