Crucial things to do before the wedding day

MARRIAGE is an important milestone; and if you are like many women you have been dreaming about your wedding day since childhood. And while planning the perfect celebration can be quite tricky and exhausting, founder and CEO of EVENTually Satisfied, Tameka Myrie-Reid, said that having a wedding planner and a detailed checklist should place your minds and maybe even your jittery nerves at ease.

“Most people dream about a perfect wedding and so it is only natural that you try to make sure that you get it as close as possible if not exactly how you imagined that it would be. For this to happen, you will need a checklist to help you to manage the planning process in an organised manner,” Myrie-Reid advised.

What exactly should you include on your checklist? She provides an outline of the important tasks that need to be performed prior to the big day.

1. Create a budget

“This is a critical aspect of the wedding planning process and should be done before making any commitments relating to your big day. Whilst this day is a very important one, you need to bear in mind that weddings can be costly, and you don’t want to enter your marriage indebted to your bank, family or friends,” Myrie-Reid advised. She said that apart from discussing funds you have available for the actual event, you should also consider a payment tracker to make sure you have a handle on vendors, services, total contracted cost, deposit paid, the balance outstanding and due dates.

2. Set your wedding date

3. Hire a wedding planner

“Wedding planning can be stressful and time-consuming and as such you will fare better with an expert to take charge while you focus on other important matters. A wedding planner will complete tasks such as assisting with managing your budget and budget constraints, acting as a stress reliever by dealing with all aspects of the wedding while you carry on with your everyday life, and sourcing vendors, including venue, and manage vendor contracts and payments,” Myrie-Reid said noting that these are only a few of his/her responsibilities.

4. Choose a venue

“Apart from having a desire for it to be the place of your dream, you also want to make sure you choose wisely. First off, do not spend half of your budget on a venue and leave other important factors to suffer,” Myrie-Reid advised. She recommends, instead, choosing a cheaper venue if the one you want is expensive and requires plenty of décor to make it beautiful, and spend on the décor instead. She also said that you should also do a physical check of the location before making a deposit on it because relying on pictures alone can be misleading.

5. Decide on your wedding theme and colours

The colours you use at your wedding are important; they should be meaningful and you want to make sure they complement each other. Myrie-Reid suggests that you search Pinterest for inspiration on colours and décor if you are having trouble deciding.

6. Source, select and hire vendors

Making a decision on who will provide important products and services on the day of your wedding is important if you are not using a wedding planner,” Myrie-Reid advised. Vendors include DJ, caterer, décor, photographer, make-up artist, officiant, etc. Next, she suggests that you find out from each vendor what is required of you. For example, the officiant may need certain items such as decree absolute if you are a divorcée. Also, if you are planning a destination wedding, Myrie-Reid said to ensure that you understand the legal requirements of the country you will be getting married in. One other important part of this process is to read online reviews before selecting a vendor, where possible, or ask someone who you know used their services before.

7. Create the guest list

“The guest list is typically a difficult task. It is important that you know it is not a requirement to invite everybody you know,” Myrie-Reid advised. She said that it is important that you keep your budget in mind when creating your list. If you are finding it difficult to finalise your list, she said that there are many online checklists that assist you in narrowing down the guest list. Once your guest list is completed, you may send out Save the Dates or you may skip this step and move straight into sending out your invitations.

8. Set up your registry

“If you want to be in control of the gifts that you will receive, then a registry is the way to go. In fact, most couples prefer cash over household items (a thing of the past),” Myrie-Reid said. As such you may set up a registry with your local bank or simply use an existing bank account or any other company of choice you want your wedding gifts to be from along with your list.

9. Send out invitations

“When sending out invitations, be specific as to whom you are inviting. You don’t want the entire family to show up,” Myrie-Reid advised. She said that you must know that it is okay to invite only one person from a household and you are also not obligated to invite couples.

10. Choose your bridal party

This again can be a challenge; you don’t want to choose every person that you consider a good friend. Be very deliberate with your choices — example, a bridal party of two or three especially when it’s a small wedding is perfect.

11. Dress/suit shopping for bride, groom and bridal party

“It is always a good idea to hire a bridal fashion stylist especially if you want a custom gown. This is not common in Jamaica. However, a bridal stylist provides an unbiased opinion and takes into consideration your personal style, budget and wedding style in order to find you the perfect gown,” Myrie-Reid said. She said that much like a wedding planner, a bridal stylist has a relationship with vendors and can get discounts, rush orders, or access to vendors that you may not be able to reach.

12. Have a checklist

If you are having a destination or out of town wedding, ensure that you have a checklist of the items that you need to travel with. Tick off each item when it is packed in your luggage. You don’t want to turn up at the venue and important documents and items are left at home, especially in another country.

Other factors to consider in the planning process, include:

•Purchasing your rings and other important jewellery you may need.

•Booking your honeymoon.

•Ordering wedding favours.

•Arranging your rehearsal dinner.

•Remember marriage counselling is important; make sure to attend all sessions.

•Prepare wedding programme.

•Consider things such as rain; make sure if you are having an outdoor wedding there is a back-up plan in place.

•Prepare for bachelor and bachelorette parties.

•Pack your wedding day emergency kit with items such as needle/thread, bandages, sanitary items, eye drops, etc.

•Follow up and finalise with ALL vendors.

Tameka Myrie Reid can be contacted at info@eventuallysatisfied.com or on Instagram — eventually_satisfied.