By Esther Muchene
A wedding does not just happen; it takes proper planning to achieve something good.
Being realistic, organised and probably having a structure to follow are key things when planning a wedding. Should you not be working with a professional wedding planner who will create your wedding timelines and checklists, then, the onus is on you to do so.
Come up with a timetable-like outline of how things will be done.
• Count backwards how many weeks or months you have to the wedding and assign each day or every two days an activity.
• Have a list of all the service providers you will need and assign different days to visit or follow up. If possible include timings and an agenda for the meeting so as to save time and to help you cover all areas of interest. Start with the most important things that need quick attention and booking, for example, your wedding venue, stationery and caterer.
• Make sure all the service providers are assigned a day. Depending on the vendor, you may need to do more than one visitation and at times a site visitation. Include these in your timelines. They act as a reminder while giving you enough time to call the vendors and confirm the site visitation, fittings or food tasting. By doing so you will not be overwhelmed and confused as to what you need to do on a particular day thus giving you the ability to focus, relax and save on valuable time and resources.
• Include other activities as well, such as, setting up of a gift registry, distribution of invitation cards, hair and beauty appointments, wedding rehearsals or purchasing of ceremony items such as candles. Everything should be included.
• Make your checklist simple and to the point. It is a ‘to do’ list you derive from the timelines. Tick off the tasks done and cross those not yet done. This will help you to know at what point you are in the planning and the rate at which you are moving while helping you make necessary adjustments to cater for what is pending.
• Note that certain things such as the bridal beauty treatments, facials and make-up trials may need more time allocated to them. For example, it is advisable to visit the spa or your make-sup artist a few weeks to your wedding to give ample time just in case your skin reacts.
Being organised will result in a fun and stress free wedding planning. Now who wouldn’t want that?
—The writer is a certified wedding planner.
evebridal@standardmedia.co.ke
