After working in the wedding industry for 5 years, and recently getting married myself, I wanted to put together a series of blogs to pass on some knowledge and help you plan your wedding day!

So you’re engaged? YAYYYYY! This is a very exciting and overwhelming time, and I bet you’ve had a dozen people ask (within the first 24hrs) if you’ve set a date yet?

After basking in your newly engaged bliss for a while, it’s time to do a few things; I started by creating a wedding email address to keep all of our wedding correspondence in one place. Then I got myself a binder folder for inspo pics, scribbling notes, keeping track of the budget/ guests/ run sheet, etc. I also got myself a beautiful wedding planner from The Twine Junction to put all of my final details in and have as a keepsake. You can pick up one of these amazing planners here - www.instagram.com/thetwinejunction/?hl=en

Next, its time to sit down with your Fiance and nut out the basics. We started by making a draft guest list. Some venues have a minimum or maximum number required for a wedding, so before you go venue hunting, it’s best that you have a rough idea of how many guests you’ll have. This rough number also comes in handy when you’re getting quotes down the track for catering, invitations, cake, etc. You also need to decide on what you want the feel of your wedding to be. Do you want a super casual backyard wedding? A rustic barn? Or a formal hotel setting? You want to choose a venue that suits you as a couple! You also need to talk about your budget, and how you’re going to find the money to pay for your wedding. With the average Australian wedding costing aprox $35,000 - $40,000, you need to discuss what you’re comfortable spending. We hadn’t started saving for a wedding when we got engaged, so we set our date far enough away that we had time to comfortably save our designated amount. It’s always good to budget a little bit of a buffer because little things do come up here & there during the planning process. Make sure your budget reflects the ideas you have for your wedding and the number of guests you’re planning on inviting.

Once you’ve got a rough guest list, a budget and an idea of the feel of your wedding, it’s time to start looking for a venue and choose a date!

This is where things get fun, and once you set a date, everything else seems to fall into place. Start by looking up venues that suit your vision. We wanted to go for a relaxed, farm style wedding, with everything in one place; accommodation, ceremony & reception. Organise private viewings of some venues, attend their open days and take a list of questions so that you can make sure the venue fits everything you need. Once you find a venue that fits your vision and is available for your chosen date, lock it in!

GET EXCITED! You’ve just made it through the first few steps of planning. And now you have an answer for all of those people who keep asking “have you set a date?”. YAAASSSS