Pink Weddings Magazine Spring 2017 PinkWeddings SpringSummer 2017 | Page 36

SAM AND JAMES Learn from the experts! As the proud owners of wedding planning business Ever Ever After, Sam and James offer you their tips for success Our advice to you when planning your wedding is to consider your style carefully and try to chose something that’s personal to you both. Run through these tips to get you started: What type of wedding? Let your imagination run wild and explore ideas that appeal to you both – whether that’s a fairytale castle or a far-flung beach with bespoke dresses or suits. Nowadays there are so many venues to choose from, from big country hotels to intimate secluded venues. Make sure your venue reflects you as a couple. Location, Location, Location… Where do you imagine your ideal location could be? Some couples choose a location that holds sentimental value, such as a first date, an anniversary or a memorable day out. Consider travelling time for both you and your guests, as well as potential accommodation. Spring, summer, autumn, winter? Planning your wedding can take anywhere between three to 12 months, however it isn’t uncommon for the process to take longer. With some venues booking up to three years in advance, it’s never too early to investigate! Consider size, cost, complexity and 36 » pink weddings magazine individual choices. For example a summer wedding is likely to cost more, with it being during the popular ‘wedding season’ of May to September. Set your budget. Our top tip and one that will aid every single decision you make! Your budget holds the most significance and controls all your decisions, so don’t shy away or forget to keep track of your spend. Turning a blind eye will result in unnecessary costs and plenty of shocks later on when it comes to paying your suppliers. Who’s on the guest list? The overall number of guests at your wedding will determine your venue. It goes without saying that you’ll want your guests to feel comfortable and at ease, rather than tripping over each other. You don’t want your venue to look empty, so a great place to start is writing down between you a list of everybody you want to invite. At this stage don’t discuss reasons for inviting them – just get an indication of overall numbers. Then work through your guests and add them to one of these groups: must invite, want to invited, would be nice to invite and do not invite. It’ll feel odd to be ruthless in whittling your guest list down, but it’s extremely important to do so. Don’t feel like you have to invite certain people ‘just because’! And if you need a helping hand… Contact Ever Ever After, our unique husband and husband wedding planning and coordination team. We offer everything from partial to full planning, as well as on-the-day coordination, and will help you focus on the finer details while sticking to budget! Visit us at www.evereverafter.co.uk, on Facebook, and on Twitter and Instagram @EverEverAfterHH www.immi-photography.com