That’s it, celibacy is over ! In a few months, married life is yours! You have found the future groom or the future bride, in short, the lucky one who will share your life, have had a heartbreaking marriage proposal, perhaps have you even organized an engagement? and here you are, throwing yourself headlong into the preparations for your beautiful day.
First reflex: go to wedding blogs to dream. But the more you advance in the organization of your wedding , the less you find yourself there.
Where to start ? How not to forget anything? Do n’t panic dear bride and groom, the blog of The angry bride will accompany you to organize the most beautiful day of your life!
Here is a short guide that summarizes, in 12 points, how to prepare your celebration, thanks to the blog . We also gave you our wedding schedule in the second part.
Before you jump headlong into your preparations, there is one thing you absolutely must do. A wedding is not just a day when you celebrate your wedding. A marriage is the commitment of two people to a life together, over the long term. Whether we’ve been together for a long time or not, it’s time to (re)lay the foundations of your couple and a good life together. Far too many unions end in separations because we realize too late that we have evolved in different directions, or that we do not have the necessary tools to overcome certain trials. Making a secular preparation for marriage seems to us to be an essential step. This is the starting point that will ensure that beyond the party, you will also have prepared for the success of your life as a couple.
Set the date when you will celebrate your wedding
Contrary to appearances, this is not necessarily the easiest thing to do. Because on the one hand you will rub shoulders with the busy schedules of your loved ones and on the other hand with that of the wedding service providers.
How to get organized: Unless you want to organize a wedding at home, the most urgent thing will be to find a wedding reception hall . Depending on where you want to unite, some areas are reserved more than a year in advance. So this is step number 1. I explained to you in this article how to choose your reception hall, use it to make your choice, especially if you plan to organize a wedding outside, you absolutely have to plan everything, especially the rain on D-Day! Visit the places that are within your budget and meet all the criteria that interest you and save the date. The rest will follow.
Our advice for organizing a wedding in winter, a wedding in autumn. Also remember that depending on the season, the flowers available will not be the same. Choosing the wedding flowers is done according to different criteria and it is essential to have them in mind before starting and setting a date.
Make your wedding guest list
Who are your loved ones who will be present on D-Day ? You don’t have to invite everyone for this exceptional day, on the contrary sort it out because each guest is expensive !
How to organize : make a list that goes from the most important people in your entourage and without whom you do not see yourself saying Yes to the least important. Then, you can start distributing the roles for your procession . Who will witness the wedding? Who will be bridesmaids , groomsmen or child of honor (those who will throw rose petals during your visit -or not-)… that’s it, we’re getting to the heart of the matter!
What will be the budget for my wedding?
Tell yourself that normally you will exceed it anyway, but whatever, it is important that you budget for your wedding to know how much you can spend for your beautiful day .
How to organize : We have created a special category dedicated to the wedding budget. We have also designed an EXCEL table that will allow you to budget your wedding. I’ll let you take a look at it so you don’t forget anything. You will find in this category of the blog many articles that will help you not to ruin yourself for your D-DAY, articles on low budget weddings. Tips for saving money, cheap DIY, how to cook your own wedding meal… I’ll let you search the blog full of advice to organize your wedding serenely , without worrying!
Note: Be aware that more than 50% of your overall wedding budget will be spent on expenses related to your reception hall and your wedding caterer. The wedding meal is expensive! It is therefore essential to choose your D-Day guests wisely, because you will pay for each person who will attend your wedding.
Choose your wedding providers
Who are the professionals who will be by your side for your wedding and will do everything possible to make this day the most beautiful day of your life?
How to get organized : Ask for quotes from all the trades you want on D-Day. Caterer, DJ, secular ceremony officiant, florist, wedding-planner, wedding photographer, videographer, pastry chef for your wedding cake… it’s up to you to see which pros are essential or which, on the contrary, are optional, depending on your budget.
Article to read: when to pay your wedding providers?
