The Ultimate Wedding Plan Guidelines You Should not Miss

Let me guess: if you’re not somebody who just got engaged, you’re probably someone who’s been in a limbo of creating a solid wedding plan.
Don’t worry though!
As a candid Melbourne wedding photographer, I understand how the wedding preparation stage can be so cray-cray, so this blog is something that I made to help you up.
We care for you anyway!

Wedding Plan Checklist

From managing your timeline and researching for venues to other specific tasks such as choosing your wedding photography service, event planning is indeed an overwhelming errand.
Most people even think that wedding planning is impossible to do when you’re not experienced because of all the associated responsibilities.
Spoiler alert: if you decided not to hire a planner (for budget and other personal reasons), you can actually do it on your own and we are here to cheer you up!
But of course, moral support is not enough to help you get through so we made some list of tips and tricks that will help you move forward for the next few months that will come. You can thank me later!
Recommended reading:Here’s the Timeline Guide that You Need for your Wedding Day!

1. Wedding Plan Inspirations

More likely than not, you already have a vision of what your dream wedding looks like. However, even if you already pinpointed the style and concept that you want for your big day, it can still be overwhelming to decide when it comes to specific matters.
Yes, you might want a garden wedding, but how do you want the venue to look? You might have decided that rustic style is your thing, but what concepts are you going to apply it in? And the list goes on and on and on.
For this reason, it is highly suggested that you create a folder or a binder of your wedding inspirations.
If you don’t have the time to go through some paper resources such as fashion, food, and wedding magazines, you can actually create your own wedding binder through online platforms such as Pinterest!
Through this social media site, you can swipe through millions of inspirations and save your favored images in your Pinterest wedding boards.

2. Budget

With lots of wedding choices to pick from, it can be so easy for the expenses to spike high!
Therefore, you should decide on your wedding budget on the initial planning stages instead of just going with the flow and being surprised by your after-wedding receipts.

So how do you plan your budget? Think about how much you’re willing to spend on your special day and try to stick with it along the whole planning process.
The price of a wedding is not what matters most anyway: it’s the beautiful memories that you would be creating and would be sharing along with your loved ones!

3. Venue

After dealing with your budget, it’s now time to decide on how you turn your dream wedding into reality and it first starts in choosing your venue.
Just a heads up: this part can be really overwhelming so we prepared some tips below!
✅ Use your wedding binder as a guide. There are thousands of venues out there, so it is really important to remind yourself of what you really want before diving into the venue research process.
✅ Know your preferred location. Do you want to get married in a modern destination with rich cultural diversity and amazing art? A wedding in Melbourne is a great option for you. Do you prefer a scenic countryside-vibe to satisfy your craving for nature? You might want to tie the knot in Queensland. Well, the options are endless.
✅ Narrow down your options by keeping your favored style and concept in mind. If you want a bohemian beach wedding, focus on finding hippie beach bars and restaurants.
If a modern indoor venue is your thing, focus on finding venues in a city location. If a rustic winery is the type of venue that excites you, research for the countryside-vibe wineries in your preferred region!
Recommended reading:
Tropical I Do’s: Here are the Best Beach Venues Near Melbourne
Get Married in Victoria: Top 6 Wedding Destinations in 2020

4. Menu and Bar Options

Here’s a fun fact: food is a huge factor in the entire event experience of your wedding guests. If your cuisines are deliciously well-planned, your invitees will most likely head home with smiles on their faces!
Show your guests some love by considering their inclinations when planning your menu and beverage choices.
It can be a bit of time-consuming but asking the people in your guest list about their food preferences and food limitations is one of the sweetest things you can do.
Be reminded that someone in your invitees might be a gluten-intolerant, vegan, seafood-allergic or lactose-sensitive.
You want everyone to have a great time on your big day, right?
Recommend reading:
10 Brilliant Ideas for your Outdoor Wedding in Melbourne

5. Wedding Photographer

Once in a while, every married couple wants to look back to the wonderful memories that they made during the day of their union. Thus, selecting a professional Melbourne wedding photographer is a must.
To choose your photographer according to your goal checklist, here are some significant questions to ask:
✅ What is the shooting style and concept that you want? Do you prefer candid wedding photography, editorial photography, fine photography, or etc.?
✅ What are your priorities when it comes to your wedding images? Among aesthetics, emotions, and stories, what photography factor do you value most?
✅ What colors and angles do you like? This is also important.
✅ Do you like posing for instructed portraits or do you prefer focusing on real-time moments? Consider this.
✅Will you have a fun and amazing experience with this certain photographer? Wouldn’t it be awkward? Answer this.

6. Wedding Dress

Every bride wants to look their best on their wedding day! Before getting into the dress shopping, decide what style of dress you’re comfortable with and research some ideas on what looks best for your body type.
This will make it easier for you to decide when you’re already facing several options inside some boutiques. Here are our other tips:
✅ During your dress fittings, bring one or few authentic family and friends who can be honest with you on what looks good or not.
✅ I know it can be tempting but don’t go for the smaller size. You’re probably trying to console yourself that you’ll be shedding some pounds in the months before your wedding but please, don’t put so much pressure on yourself because you are beautiful no matter what your size is!
Besides, a bigger-sized dress is easier to modify than a tight-fitting dress during the last-minute tailoring.

7. Flowers and Decorations

Your flowers and decorations should be 100% in accordance with your wedding theme and concept.
We’re not just talking about flowers here: we’re also trying to consider what type of feeling or appeal a certain flower or decor is conveying.
Here are some examples:
✅ For a summer island wedding, source the decorations from the usual local flowers such as Yasmin, bougainvillea, and wildflowers.
✅ For a winter indoor wedding, maximize the seasonal goods such as pomegranates! This scarlet-colored decoration forms a stunning contrast against the whiteness of winter.
✅ For a rustic barn wedding, greeneries like eucalyptus can be pretty amazing when used as a table runner and centerpiece. The green colors form a quaint countryside appeal in contrast with the brown colors of a barn or cabin.

8. Wedding Ring

Sorry boys, but deciding on the wedding ring mostly depends on what the bride wants!
Who has that willpower and dedication to go through multiple accessory aisles anyway?
However, this doesn’t mean that the groom-to-be can’t have a say on what the options would be.
Visit ring shops together if you want but always remember that the bride will surely insist on what she wants when it comes to the final decision! (I warned you brother.)

9. Groom’s Suit

Unlike that bridal dress fitting, choosing the groom’s suit generally take place in the latter stages of your wedding plan.
However, this doesn’t mean that you should put a low priority on this groom’s agenda.
Yes, the bride is the star during the big day but the groom is always as important as his counterpart.
Schedule some time for at least two to three suit fittings to ensure that the king looks as great as his queen!

10. Wedding Music

Aside from being a way of entertaining your guests, incorporating great music is one of the best ways to set the mood of your big day.
To keep the dance floor alive, hiring a dynamic DJ is an excellent option.
If you’re looking for an actual serenade experience for you and your guests, booking a live band is a way to go!
If you just want to set the party vibe without spending so much, setting up a Spotify playlist is also an excellent idea.

We Would Love to Be a Part of Your Big Day!

I hope you’ve taken some notes from the above tips that we’ve prepared for you. If you would like to make your tasks lighter, you could tick the photographer’s checkbox by contacting our wedding photography Melbourne team!
You could fill up the contact form or you could send us a quick message through the chat box at the right bottom of this page.
We are looking forward to being a part of your much-awaited day by capturing your special moments beautifully!