Lifestyle | Tips for planning the perfect summer wedding

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Planning a wedding is a considerable undertaking. Most couples have big dreams and plans, but often have to manage the planning process around everyday jobs, chores and activities.

Organising a wedding can lead to considerable stress and anxiety – but it doesn’t have to. Here are some event management tips for planning a fabulous summer wedding that will make the process a bit more streamlined, efficient and relaxed.

1. Plan in advance

The best piece of advice when planning any event – but especially a wedding – is to plan as far in advance as possible. Organising things well ahead of time means greater availability, better prices (vendors are usually happy to negotiate a discount to secure your business), and more peace of mind – after all, if you’re organised, you don’t need to worry about getting a cake or finding the right flowers at the last minute.

2. Plan logically

It’s not a good idea to simply start making bookings and purchases. You need to come up with a plan first – this includes the theme, a rough estimate of guests, a date, and the most important elements that absolutely must be present.

Then make a list of all the things you’ll require – from the venue to the favours – and arrange them in a chart with dependencies. This means looking at what must be in place before you can order or decide on something. For example, there’s no point ordering table linens if you don’t know what tables you will have, or if you haven’t decided on a colour scheme.

3. Watch your budget

While few people enjoy thinking about money matters, this is a crucial point. Money is one of the biggest causes of stress and anxiety in planning a wedding, so save yourself the worry and make a rock-solid budget upfront. Get a range of quotes from various service providers to see roughly what prices you can expect, then create a detailed breakdown of costs, taking into account the number of guests you have.

Be completely honest about what you can afford, and don’t blow your budget – while a wedding is an extremely important event, it’s not worth going into crippling debt over. There’s always a cheaper way or compromise to make sure you get what you want but also stay within budget.

4. Have backup plans

Things can go wrong, but you don’t want that to spoil your special day. So plan for the most common potential pitfalls and make sure you have a solid backup plan for the most important aspects of the wedding. Venue is a big one – it’s likely to be sweltering in the middle of summer, but there’s always the chance of wind or rain.

Does your chosen venue have an indoor option if the weather turns bad? Is there enough shade? Think about the smaller details too. If the wedding dress tears, do you have someone on hand who can do a quick fix? If you dream of a magnificent bouquet, what will you do if the florist doesn’t show up? In most cases, you won’t be able to afford to buy two of everything, so focus on the really critical parts. The bride is arriving in a limousine – what if there’s traffic or a flat tyre?

5. Coordinate with guests in mind
It’s a really good idea to settle on a number of guests upfront and then walk through your wedding ideas from their point of view. You want to hold your wedding on a hilltop chapel – how is gran going to get there with her walking cane? You want a fine dining experience – but won’t the kid nephews get bored and start causing trouble?

You absolutely insist on a two-hour couple photo shoot just after your ceremony – but what are the guests going to do in the meantime? While your wedding is about you, you are also responsible for the comfort and enjoyment of your guests, so this may mean compromise.

If you insist on the chapel, gran won’t be able to attend; if you want the nephews at supper, you’ll need to arrange a special play area for them.

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