Understanding what to know for your wedding can be overwhelming and surprising, but bring you and your future spouse closer. You might also argue and disagree, even if you keep the guest list small and the wedding intimate. After all, a wedding is one of the biggest and most stressful events you’ll ever plan in your lifetime, and there will be bumps in the road on the way to the wedding day. What to know for your wedding is that there are many concerns you may not expect that can pop up along the way and threaten to stress you out. The earlier you start planning, the better off you’ll be as the wedding approaches.
Things Will Go Wrong on Your Big Day
No matter how carefully you plan for events to happen on the wedding day and how many times you practice the sequence of events, chances are some things will go wrong or not happen at the time you specified. Even with a wedding planner or event manager helping you, people can get lost, stuck in traffic, or forget crucial items like the rings or a bridesmaid dress at home. Instead of dwelling on the details that don’t turn out as you hoped, try to focus on how to move forward and enjoy the things that go right. If you have a wedding planner, maid of honor, or trusted family member that knows your preferences, you can appoint them as the point of contact in a crisis and give them the go-ahead to make small decisions on your behalf on the wedding day. This way you won’t be approached with every tiny problem that comes up as you try to get ready, and your wedding day can be a calm experience for you.
Stick To Your Wedding Budget No Matter What
Many at-home planners think they know what to know for your wedding. You may start the wedding planning process with an agreed-upon, ideal budget in mind, but end up blowing the budget to get the wedding of your dreams and regretting it afterward. Once the wedding planning starts, it’s easy to get caught up in the plethora of ways that exist to celebrate your love, such as setting off fireworks at the end of the evening, having a dance or singing performance from a skilled performer to entertain your guests, or getting an ice sculpture for guests to take photos with. Ultimately, if these expenses are put on credit cards or money is borrowed to pay for these items, you might start your marriage with animosity and stress from accumulating the debt that isn’t necessary. Try to find things you can cut from the wedding that aren’t required to keep your wedding within the budget you set. Offer less expensive options for the wedding meal, like chicken instead of steak, or cut down on the kind of alcohol offered at the reception party to reduce your expenses on the food and drink part of the budget. Many couples offer wine or a specialty cocktail for guests who like to drink but don’t offer spirits or liquor that guests can order. You can cut back on centerpieces, flowers, and other décor items to make it cost less to set the ambiance you want at your wedding and use handcrafted decorations you make yourself to fill the spaces. Consider using less conventional ways of decorating, like hanging a big banner with the bride and groom’s names in place of a floral arch, which can add up to cost thousands. Banner printing costs a fraction of this amount. This is an important aspect of what to know for your wedding.
Build Extra Time into Destination Wedding Plans
If you think you have considered everything but haven’t made travel plans then you don’t know what to know for your wedding. You might have a lot of people coming in for your wedding, or you’re having a destination wedding. Consider not only the potential flight schedule issues but the travel and arrival times of family members and important guests. This will help you plan events for when they arrive. Leave extra time between the scheduled arrival and when your important events like the wedding rehearsal begin, in case there are unexpected delays that make your guests late getting in.
There are plenty of things to handle in figuring out what to know for your wedding, but one that can’t be neglected is what you’ll do with the furriest members of the family during the ceremony and the surrounding days. If they can’t come to the wedding venue, and you have no free relatives or friends to keep them, you’ll have to make another plan for where to leave them for the wedding. Organize pet boarding services well ahead of time for the length of your trip, as the availability of boarding spaces can vary based on your area, the kind of dog you have, and how long you need to board them. The pet boarding service might require documentation before accepting your dog, and it may take you time to gather these records if you don’t have them on hand.
Improving the Physical Exterior Takes Time
If you have what to know for your wedding down and want to make changes to your appearance before the wedding, be sure to look into how long they might take as well as the kind of money you’d be looking at spending. Some physical changes can be done with the help of a doctor or esthetician, but even these are not necessarily quick. Plastic surgery comes with recovery time and follow-up doctor visits that should be scheduled well before the wedding day, so there is enough time to address any issues that might crop up in the recovery process. Even noninvasive cosmetic improvements like Botox and laser liposuction can take time to show the best results, or require multiple sessions to get the results you want. If you prefer to change your appearance the old-fashioned way, through working out and modifying your diet, this can take even longer to generate results. Leaving yourself ample time lets you reach your goals without too much pressure on you at a time that is already stressful.
