Did You Get Engaged Over The Holidays?

Congratulations! This is a very exciting time for you but it can also be a daunting time for some of you. Elitonia are here to help you every step of the way.

Here are a few tips to start you on your wedding planning journey.

1. Take Time to enjoy the moment!

Before you jump headfirst into colour schemes and wedding themes, take time to relax and savour the moment without any focus on the wedding. Just enjoy being together before you share the news with others. No matter how long your engagement period will be, you have time to enjoy your engagement – you only get to experience this once so take time to experience the ‘engagement glow’.

2. Remember, this is YOUR day, Full Stop.

When you do start the planning process, make sure that you remember that this is your wedding. Don’t lose sight of this. It is easy to try to please everyone else and forget that it’s your day. You will never make everyone happy so you need to please yourselves.

3. Communication/Budget

Communication is so important throughout the entire planning process. You need to have a sit down with all parties involved and discuss the budget. You need to discuss budget responsibilities and ensure that you communicate and agree all aspects of the budget with those responsible. This ensures that everyone is on the same page and avoids conflicts.

4. Prioritize

It is important that you sit down and make a list of the things that are important to you for your wedding day and then rank them according to importance. If you are working on a tight budget, spend more on the things that are more important and try to save with the things that aren’t as important. The team at Elitonia are experienced in planning wedding and assist many couples throughout their planning journey. We are able to give advice on how to get what you want but still stick within your budget.

5. Photographs last a lifetime

As you only get one chance to capture your wedding day, choosing the right person to capture your special images is one of the most important decisions that you can make! It can be a daunting process to find the right person, you need to remember that both yourself and your fiancé need to feel comfortable with the photographer. Ask for recommendations and then look at their work, meet with them and see if you feel you can work with them. Book and engagement photo session before the big day as this will give you and the photographer time to get to know each other and for them to get a feel of who you are as a couple. Make sure you have a list of ‘must have’ photographs so that nothing gets missed.

6. Flowers ARE important

Wedding flowers are another very important part of your wedding day. As the flowers will be in every photograph that you have on the day, it is so important to get the right florist for your day. So many brides make the mistake of thinking that flowers should be low down on the priority list, or that they can ‘get them cheap’. This should not be the case.

A lot of knowledge and skill goes into making the perfect bouquet and floral arrangements for your special day. When choosing your florist, first and foremost, find out if they are actually qualified with an industry-recognised qualification. Secondly, make sure they offer you a consultation and that they listen to what your wishes are. You need to know that you can work with them as they are such an integral part of your day. During a consultation, a qualified florist can make design suggestions and discuss alternatives for flowers out of season once they know what you are looking for. Professional florists are not cheap and fresh flower prices are rising all the time, but they do offer far greater value than the budget alternative.

6. Organisation

If you are able to hire a wedding planner, then they will do the organisation for you, however, if you aren’t having a planner, then it is important to stay organised. The more organised you are, the less likely there is for something go wrong. We can provide you with a Wedding Planner Checklist to assist you in staying organised and help you through the planning process.

7. Suppliers

When dealing with all the various wedding professionals (Caterers, Musicians, Photographers and so on), be sure to clarify all the details and your expectations during the initial discussions. It is important to make sure that you always get a contract that states dates, times and locations—in other words, spell everything out. It's not about being difficult but about paying for and receiving exactly what you want to make your day spectacular. Make sure that you read the fine print for each contract before you sign it and be aware of any cancellation policies and fees. Should the unforeseen happen and you have to postpone or cancel, be aware that a lot of professionals have a non-refundable booking deposit but allow some refunds depending on the notice period.