Just got engaged and
Don’t know where to start?
First things first, lets get it out of the way so that no one is in two minds about this.
But that’s why I sat down with freelance wedding planner Cheryl from Cheryl Beeney Events to find out all of the info that you need to know about before you dive into your wedding plans
Wedding planning for the newly engaged
can be a complete headf*ck!
1. Newly engaged couples are going to be in a bubble right now.
They're loved up and celebrating with family, friends and each other. And,
soon enough they're going to be excited about planning their wedding.
Most couples have no experience of what to do or where to begin.
Where should Couple's even start when it comes to laying the foundations for their wedding plans?
“First things first you need to sit down together and decide exactly how you want to celebrate your wedding day.
What does that look to you as a couple? What is important to you? For instance, would you prefer a small intimate wedding with fewer guests or a big extravagant celebration of the two of you.
Would you prefer to stay at home or would you like to fly to some far off land for your nuptials?
And one of the most important factors when deciding when you would like your wedding to be is setting your budget. Ask yourselves what you would be comfortable investing in your wedding day, and tehn decide how long it would reasonably take to pay for it. For everyone this is going to be different. Nowadays it’s too easy to get carried away with Instagram weddings and not be realistic about if they can afford it.”
- Cheryl
2. Would a vision board or mood board
help to inspire Couple's
with envisioning their wedding day?
What should it include?
“Certainly, a mood board or vision board is an incredibly helpful way of envisioning your wedding day. It’s a creative way of aligning your visions for wedding and understanding how you would like your day to look from small details as simple as your wedding colour scheme and button-holes to larger pieces such as ceremony decor and the overall atmosphere that you want to create.
Pinterest is a brilliant tool to utilise for this.”
3.Now that they have a rough idea of where to start, I guess Couples need to know
what or who to prioritise.
When should Couples be looking to book certain suppliers for their wedding day?
“The rule of thumb is to prioritise the booking of your supplier if they would only work 1 wedding per day. For example, it is not unusual for a cake maker to deliver several cakes on a Saturday. They have multiple couples on a single wedding day. The timeline (across) highlights my recommendations for when to book certain suppliers. It will give you a good idea of when you should be booking them. ”
- Cheryl
“I would also add that if you do find people that you love and believe in then to get them booked in as soon as realistically possible. Especially, as Cheryl mentions, if they can only work one wedding per day.
Also, this is a timeline of simply when to book. Your individual supplier will give guidance on when to finalise certain details”
- Steve
18+ Months
Wedding Venue/Church
Celebrant and/or registrar
Purchase your wedding Insurance
Begin looking for your photographer and/or videographer
Book your photographer and/or videographer
Book your entertainment (DJ, Band, musicians etc)
Book your catering
12 Months
10 Months
Begin actively wedding dress shopping to purchase to give time for alterations.
Make sure to find a seamstress if your dress shop doesn’t provide this.
Begin suit shopping
9 Months
Florist
Stationary (Save the dates/wedding invitations etc)
Personalised gifting
6 Months
Order your Cake
Finalise Transport
Bridesmaid Dresses
Groomsmen suits
4-5 Months
Order your wedding rings
Venue Decor and Props
4. as we all know everyone has their own specific budget.
From your own experience,
who and what are the priority hires for a wedding day?
The must-have suppliers?
“You want your guests to look back on a Fabulous day. They’ll remember the fun, emotion and happiness you create. They’ll also remember the bad points such as going hungry not enough drink or just a general lack of atmosphere.
I would prioritise 2 suppliers.
The Ceremony (your church/celebrant/registars) after all, this is the main event and why you’ve invited your guests. The second is food & drink. It doesn’t have to be fancy and expensive. One of my best weddings I had feedback from was a fish & chip van for the wedding breakfast with a Mr Whippy ice cream as dessert.”
5. The priority at the start is quite clearly
finding and booking a venue.
What should couples be looking for when it comes to a wedding venue?
“There are 4 factors when it comes to your wedding venue.
Your budget, the location, the capacity of the venue and whether the venue offers legal ceremonies.
These might seem basic, but incredibly important when you are deciding on where to get married.”
6.Couples now know roughly
when and who they should be booking,
but how do Couple's even go about
finding their suppliers?
“You shouldn’t overlook the importance of booking a Wedding Planner. We can offer you a bespoke service by using our knowledge of trusted suppliers from every area of your wedding that will fit the wedding that you are creating.
Another great way of finding the suplpiers that you need is by attending wedding shows. That way you can meet suppliers in person.
Social Media and AI such as Chat GPT is a good starting point, but you should always meet the supplier or have a one to one conversation with them before any deposits are paid.” - Cheryl
“As someone that exhibits at wedding shows quite alot, it can’t be overstated how important it is to meet wedding suppliers, even if it’s to understand just how friendly and knowledgeable they are about their craft.