While some cosmetic treatments can be done quickly, like facials to treat a last-minute skin breakout that comes up before the wedding, others have to be done gradually over a series of months before the effects can be seen. For example, straightening crooked teeth takes time, especially if you want to avoid wearing traditional metal braces. Clear braces might look nicer, but they work gradually to correct your teeth. Invisalign treatments can take time because the aligners shift your teeth slowly so you need to start them well before the wedding day to ensure you have the smile you want in your photos and to start your married life.
Cancellations and Regrets are Normal
With the covid-19 pandemic still going strong, and many people still unvaccinated against the virus, it is more likely than ever that some people you invite will not come to the wedding for reasons that have nothing to do with you and how much they care for you. This is a newer addition to a what to know for your wedding list. Some people are not ready to go back to being in crowded spaces, while others are avoiding air travel. Others may still be recovering from the financial impacts of the pandemic and not have time or money to spend on going to a wedding. Try not to take these responses personally, as there are plenty of others ready to celebrate by coming to your event and toasting to you and your spouse. You can use these extra open seats to accommodate the people you wanted to invite but were not able to, or use the extra money you won’t be spending on dinner for those guests to upgrade other parts of the wedding.
Making the Home and Backyard Better
If you’re having a wedding at your home or your parents’ home, think ahead about the large items you want to change before the big day to make the space more open and inviting for guests to get around. This will help when planning what to know for your wedding. While the home may be comfortable for the guests at a small party, it can feel crowded when many people crowd in for your wedding. Things like new window treatments, having carpets cleaned, or having large pieces of furniture reupholstered can take time to complete. Leaving them to the last minute will only stress you out. If you’ll be having the wedding ceremony in the backyard of the home, you can use existing patios or gazebos for seating or as the altar area, cutting down on the chairs you need to rent. A landscaping company can help you change or improve the flowers you have in place to make them match your wedding color scheme.
Preparing for the Financial Future
If you’re concerned about how getting married is going to impact your financial future, dig into your savings, and change the plans you have for your money, meeting with an attorney or a financial planner is the best way to get informed about your rights once you are married and ensure the information you get is correct. Before you even consider what to know for your wedding, try to get informed on how to protect your assets and what is best for you and your future spouse. Just because you are married doesn’t mean you have to combine finances, you can still keep some assets separate to protect yourself. Give yourself time to take in the information before you make a final decision. If the attorney meeting leaves you feeling that you do need to protect your interests, you can have them draw up a pre-nuptial agreement and have your future spouse sign it to put your mind at ease.
Make Sure You Schedule a Break
After months or even years of planning, you’ll find the wedding day goes by in a blur, and there is little time to enjoy the company of your spouse. You will be so busy trying to get through the ceremony, take photos, greet everyone, and remember the moment that there won’t be many moments alone. If you have some time between the ceremony and reception, take that time to be together with your new spouse and simply cherish the connection you have and the love you share. You may remember this better than some banner moments people talk up, like cutting the wedding cake or tossing the bouquet.
Have a Backup Plan
If you’re planning an outdoor wedding in the sunshine, no matter how unlikely the forecast says that it is to rain, you must be prepared for anything. In the event it does rain and there is nowhere to move the party indoors, the venue should at least have a tent or some other kind of contingency plan to offer you. If you’re having an indoor wedding during hurricane, blizzard, or thunderstorm season, be ready to deal with the inclement weather and the issues it can present for guests trying to come to your wedding. Instead of letting the day get ruined by these issues, you can plan for them and be ready to handle them as they come up. Offer umbrellas or ponchos to wedding guests as they arrive, so everyone can get a good laugh about the rain instead of growing irritated with the weather.
By making a list of what you need to know for your wedding you can be prepared for whatever comes and stay calm no matter what happens on the big day. This will make the whole wedding more enjoyable for you and allow you to look back on the day later with good memories. While no wedding is perfect, you can make yours just right for you and your spouse to enjoy.
