10 Important Questions to Ask Yourself While Planning a Wedding

Planning a wedding is probably one of the biggest (if not the biggest) projects you’ll ever take on in your life. It’s well worth all the trouble, of course. The light at the end of the tunnel is your happily ever after with your significant other. But getting there can be challenging at best and downright painful at worst, especially if you aren’t on top of your planning. It’s important to get all your ducks in a row well before the big day to make it as stress-free as possible. 

Here are 10 questions you should ask yourself.

1. Who’s in the Wedding Party?

First thing's first: who do you want standing up there next to you on the biggest day of your life? For some people, this is obvious. It’s as simple as calling up your siblings or a close friend or two. For others with larger families or friend groups, it can be tricky. At the end of the day, make sure you ask those people who you’re closest to — everyone else will get over any offense by the big day.

2. Who’s on the Guest List?

This might be the most difficult part of wedding planning to navigate, especially if your parents or your fiancé’s parents are heavily involved in the wedding planning. Confer with your fiancé to decide if you’d like to keep it to close friends and family or if you’re comfortable opening it up to your parents’ friends and colleagues. Then present a united front when you discuss the matter with anyone who needs to know.

3. What’s the Budget?

Once you have a rough idea of the guest list, you can think about the budget. You might want to get some quotes from venues and vendors before doing this. If you have only a certain amount of money to spend, then set the budget early and find vendors that can fit within your range — even if it means getting creative.

4. Inside or Outside?

While you’re perusing venues, you’ll realize you have to figure out one key component of your day: should it be inside or outside? If you’re okay dealing with heat, rain or other potential weather snafus and don’t feel that they’ll cause stress on your big day, go for an outdoor wedding. Just make sure your venue has contingency plans in case of bad weather.

5. What’s the Vibe?

Once you choose your venue, that’ll make some decisions for you, especially in terms of aesthetic. But still, you’re in charge of the vibe of your wedding. Do you want modern or rustic? Glam or simple? Classic or totally unique? It’s up to you, just decide with your significant other and stick to it.

Photo by Tom The Photographer on Unsplash

6. Do We Want Free-Verse Vows?

While most people stick with the traditional “I do,” if you and your fiancé are the creative types who don't mind a bit of public speaking, consider writing your own vows. It's romantic and always a crowd pleaser, but more importantly, it's a special thing for the two of you to share during the ceremony.

7. Should We Assign Seats?

If you’re going more casual, you might consider letting your guests seat themselves at the reception. Designing a seating chart that works for everyone can take hours and lots of brainpower. More laid-back settings don’t necessarily require them.

8. Do We Stick with Traditions?

Will you throw the bouquet? Do the garter toss? Have first dances with parents? These are some things you should discuss in advance. You might find that you and your fiancé aren’t really interested in upholding all these old traditions, but do want to pick and choose a few.

9. What Will Our Registry Look Like?

It used to be that you went to the store and scanned everything you wanted in your married home for your registry. But today, you have lots of options. You can ask people to contribute to a fund for your honeymoon or purchase gift cards so that you can make updates to your home. Feel free to think outside the box when it comes to your wedding registry.

10. Should I Hire a Wedding Planner?

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the details of your big day, you have one question left to ask yourself: should you hire a wedding planner? A wedding planner can help alleviate a lot of the stress of your impending nuptials, but also comes at a cost. Weigh the pros and cons and make the right decision for you and your fiancé.

Now that you have the checklist you need to start wedding planning, hit the ground running. Just keep in mind that, at the end of the day, your wedding is about one thing: you and your sweetie devoting your lives to each other. Try not to lose sight of that as you dive into the wedding-planning process.

Kacey Bradley is the lifestyle and travel  blogger  for The Drifter Collective, an eclectic  lifestyle blog that expresses various forms of  style through the influence of culture and the world around us. Kacey graduated with a degree in Communications while working for a lifestyle magazine. She has been able to fully embrace herself with the knowledge of nature, the power of exploring other locations and cultures, all while portraying her love for the world around her through her visually pleasing, culturally embracing and inspiring posts. 

Along with writing for her blog, she frequently writes for sites like US Travel News, Thought Catalog, Porch, Tripping.com and more!

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