The Sophie Louise Guide to Planning Your Wedding
So, you’ve just got engaged. After the excitement and ecstasy of that special moment you start to think about the actual wedding. Where? When? Dress? Guests? Invites? Family? Hair? Food? The list goes on and on! Where do you actually start? Here is the Sophie Louise guide to planning your wedding:
Pick a venue
This can be anywhere that’s special to you and your partner. If you don’t know instantly, have a search around and visit some venues. There’s plenty of options and sometimes it doesn’t even have to be a formal wedding venue or where a wedding has been held before. You may want to get married at the same place as the reception or maybe you’re more traditional and are planning on a church wedding first? Regardless of your decision, do what’s right for you both & pick somewhere that meets all your needs!
Pick a date
This can often be dictated by the venue so bear that in mind. You’ll be surprised how quickly the date comes around so don’t be put off it’s another year away. There’s no wrong or right date, just pick what feels right for you both.
Decide on your Wedding Party
Are you going to have Bridesmaids? If so, how many and who? Maid of Honour? Flower girls? Ring Bearers? How many Best Men? Groomsmen? The list can go on and on, and really it’s your preference who and how many you have. We’ve recently been to weddings where there were no bridesmaids and only two groomsmen. It’s totally up to you and don’t feel pressured by anyone!
Go Wedding Dress Shopping
This is the best part! Get your best girls together or go alone if you prefer and visit some bridal boutiques that have caught your eye. Sophie Louise is an excellent choice for your list. Vivienne will make you feel gorgeous! Do a bit of research into the designers you like and see where stocks them locally OR just go in blind and start trying on! There are really no rules & it’s true when you just have to try them on to know! Relax and enjoy this day. There’s no pressure. It might take a few trips too! Don’t forget, Vivienne can also make bespoke dresses so don’t feel disheartened if you can’t find exactly what you want Viv will make it for you! Once that’s sorted, then you can start thinking about the bridesmaids! (if you’re having any….) Designer, bespoke, high-street the choice is yours!
Accessories
Once you’ve got your dress start to think about what shoes you’d like to wear, do you want to wear a veil? Or a headpiece, or both? Jewellery? You don’t have to wear any accessories but sometimes they can ‘finish’ your look and make you feel that extra bit bridal, especially a veil! Vivienne has plenty of different styles of all of the above so you can experiment!
Guest list
This can be one of the hardest things to sort. Start with how many you can invite (remember the venue may have a capacity) and go from there. Write a list of your must have attendees & assess how many you’ve got, and then how many more you want to invite. Try not to fall into any invites out of politeness or politics. This is your day and you can invite who you want, with no explanation. Remember that as the list gets bigger and bigger just because Aunty Jo wants you to invite her neighbour that you met once when you were 5……
Hair and Make Up
Have a trial. Get some pictures of styles you like and there are no rules! If you want red nails, have them! If you want a smokey eye do it! Some may want you to have ‘bridal make up’ but it’s really up to you. Just make sure you’re happy with whatever they do and don’t be afraid to tell them to change something if you don’t like it. I think that’s the most important thing! Communication! They will want you to be happy too and although it’s hard sometimes to be honest, you just have to! This should be a fun experience and you want to feel extra special, and you will!
Finally…the rest…Flowers, favours, music, food, table plans…
This list can go on and on! Work with your venue to see what they can do to help you with this. They may have recommended suppliers. It’s also good to ask around. Some people like to use a planner to organise everything for them and others like to go DIY & plan and pick everything individually. It’s totally up to you! Sometimes these decisions can feel hard to make and really important at the time but don’t give them too much thought. They’re usually the last thing you’re thinking about on the actual day.
We hope this guide has helped you. At the end of the day, it’s your day and there are no rules. You and your partner just need to do whatever you want to do. Maybe you’ll just want to run away and get married alone? Or maybe you’ll want a huge affair with ponies and butterfly’s and a 6 course dinner. Whatever you decide, don’t let anyone tell you what’s right or wrong because there is no right and wrong! The most important thing at the end of the day is the fact that you are getting married and as long as you get that part sorted, the rest doesn’t really matter. Keep LOVE first.
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