Find our guide to choosing your wedding music here
Try on and buy the wedding outfit
We don’t get married in jogging, well if, in practice it’s possible, but it’s also such a shame! A nice suit for Monsieur , a beautiful wedding dress for Madame… and then we think of accessories (shoes, hairstyle and beauty in general).
How to get organized : We will do fittings in several specialized stores or we will call on a designer who will make your wedding dress to measure.
What form of marriage do you want?
Religious wedding, simple civil wedding, secular ceremony or sober Elopement type wedding ? It’s time to take stock of your desires for the celebration of your love. Marriage at the town hall is essential to be officially married, for this you will have to take a series of essential and mandatory marriage procedures for the marriage to be officially recognized. Religious marriage, in the church for example, having no value in the eyes of the State, can easily be replaced by a secular ceremony for non-believing couples.
How to organize : Discuss it between lovers. Are you believers? do you prefer a short ceremony so as not to be too prominent? You can also discuss wedding entertainment. Games, speeches, guestbook, what do you plan to do?
Take stock of your wedding stationery
That is to say that I strongly advise you to send announcements . At a minimum, if you don’t want to invest in the whole range. With a chic wedding invitation sent to your guests, the event will be officially announced and everyone can save the date (if they haven’t already). In addition to invitations, you can send save-the-dates, thank you cards and other stationery…
How to get organized: Again, we have made a specialized category to deal with topics concerning wedding stationery. Announcements, Save-The-Date, we talk to you about all the important elements and we give you the latest trends! On the internet, you will find many wedding stationery shops, it’s up to you to choose according to your tastes and your budget.
Your wedding theme
The goal is obviously not to turn your wedding into a bof remake of “4 weddings for 1 honeymoon”. But having a common thread, a general wedding theme, will allow you to have a coherent wedding decoration.
How to organize : Organize a nature wedding, a bohemian wedding, a country wedding, an eco-responsible wedding or with a color theme… I strongly advise you to take a look on Pinterest to find inspiration. This will allow you to find plenty of inspiration that will allow you to have a wedding in your image.
What gifts for your guests?
The fashion is no longer for sugared almonds. But there are no rules. Candles, sunglasses… things have evolved! For 10 years that the blog exists, we have proposed ideas on this subject! You can find all our articles on wedding guest gifts here.
How to organize : do it according to your budget (DIYs are super nice, but they are not necessarily more economical!) but also according to your theme. On the blog The angry bride, you will find lots of pretty original or economical ideas to spoil your wedding guests.
Build your seating plan
How will you seat your guests? Make according to affinities, who to put at the head table etc… We gave you 10 tips for making your wedding table plan in this article.
How to get organized : To start, you will need the more or less definitive list of people present for your wedding meal. Then there are different techniques, you will find the easiest to implement on the link just above.
Wedding list or urn?
Whether you want to go on a honeymoon or want to make a fund to recover a little bit of money compared to the budget spent on the organization of your D-DAY, you will have to choose between a wedding list or an urn.
How to organize : If you choose to make a wedding list, you will find by searching the blog a guide that will enlighten you. For the urns, be careful, there are pros and cons… you should perhaps read the testimony of this reader who only recovered 1 € in her wedding urn… The angry bride, it’s also full of testimonials from future brides who will help you not to repeat the same mistakes…
Make a D-Day schedule
Indispensable, especially if you do not go through a wedding planner. Who does what ? At what time ? When should the witnesses meet? Who takes the bride to the town hall? How long will your reception last? you have to plan everything so you don’t forget anything. Calming everything will help you de-stress.
How to organize : We have written several articles on the subject, but know that you will find here a detailed planning of your wedding day. We explain to you step by step how the big day takes place. We have also written a guide to explain the unfolding of this wedding day in detail.
Also think about brunch the day after the wedding! Would you like to cut short the festivities after the evening or play the extensions with a brunch to bring the guests together for the last time. It must be planned in advance.
A wedding-planner retroplanning
Would you like to have access to a professional tool to organize your wedding? We created an EXCEL retroplanning in partnership with a wedding planner! This will allow you to follow each step of your preparations without missing anything! You can download it here.
