As we all know by now, arranging a wedding can feel pretty overwhelming at first. Trust me, as a top wedding photographer in Manila, Philippines, I do it for a living. While recruiting professionals to help out could be pretty ideal, perhaps you’re working under a tight budget, or maybe you simply love going the DIY route. It may be a great deal of work, but it’s absolutely possible to plan your dream wedding no matter what are the circumstances presented in front of you.
It just requires a bit of company to keep everything on track when you’re faced with endless decisions, lists, deadlines, and you know, your life to deal with. Based on my experience, it’s ideal to give yourself plenty of time to plan. You’ll make things so much harder on yourself if you attempt to plan and manage each detail and attempt to do it all at the last moment. A longer timeline is your friend here – aim for about a year of preparation if possible.
- Start preparing early. You’ve got December 2020 on your mind as the perfect wedding date, but don’t think that means you have to wait two years before you start planning. The sooner you get on it, the better, and less stressful it will be as your wedding day approaches. Having a clear strategy before you start will help you keep on top of everything and ensure that you don’t forget anything important. Insurance, ballpark figure of guest list number, along with the budget should be your first 3 things to consider.
- Allocate a reasonable budget (not too high, not too low). Do not spend anything until you’ve set a realistic budget, which won’t stretch you too much. It’s a common error to overlook all of the little extras, too – if you want your budget to work, you need to factor in each detail as early as possible during the planning period. Don’t forget to account for additional costs like dress alterations, giveaways, and beauty expenses. Also, overspending on small, unnecessary aspects of the wedding will leave you short on budget when it comes to more important areas such as the fee for the wedding photographer in Manila or in any place you have selected.
- Always be willing to accept a help. Although it’s your big day, your own family and friends will be eager to help and will want to be involved in the planning, and as long as they don’t interfere with your vision of the wedding, then there’s nothing wrong in accepting a helping hand. By getting help from people you trust, you are more inclined to feel that you can be honest if things aren’t exactly happening as you want them to be.
- Be careful with the guest list (or at least the final one). Sorting the guest listing early is important so that you can then concentrate on finding the ideal venue, which will cater to your selected guests. Prices per head will almost certainly be your biggest expense, therefore it’s always ideal to keep your wedding intimate and invite only the guests that you want to be part of this special event in your life. It’s the most important and hardest decision in the whole preparation process, but it has to be yours and your partner’s choice only.
- Consider destination wedding. Normally, you don’t want to choose a venue very near where you live, and that is just pretty normal, but make sure you don’t stray too much from where the majority of your guest resides, as fewer guests will likely be able to attend the event. This is particularly important when you are planning a wedding overseas. According to a destination wedding photographer in Manila, Philippines, “To be safe, expect that most of the guests won’t be able to come it if you choose to do a destination wedding,” he stated.
- Have a Plan B (or C). Simply put, you have to always be prepared when things don’t go your way during the planning stages. As locations tend to be booked way ahead into the future, some things could go differently as expected. This also might be an issue with the catering to bad weather (despite the prediction promising a dry afternoon ). Carefully plan for each situation and account for things that may not go according to plan so you are not left stressed out and panicking about the big moment at the last minute.
- Select your maid of honor and bridesmaids early. Your maid of honor and bridesmaids ought to be your biggest support during the preparation process, so choose wisely (and early). Friends you have lately made or cousins you rarely see aren’t the ideal choice. Instead choose your sisters, best friends, and close relatives. The last thing you will need is to look over your wedding album a few years later and to be no longer in touch with one of your bridesmaids.
- Reserve the best wedding photographer in Manila, Philippines if possible. Your wedding album is how you’ll relive the cherished memories of your big event, so don’t underestimate the importance of a great photographer. Research attentively and find somebody who understands just what you would like. Engagement shoots are a great idea as well since you’ll get to know your photographer better as well as practice your poses.
- Take the time to try the food to be served during the wedding. One of the major topics at any wedding is the food you serve during the event. Avoid skimping in this area of your wedding. You don’t want to be labelled as the couple who served the worst food out of all the weddings that they have been to. Let’s put it this way: they’ve bought you and your partner a nice gift, they spent money to look good and to accommodate your wedding theme; therefore, the least you could do is to ensure that they will leave your event happy and satisfied – food being one of the main reasons for that.
- Feel fabulous, but don’t try to change who you are. Everyone wants to look fab in their wedding photographs, so in case you’d prefer a confidence boost, now is the opportunity to adopt a healthy eating plan and practice a few simple exercises to tone your body. On the other hand, opting for an extreme diet is certainly not a good idea. Just keep in mind your groom wishes to marry you exactly the way you are.
- Now is not the time to experiment in terms of hair & makeup (also applicable to men). The main culprits here are too much fake tan, colored eyebrows, and an excessive amount of foundation! Yes, you’ll have to wear slightly heavier makeup than usual to produce your features stand out in photographs, but do not go crazy.
- Give your husband-to-be his own duties. Your fiancè may not have been planning his wedding since he was in grade school, but he will have his own ideas and opinions and will want a say in the planning. Most guys prefer to become involved with all the menu, music, and most importantly, the budget.
- Make the little details stand out. A wedding is all about the couple’s identity and character, so try to incorporate your personalities to this big day as much as you can. From the stationary and favours to the outfits and dance; make your guests say “that’s so them!”
- Create a checklist. Having a thousand and one suppliers to talk to, each with distinct payment deadlines, it’s impossible to keep tabs on everything by yourself. Sit down with your partner, create a budget spreadsheet of prediction costs and real costs in addition to when payments are expected and list what things are left to do.
As a wedding photographer in the Philippines who has witnessed tons of wedding events every single month, the best advice that I could give is to enjoy this journey. At first glance, planning a wedding may not seem like an amusing activity. But trust me, if you can get through the trials and frustrations of wedding preparation, then you and your partner will be able to weather any storm that comes your way in your married life – well, sort of. At the end of the day, do not forget what’s important. Needless to say, wedding is supposed to be a happy, momentous event for you and your partner. Therefore, do things with a positive attitude. You’re not doing all of this to impress a particular person or your guests as a whole. Wedding planning can be stressful but if you end up becoming too caught up in it all, have a step back and remind yourself what your wedding is really about — you marrying the love of your life!
