JUST ENGAGED, NOW WHAT?
One fine day, after a romantic dinner date, he suddenly got down on one knee and proposed. You said yes, and everything changed!
Now it is time to start planning for your big day! This guide serves as an informative guideline on how to kickstart your wedding planning journey and what to lookout for. Here's a simple checklist to get the ball rolling
- Budget Planning
- Wedding Bands
- Wedding Venue
- Bridal Boutique
- Ala Carte Vendors vs One-Stop Bridal Service
- Do I need a Wedding Planner / Coordinator?
BUDGET PLANNING
We advise to get your basics sorted out first. Remember, every couple's budgeting will be vastly different as it largely depends on what you want & prioritise. For instance, some couples prioritise the venue's decor, whereas some prefer to splurge more on providing good food.
Ensure that you are realistic with your expectation and comfortable with your finances. Big dreams come with big price tags, and it's best to discuss this with each other first before proceeding with anything else!
Pro-tip: Set up an excel sheet with columns labelled "Deposit" & "Balance" to help you keep track of the amounts due and spent thus far.
WEDDING BANDS
Ensure that you discuss with each other on the date of your celebration prior to booking any sort of appointments with vendors!
We always recommend for couples to secure their wedding bands first before anything else. This is because each jeweller and each type of ring designs require different lead time, especially if your ideal designs are more unique or needs to be customised. Some jewellers might also need time to ship your rings abroad to be altered if they are not based locally.
When you have an estimate of your ring collection date, then you can go ahead and book the rest of your vendors to accommodate to your wedding bands. It would be a total disaster if your rings fail to be ready by your wedding right?
VENUE
After you have gotten a rough estimate of your wedding bands collection date, you can now go proceed to enquiry with your shortlisted venues for their availabilities! Here are some things to consider before enquiring with potential venues -
- Do you have any auspicious dates to follow?
- Would you prefer a Luncheon or Dinner?
- What is your budget per pax/table?
- How many pax are you roughly expecting?
- What type of venues do you like? (i.e., Outdoors, Hotel, Venue Space)
- What type of cuisine do you want and how do you want them to be served? (i.e., Chinese, Western, Fusion; in courses or buffet or sharing plates)
- What type of layout do you like? (i.e., Long straight aisle / wide & open space / big stage)
- Is quality of the Audio-Visual System important to you? (i.e., Some venues use LED screens whereas some use portable projectors)
- Do you require a big reception area? (i.e., For your guests to mingle during cocktail hour / To place Pre-Wedding activities)
- Do you plan to hold an After Party at the venue? (i.e., Some venues do not allow for music after a certain timing)
- Do you want a changing room (bridal room) or are you fine with going back to your suite to change and/or rest?
- What is included in the venue's in-house wedding package and what is important to you? (i.e., Is there corkage / cakeage fees, types of decor available, colour of linens, alcohol brands)
- Is there any specific amenities / requirements that are of importance to you? (i.e., Good lighting, Cocktail area, Long / Round tables, Smoking area, Handicap-friendly)
BRIDAL BOUTIQUE
The next step after finalising your date & venue, is your outfits!
Wedding venues and your outfits go hand-in-hand, especially if you are more particular about having your wardrobe match your venue's aesthetic.
So do remember to let the bridal shop's consultant know what you have in mind in terms of venue & theme of the day for them to recommend the types of outfits that will go best.
For instance, if you have booked your wedding by the beach/garden, you want to let your bridal consultant know to avoid picking out a mismatching dress for you.
Do also have a rough idea of how many style changes you intend to have, and how drastic you want these changes to be. This will help our consultants understand better about the types of attire you envision.
Is going for a One-Stop service Bridal Boutique a good idea?
Most bridal boutiques provide a one-stop service, which consists of both your pre-wedding and actual day photography, gown & suit rental, hair & make-up, personal florals as well as partnering with other vendors for venue styling and other wedding necessities.
With such full bridal packages, the amazing part is that you only need to coordinate with 1 vendor (the bridal boutique) and all things will be taken care of.
Couples who have gone for these packages have mentioned that it definitely feels more stress-free! However, we definitely do recommend our couples to enquire more regarding the services included and the vendors' portfolios to get a better idea of whether the styles fits what you are looking for. For instance, some bridal boutiques work with freelance vendors as part of their packages whereas Luna Bianca offers our own Full Wedding packages with all services included being in-house.
Ultimately, the decision still rests in your hands! We understand that some couples already have certain vendors they have in mind and would rather engage ala-carte vendors even if that means more coordination on their part. Otherwise, you can also feel free to customize your own wedding package if per se, you want to engage Luna Bianca for our gowns, suits & make-up, but you have already engaged your own photographer!
How to decide which vendors to engage?
Whether you are engaging a one-stop service boutique or getting your wedding needs ala-carte, do ensure that you have a rough idea of which vendors you want and how important you rank them. For instance, some couples have friends or family that is a florist and would not require to hire any external vendors for venue styling.
With so many vendors out there in the wedding scene, it is no doubt difficult to decide who to engage, the first step is to always speak to each shortlisted vendor first to ensure they understand your vision and for you to get a better sense of their work and style.
If you have any doubts, be transparent and tell them about your concerns. Moreover, you can also check for online reviews from past couples' experiences with them.
Remember wedding planning mostly takes about 3 months to up to 2 years and we want you to enjoy every second of it. So do make sure you engage the vendors that you truly will enjoy working with!
Do I need a Wedding Planner / Coordinator?
There is no right or wrong in this. It ultimately depends on your wedding budget, preference for vendors, and your time & energy to be planning for a wedding.
As we have established, you may like a photography style in shop A and prefer the gowns in shop B. If your budget & time permits, go for what you like! Wedding is an emotional and intimate experience, so make the most out of it.
We do recommend for couples whom are more busy with work and/or other commitments to either go for a one-stop service boutique or engage a wedding planner / coordinator.
