I’m not one of those brides who almost hold an honorary degree in hot mess while planning their wedding. In contrast, I was just calm about the whole process and we managed to knock out the entire wedding plan to the last detail in just a few months. Being a complete perfectionist is a recipe for insanity, so we didn’t completely go that route but had fun deciding priorities and working them out.
In this post, I’ll be sharing the things I learned while we were planning our wedding as a reference to brides and grooms-to-be and as a way of documenting my reflection. Today marks 1 year 6 months and 18 days since we got started with our DIY wedding planning. I look back on our wedding day with amazing memories. There were a few misses, but these were heavily outweighed by the good and were nothing in comparison to the overall success of our celebration with friends and family.
3 Lessons Learned While Wedding Planning
1. Know what you want and get your plans executed right.
Planning a wedding is not as easy as pie, but it’s doable even if you’re still working full-time in your respective day jobs or businesses, if you have a plan and keep at it. Both Louie and I are wired with an achiever mentality and a desire for efficiency. Even while planning our wedding, this was very apparent.
On our first two months of preparation, we went to at least three bridal fairs to book services at a discount and met with our suppliers during the weekends. All the major details were done and decided for on the third month, so we had the time to slow down and take off our “superman/superwoman” cape in all the days remaining before our wedding day.
The key is to have a solid plan, a checklist of items, thoroughly agree on the specifications of requirements with suppliers, and exchange approval signatures in the contract to secure deals. Giving constant reminders and follow-ups are also important.
2. Get support from family and friends when needed.
Balancing wedding preparations with work and my personal life did not tire us out. This was not only because of our fast head-start and diligence in taking notes down, but also because we had a great support system. Doing it on my own would have been nearly impossible.
I can’t express enough how thankful I was to have my mom step in and help me address the gowns for the entourage and garments for the primary sponsors. She had to go to the stall in 168 where we had the dresses made several times to check up on progress and accommodate the fitting of the entourage. She also managed to do the paperwork (documents needed for marriage) and guided us through the steps and actions we needed to take.
3. Simplify wherever you can.
I love working on details, especially those that demand attention. However, right from the start, I also learned from others not to get lost too much in the details and lose sight of the spirit you want to create. Hence, in every idea, ask if there’s any way it can be made simpler.
Napkins on the reception table, wedding favors and souvenirs, cake decorations, types of flowers, menu cards, and guestbook designs—are some examples of things that won’t be remembered too long after the event. Let these things fall to the wayside and just focus on those that have greater value. What guests will care about for the most part would be the food, ambiance, entertainment, the ways you make them feel welcome and the very spirit of the wedding day. Don’t sweat the small stuff!
In our case, we spent the most time choosing the best wedding vendors who would make all our plans come to life and bring our dream wedding to reality. And they did. 🙂 The second part of this post covers my review and rating of the suppliers we worked with. Click here.
I hope you’ve found this post helpful! If you have any questions, please do let us know in the comments. Have you got any more advice or tips when planning a wedding or choosing or working with wedding vendors? I’d also love to hear from you.
About Rochkirstin Santos-Sioco
Health and technology freak. Food and lifestyle blogger with a large appetite for food and travel.
We didn’t have a big wedding, so planning wasn’t difficult. However, my niece did have a big wedding, and I know that she lived by checklists for everything! You have to have a deadline for certain aspects and check lists when on a tight schedule.
The first tip is the most important. KNOW WHAT YOU WANT! You can’t go into your planning without knowing what you want unless you LOVE being stressed.
Wedding planning can be so stressful! I’ve been in 5 weddings and every bride has been in a tight spot at one point or another!
Everything looks absolutely stunning beginning with, of course, YOU, the lovely bride! The photos are gorgeous and I can see you planned the perfect princess wedding. The cake, bridesmaid dresses, venue, and photography, are beautiful!
Wow, I have to say your dress, location, and photos are simply the best! If I were planning my wedding I would totally listen to your tips because clearly, you know what you are talking about!
Beautiful!!!! I love everything about your wedding—-the dresses, makeup, photos—it’s all simply beautiful!
I had a huge wedding. 600 people were invited (husband comes from an insanely large family) and 500 people attended. It was crazy stressful planning all the little parts for that many people. I absolutely love the cake in the pictures! So pretty!
These area ll great things to consider when planning an event! I love all of your photos!!
It’s really important to make sure that you have a good support system. It’s going to be crazy once you start planning a wedding.
This is really important to make a wedding perfect plan. It’s really stressful but in the end of the wedding. It’s all worth it.
Your such a lovely bride and I love your wedding venue as well. Your picture with your parent’s is so precious. Best wishes and have a happy married life.
I never really planned anything with my wedding, I let other people do it but sometimes I think it would be fun to do for a friend.
I agree about all three of these. Weddings can get spendy and you could get overwhelmed quick. It’s great to have help from others when planning a wedding.
I love the idea of wedding planning, but I’ve heard so many bad things about the process. I’m a very organized person but I easily get sucked into the details.
Your photos are astounding, I love this post even though I’m not getting married anytime soon.
Know what you want, for sure and start from there. It’s easier when you know exactly how you want your wedding to be. Been there, done that. 🙂 Congratulations on your beautiful wedding. Love all the photos.
Did you shoot some of your photos in Fantasy World? The background looks quite familiar. i like the motif of your wedding. I remember helping my mother plan my sister and brother-in-law`s wedding who were both outside the country. We also had the bridesmaids` gowns made in Manila because it`s less expensive there yet the quality is good.
❀ Grace ❀
Congratulations on your wedding. It looks like it was beautiful!
This was really helpful, and you look stunning in your wedding dress. I especially love the castle-esque photo venue in the background.
I’m quite the perfectionist so I think when it comes to my own wedding, I’m going to have to let that go a little bit or I’ll go insane like you said!
I knew you would be a very organized bride and the effort shows in the beautiful result. Congratulations on your special day and the flawless execution of long-laid out plans.
This was really helpful. It is important to get well-prepared when it comes to the wedding. This is once in a lifetime experience that should not be missed.
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