Recently engaged and planning your 2023 wedding? We know that wedding planning can seem daunting at first, but we’re here to help you through the process!
We’ve been lucky enough to work on thousands of weddings – so, we have some unique insight into planning a memorable celebration. From choosing the perfect wedding venue to creating a mood board and booking your vendors, read on as we share 10 tips to help you plan a stress-free wedding in 2023.
1. Know Your Priorities
Before diving into your wedding planning, we’d suggest taking some time to really think about your priorities for the day. Getting crystal clear on what’s actually important to you both will make it much easier to invest your time and budget accordingly.
Try to nail down your top 5 “must-haves” for the day – whether that’s live music, amazing food, comfortable seating or statement flowers. You’ll want to dedicate more time (and funds) towards your top priorities, while the less important details can be lower on your list (with less budget allocated).
Whenever you start to feel overwhelmed, refer back to your priorities – this will remind you of the bigger picture, so you don’t have to sweat the small stuff.
2. Define Your Wedding Vision
Clearly defining your wedding vision is another task you should tick off before booking your venue or suppliers. Your wedding vendors will need to understand your overall “theme” or vision to help them bring it to life for you!
Think about how you want your day to look and feel. Are you picturing an intimate dinner party with lots of moody lighting and colourful flowers? A luxe marquee wedding in the hinterland? A bohemian cocktail party underneath a giant tipi? Start saving your favourite inspo on Pinterest, put together a mood board, and really narrow down your colour palette, aesthetic and vibe for the day. You can read our guide to creating a mood board for your wedding here.
3. Create a Checklist
Something else that can be super helpful when wedding planning is creating a master checklist. This checklist should include everything (big and small!) that needs to be done before the wedding, with a rough due date for each one.
Think about what needs to be organised by the 12-month mark, 8-month mark, 6-month mark, and so on. This will make it easy to manage your time and ensure you don’t accidentally overlook any important details!
You can also create an individual checklist for each vendor, such as your florist, caterer and furniture hire. Having a physical checklist – whether that’s in a journal, excel spreadsheet or Google doc – will help you feel organised and at ease, especially when you start ticking those tasks off your list. You can find our furniture hire checklist here!
4. Book Your Key Vendors First
Speaking of timelines, you’ll want to make sure you book your key vendors ASAP to avoid missing out. Refer back to your top priorities for the day to determine who you need to secure first. Keep in mind that the most in-demand vendors can book out well in advance, particularly during peak season or around public holidays. If you know that you definitely want a specific vendor or product, we recommend locking them in as soon as possible to give you peace of mind. When it comes to furniture and decor, you can use our furniture hire timeline here as a guide.
5. Make It Personal
With so much inspiration out there, it’s all too easy to get swept up in the latest wedding trends. But before you get too deep in the Pinterest rabbit hole, stop and think about how you can ensure your day is truly personal and authentic to you and your partner.
Pinterest and Instagram are great resources, but try to draw inspiration from your own personalities, style and preferences, too. Keeping things personal will ensure your wedding styling remains timeless and won’t “date” quickly. To find your personal style, look around your home and wardrobe to see what colours and textures you gravitate towards!
6. Have a Wet-Weather Plan
Guys, having a wet weather plan is soooo important – trust us! The last thing you want to be dealing with on the morning of your big day is finding a last-minute plan B as you get your hair and makeup done. No matter what season your wedding date falls in, unfortunately the weather is totally unpredictable.
If you’re planning an outdoor wedding, make sure you have a practical wet weather plan sorted for each element of your day (ceremony, cocktail hour, reception), and ensure all of your vendors have a copy of your plan, too. Opting for a marquee, tent or tipi wedding as opposed to a totally alfresco setting is a great way to alleviate some of those weather worries! You can read our guide to planning for wet weather on your wedding day here.
7. Be Mindful With DIY
Going DIY with your wedding decor can seem like a great way to save some extra dollars – but we’d recommend proceeding with caution!
Choosing to DIY your entire wedding can often lead to some stressful moments closer to the day if you have limited time at your disposal. If you are going down the DIY route, be realistic about what you can actually achieve in the time you have available, and maybe focus on just a few elements while outsourcing others – don’t overcommit yourself!
8. Aim to Finalise Everything Early
The week leading up to your wedding day can be seriously crazy, with guests travelling, pre-wedding celebrations, beauty appointments and rehearsals. With this in mind, try to have all of your wedding tasks well and truly ticked off by the 1-week mark (ideally, even earlier) – don’t procrastinate!
Getting everything out of the way early means you can spend your wedding week relaxing, getting pampered and enjoying yourself instead of feeling frazzled. Hiring a wedding planner or coordinator will also help you de-stress in the lead up to your big day.
9. Ask For Help
Planning a wedding can get overwhelming and there are times you may feel lost, confused or simply a little out of your depth. If so, don’t be afraid to ask for help, and remember that every other couple is in the same boat!
We’re always happy to assist with your questions and concerns as much as possible – you’ll find other wedding vendors are the same. There’s no such thing as a silly question when it comes to wedding planning, so ask the experts for help when you need it.
10. Take a Moment To Soak It All In
Our final tip is a piece of feedback we hear from so many of our couples after the big day has been and gone. Your wedding day is going to absolutely FLY by, so don’t forget to sneak away for a quiet moment amongst all of the craziness to really soak up the atmosphere and see all of your hard work come together!
Currently wedding planning? We’d love to help. Get in touch for a copy of our latest hire catalogue, or find more wedding planning tips and styling inspiration via our latest blogs below.
