As some of you may know, my partner proposed to me on our Summer holiday in Mykonos earlier this year which you can read about here.

It was the perfect proposal; I couldn’t fault it. He really pulled it out of the bag! We were on cloud 9 for quite a few months after and were in no rush to plan our wedding; we just simply wanted to enjoy our engagement.

However, that blissful and relaxed attitude soon began to wear off when everytime we went anywhere, whether it was with family or friends, we’d get asked the dreaded question “So, when’s the wedding?”

As we didn’t want an engagement party because we didn’t want the fuss or extra expense, we thought we’d start making some enquiries with suppliers about our wedding.

I was set on not rushing and waiting about 2 years before we got married, but we soon found out that the prices of pretty much everything from the venue, catering, flowers etc go up every year, so it’s actually better to book closer to the time.

Therefore I started to ask about potential dates for next year instead, and every supplier we were speaking to seemed to be free on the same date for next year, so it was a no brainer!

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Four months since our engagement and our lives have been a complete wedding whirlwind; it seriously has taken over our lives lol. That’s why I’ve not written a blog post since July!

As a result, I thought I’d share a few tips on what you should expect when planning your wedding because it seriously isn’t what you expect; or what I did anyway:

1. It’s not all hearts and fairytales

As I said before, we were on cloud 9 for a few months after our engagement but that cloud very swiftly left us. I thought that planning my wedding with my partner would be the happiest time of my life but it honestly has not been😂

You think you agree on things but when it gets deeper into it or when you speak to other people, you will start to question your initial thoughts and disagree on certain elements which will 100% cause arguments. If you thought you were good at compromising before, this ability will truly be tested when you plan a wedding!

We’ve all got different values and beliefs, and no matter how similar you and your partner are, some things may not be as important to your partner as they are to you.

Tip: Make sure you make time to do stuff together other than wedding planning. This will help to avoid arguments.

2. Everyone will have something to say about everything

As I briefly mentioned, you and your partner may have ideas about what you want for your special day because after all, it’s about you two.

Nevertheless, it’s not just you two that will be attending (in most cases) nor contributing moneywise (hats off to anyone that can plan a wedding in this day and age without getting help lol!), so there are certain opinions you have to listen to.

Whether it’s to do with religion or traditions, there will be certain things you have to do to make someone else happy. BUT and a very big but, always remember that you will not please everyone. So at the end of the day, just do what feels right for you and your partner where you can.

Whether it’s who you choose for your bridal party, where you go for your hen/stag do, whether you have your ceremony in a church, or even what kind of food you have, someone will always have something negative to say. It’s so easy to forget the reasons you are getting married sometimes because you just get so caught up in the planning and the hearsay.

Tip: Do not take things personally. It’s your wedding, your day; you physically can’t make everyone happy.

3. Question how much you really need the gimicks

I always imagined I’d have a prosecco van, flamboyant flowers, unlimited pornstar martinis, a doughnut wall and so much more at my wedding, but when it comes to it, you realise that none of these quirky extras are important and quite frankly not worth the extra money!

Unless you manage to save on the essentials like your venue, catering, dress etc, there really is no point in spending the extra money on these things. They are nice to have, but people will forget about them.

Tip: Remember that everyone is there for you and your partner and will enjoy it just as much without the extras.

4. Don’t listen to the scaremongering

When planning your big day, the main things to get out of the way early are your venue, photographer, videographer (if you’re having one), catering and place of ceremony (if these aren’t already included with your venue).

I’d start researching all of these at least a year in advance because they are the most important elements of the day, so consequently the ones that get booked up the earliest.

What I mean by scaremongering here is that once you enquire, these suppliers will be on your case and telling you that other people are looking at using them on the same date that you’re looking at. My advice to you is don’t believe it and take your time; they just want to take your money by getting you to pay a deposit.

As stated, things like your venue and photographer are a big part of your day so don’t rush into anything.

Tip: Give yourself enough time to look at different suppliers so that you aren’t rushed into any decisions.

5. Pinterest will be your best friend

I haven’t used Pinterest since I made the account back in school lol but since planning my wedding, I’ve been using it almost every day. It’s great for getting ideas on decor, flowers, colour schemes, hair, cake and basically everything!

Be careful though, there may be things you come across that you think you absolutely must have but don’t forget to imagine what it would look like in your venue and how much it will cost.

I’ve come across beautiful centrepieces but then looked at pictures of my venue and realised that the ceilings there are quite low so the centrepieces would make the room feel smaller as they were so high.

Tip: Type your venue into Pinterest and Instagram hashtags so you can see what it actually looks like when a wedding is set up.

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Planning your wedding is an experience quite like no other. It’s so crazy how much prep and money goes into one day. I don’t think anyone realises the extent of it until you do it yourself.

I know it’s hard to do sometimes but just remember that it’s about you and your partner and remember why you’re there planning the wedding in the first place. And the main thing, remember that you cannot please everyone. No matter what you do, you will offend someone somehow so just do what feels right for you at this time in your life.

I hope this post has been able to give you some insight as to what you need to be aware of before your big day 🙂