When you come away from a show you typically have a much better idea of the type of people that you want involved in your wedding day than when you went in.” - Steve
7. Let's move on to a huge question
all couple's will be asking themselves.
"Should we DIY or hire a professional to dress/prep my venue?"
What are the benefits and disadvantages
of a DIY wedding versus hiring a professional for Decor?
“This is almost always down to personal preference.
Some couples enjoy creating their own decor and seeing it come to life. Others may find it difficult to visualise and need some professional help to give them inspiration. There could also be time restrictions when it comes to setting up with your venue, which could mean choosing a professional venue decorator becomes a necessity.
By choosing the DIY route you may be relying on friends and family to help you, so make sure to choose ones that won’t let you down on the day.” - Cheryl
“Typically for a full day wedding, when you’re planning the timings, I always start from the ceremony time. From there I work backwards for hair, make up, guests arrival, flowers and cake arrival, as well as time for Registars meetings and travel if that applies.
I then work forwards from the end of the ceremony for drinks reception, photo’s, food, speeches and evening reception.
However, I am passionate about encouraging couples to think out of the box. Have a wedding that you want, not what everyone else has in mind. Whether it’s a small ceremony with close friends for a dinner party afterwards or a Twilight wedding flowing into a party. The timings will always start from the Ceremony.
Timings will vary greatly depending on your number of guests, length of food service and location of ceremony. That’s more reason to have a wedding planner to map it all out for you!”
7. You mentioned time restrictions there.
How does a wedding day
actually pan out for a couple
and how should they plan the timings of their day?
8. you're a wedding planner Cheryl.
What are the benefits of having someone like yourself
to help plan and run the wedding day
and does everything always go to plan?
“Couples invest a lot of money in a single day. You only get that one chance to get it right. Having a Wedding Planner gives you the reassurance that you have everything covered, you’ve invested wisely and that you can deal with any emergencies without disturbance.
Sometimes things don’t go to plan. Weather emergencies, guests falling ill or timings that fall behind. These can all be dealt with by the wedding planner who will have experience in managing incidents as they crop up without disturbing your day.”
9. When should couple's
actually send out their save the date's,
wedding invitations, or both?
“Save the dates should be sent out around 10 months or so before the day of your wedding day. It gives guests plenty of time to plan around family and work responsibilities.
Wedding invitations should be sent out 6-months before your wedding day. If you give your guests too long to respond they will put it off and forget, meaning you’ll be on the chase.”
10.although friends and family RSVP a big fat "YES",
life happens quickly.
Emergencies happen. And we've seen guests not turn up.
What should our couple's do if guests pull out at the last minute?
“It’s understandable that guests are unable to attend sometimes, whether that’s due to travel chaos, late work commitments or even illness. What most couples will do is have an unspoke priority list of who they would would invite from their evening guests in case of emergencies. Most evening guests are understanding and will jump at the chance to celebrate all day with you.”
11. what about if couple's are also worried about
suppliers cancelling or pulling out?
Should couples be purchasing wedding insurance just in case?
“This one always amazes me. Why wouldn’t couples get wedding insurance? You wouldn’t go on holiday without the necessary insurance, so why not insure the most expensive day of your life.
I’ve had weddings where they needed to claim mainly for family illnesses which allowed them to postpone the wedding day. Insurance also covers you on other things that you may not have thought of, suppliers not turning up or wedding gifts getting stolen.” - Cheryl
“I’ve got to completely agree on this one, get yourself the correct insurances. You never know what’s going to happen from a small world point of view or a global one, you need to make sure that you’re covered just in case of cancellation or postponement.” - Steve
“Don’t get carried away with the social media hype. You do you and organise the wedding day that you want, don’t let others influence your plans.
If there is one thing that I would change and have seen cause dramas at weddings it is the roles of the Bridesmaids & Groomsmen. I could write a book on the dramas I’ve witnessed. If you need them, and most people do, decide what role the individual will have to support you on your day.
The organised best friend and loud best mate are usually the best candidate!”
12. Thank you for your experience and insight, Cheryl.
If you had one single piece of advice for couples just starting their planning,
what would it be?
READY TO MEET YOUR
wedding
photographer?
As a wedding photographer I know how quickly suppliers get booked up. Just fill in the form below and I will check my availability for you ASAP.
I will get in touch with you to let you know if I am available for your wedding day.
What a couple have said
He had a perfect balance of professionalism and personality, and we have had so many of our guests comment at how great he was- it was like having another friend at the wedding!
Katie and Michael, Worstead Estate
Want to take a look at another beautiful wedding day?
There are so many beautiful wedding venues across Norfolk and Suffolk, and very few are quite as striking as the Tudor mansion of Hengrave Hall.
Click the button below to take a look at Megan and Chris’s beautiful wedding day.