Wedding planning comes with a lot of questions and sometimes uncertainties. It’s a big undertaking and of course, as a bride (or groom) you want it to be perfect. In this blog, we’ll highlight some of the most common wedding planning questions along with answers.
Wedding Planning 101 Questions
Question: How soon should I start planning my wedding?
Answer: In reality, it’s never too early to start wedding planning, the better question to ask yourself is how long do you think you’ll need? You don’t want to stress yourself out by waiting too long and having to cram all of your planning into a few months, which means in many cases, the earlier you start planning, the better. However, if your wedding date is a while away, you can give yourself some time to just enjoy your engagement and start planning in a few months.
Some things to consider, however, is wedding dresses can take up to six months to arrive after it’s purchased, so you need to leave time for your dress to arrive. Another thing to consider is high-demand wedding venues or wedding vendors can often book up way in advance, so you may actually need to book vendors a year in advance in some cases.
Question: Do I really need to reserve a hotel block?
Answer: It depends. Do you have a lot of out-of-town guests coming to your wedding? Do you want to get ready at the hotel and need a few rooms for you and your bridal party? Or are you having a wedding in a state or location you don’t live? These factors determine whether you’ll need to reserve a room block at a hotel for your wedding.
Question: Do I really need to hire a videographer, limo company, wedding planner, etc?
Answer: Yes, it’s true vendor costs can add up quickly, so when you’re deciding on what vendors you do and don’t want to hire you need to consider your budget, your priorities, and your capabilities. For example, if you’re confident you can plan your wedding on your own without becoming overwhelmed and stressed, then you can likely forego a wedding planner. Likewise, if you live close to the venue and want to save on transportation costs, maybe you don’t need a venue. However, while a videographer might be costly, you have to decide if you’re willing to give up the ability to re-watch and relive your wedding in years to come.
Question: Can I skip the rehearsal dinner/day after brunch?
Answer: The answer to this question is yes, but you may not want to. The reality is this is highly individualized to your wedding. If you have a specific vision for your wedding ceremony, it may not be wise to skip out on a rehearsal. Conversely, if you have a lot of out-of-town guests, having a day after brunch might be a nice way to see family and friends you haven’t seen in a while and spend some time with them.
Question: What if I don’t want a bridal party?
Answer: You don’t need to have a bridal party, especially if you want to have a small ceremony, or don’t feel that you have people you are particularly close to. A bridal party is a personal decision whether you have a large bridal party, a close friend or two, or no one at all.
Wedding Budget Questions
Question: How do I make my wedding memorable if I’m on a budget?
Answer: Whether or not your wedding is memorable has little to do with how much you spend on it. You don’t need a fireworks display to make it special, nor do you need to break the bank. A memorable wedding is one that focuses on the special details, that is personal and a reflection of you as a couple. This could be anything from having a friend officiate your wedding to having your favorite flowers used in the decor to choosing songs that are meaningful to you and your friends.
Question: How do I make sure we don’t break the bank during the process?
Answer: The first step in making sure your wedding doesn’t break the bank is creating a budget. Once you do and you have a number you are comfortable with, it’s important that you stick to your budget no matter what. As we mentioned previously, you may decide to skip on limos if that’s an expense you can forfeit to save money. At the end of the day, you should prioritize your spending within your budget and decide where you are okay with spending less and where you want to spend more.
Question: Can I skip handing out favors to save money?
Answer: Yes! Favors are not mandatory. While many couples choose to give out favors as a thank you to their guests, you do not need to partake in this tradition. An alternative option to skipping favors altogether is to make a donation to a charity and let your guests know that you did this in their honor.
Wedding Invitation Questions
Question: When should I mail out save-the-dates, wedding invitations, etc?
Answer: Generally, as soon as you know your wedding date and have booked your wedding ceremony location and reception venue you should send out your save-the-dates. Wedding invitations should be sent out at least 6-8 weeks prior to your wedding. However, if you have a lot of out-of-town guests you may want to send them out up to 12 weeks prior.
Wedding Style & Theme Questions
Question: Do I need to wear white?
Answer: No! While white, ivory, and cream are the most traditional bridal attire colors, you can choose to wear any color you like. You don’t even need to wear a dress if you prefer to wear a jumpsuit or even pants for your wedding day.
Question: Do I need to come up with a color scheme?
Answer: Yes and no. It’s not necessary to have a color scheme, but it’s extremely helpful when choosing flowers, linen, suits, bridesmaids dresses, and other decor.
Question: Should I tell guests how to dress for my wedding?
Answer: Yes, if you specifically want your wedding to either be formal or casual. If it’s anything in between you don’t need to give a directive in this area. If you are having a unique wedding circumstance like a day wedding or outdoor wedding you may want to give your guests a heads up by saying it’s dressy casual or semi-formal to help them when they are choosing attire.
Be sure to check out some of our other wedding planning blogs for helpful tips and insights into wedding planning:
Wedding Planning Tips From the Experts
Just Engaged? How to Deal With the Stress of Wedding Planning
