Photo (above): Wedding planner: Event’L - Photographer: DJorden Vlaeminck
1. Consider a wedding planner
Consider hiring a wedding planner: they bring invaluable expertise, and you’ll save yourself a lot of stress. These professionals have an extensive network of suppliers and access to the best options within your budget. Their organisational skills streamline the planning process and ensure every detail— from choosing your venue to the styling down to the smallest details—matches your vision. On top of that, your wedding planner removes any unexpected obstacles, so you can enjoy your special day without worries. In short, working with a wedding planner leads to a smooth and enjoyable planning process, creating cherished memories without the hassle.
2. Write it down, type it up… and keep it!
This second tip may well be the most important one: keep all your documents in one place. At the start you’ll still remember everything, but after a while of planning, you’ll notice it becomes a bit harder. “What was our menu choice again?”, “What did those general terms and conditions say?”, ...
Whether it’s in a large ring binder or digitally on your computer: as long as you keep everything together in the same place, you’re on the right track. Feel free to create a few subfolders in your main folder, such as: catering, decoration, wedding venue, music, … That way, you can find what you need at a glance.
If at some point you still decide to hire a wedding planner, you can quickly and easily pull up all the documents you’ve collected—so they’re immediately fully up to speed.
3. Organise your wedding emails
You will undoubtedly receive a lot of information in your inbox. Create a separate wedding folder in your inbox as a central place to collect your emails. This prevents a long search among all your other messages. Also consider downloading every attachment and moving it to your chosen storage method or collection point outside your mailbox.
If the email contains essential information, take a screenshot of it and save it in your collection folder. This way you not only stay organised, but you also have direct access to important documents without having to dig through your inbox.
4. Puzzle time: start with your guest list
It’s tempting to immediately start searching for your perfect wedding venue or to request quotes from your favourite suppliers. Understandably so—you want to map out the options and the associated costs right away. However, without an estimated guest count, it becomes difficult to obtain accurate quotes. A difference of 30 dinner guests can quickly mean a few thousand euros more or less in your total wedding budget.
That’s why this time-saving golden tip is: first draw up a preliminary guest list. For many couples, this is one of the hardest tasks—and unfortunately not one you can just do on the fly. So take your time with it: plan a cosy evening with your partner, with a bite to eat and a drink. You’re ready—let the puzzling begin!
Article written by wedding planner Liesje van Haaster of Event’L.
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