Wedding planning tips no-one else will likely give you + FREE Timeline planning template!

I'm going to take a wild guess over here and say that if you're reading this you've likely *not* had to plan a wedding before. So if that's you—I'm here to help you tick some boxes today! I've been at countless weddings and had many behind-the-scenes experiences that have taught me a thing or two about this big day and I want to share some of those with you. You won’t find these tips in your local wedding magazine but trust me, they will not only help make planning easier but most of them will also help me with the photography side of things! Win-win.

In this blog, I'll be sharing a few things I think are important to consider once you're engaged and planning your wedding with some tips sprinkled in between and as a BONUS I'm also giving you a free timeline guide and template that will help you plan your wedding day like a BOSS!

Let's jump in!

#1: Prepare your heart

Before you really do anything and throughout your whole engagement season, this needs to be a top priority. Let me tell you why—getting married is not just some day in your life you get to dress up pretty and throw a party. You are undergoing major changes—physically, emotionally, spiritually. Your whole identity will be forever different! That's not something that should be taken lightly.

Buy a journal to mark this new season. Space where you can process your ideas, thoughts, emotions, lessons, etc., and have MANY intentional conversations with your soon-to-be-hubby about each of your expectations of marriage, your ideals, your desires, and what you’re looking forward to. I’d also highly recommend doing a marriage prep course or a few sessions with your pastor to help you work through some things.

Here are some of the resources I used to help guide me through my engagement season:

• Loveology (there’s a book as well but the teaching series is amazing!)

• Bridgetown Church series on God & Sexuality

• The Meaning of Marriage - Tim Keller

#2: Before you get booking

The first thing you should do as a couple before you start doing anything is sit down and brainstorm what you want your wedding to feel like, look like, etc. Do you want it to be a big feast, do you want people to experience something specific about you as a couple, do you want to have the biggest party? From here you can decide on the pillars that need to be in place to make that happen. Book these most important elements first to make sure you have the perfect vendors or suppliers that will help bring your vision to life!

Bonus tip: decide on the 3 most important things to you as a couple and focus your budget there, the rest will have cheaper alternatives or DIY solutions I guarantee it!

#3: Engagement photos

Your engagement season is like no other in your entire life. It's worth celebrating it in a unique way and marking it with images that will remind you of the anticipation and joy and love you experienced as a fiancé!

Of course, these images are great to use for Save the Dates and Wedding Websites but they also function as a practice run with your photographer! Doing a session before your wedding will 100% make you more comfortable on your wedding day when the camera is being pointed at you.

If the thought of having MORE images taken freaks you out, I wrote a blog about how to beat the awkwardness that creeps up on photoshoots, check it out here!

#4: Getting Ready

There are a few things you should think about when it comes to getting ready on your wedding day. The first thing I want to mention is that you should START EARLY! Hair & Make-up is almost always the reason for a bride running late (and I'm NOT blaming the artist, they do incredible work—but you might want changes on the day or your bridesmaid’s hair isn't working out, or [insert unpredictable issue here], so make sure to chat to your hair & make-up artists in advance to see how much time they will need and then add an hour! (not even kidding!)

Then—be intentional about your getting ready spaces, it can define your mood for the rest of the day. For example, if you choose to get ready in a random small hotel room surrounded by everyone’s luggage and ugly furniture and having to worry about packing up all your stuff last minute, you might feel stressed with so much clutter and stuff around you (plus hotel rooms usually have really ugly lighting, making it harder to capture really beautiful photos). Compare that to a room with soft natural light streaming into a clean space with your thoughtful wedding details (shoes, jewellery, hairpieces, etc) laid out and your dress hung up in the window. You’ll probably feel more at peace and in touch with your emotions rather than thinking about where the hell you left your glue on lashes and your “something blue.”

#5: Ceremony

The ceremony is really what this day is all about. This is the most intimate part of your wedding day as you share your vows of eternal love with each other in front of all your witnesses. There are special moments, like you walking down the aisle to meet your groom, the giving of rings, the first kiss, confetti toss—you want everyone to be present in all these moments, right? My suggestion is asking your guests to leave their phones in their bags for the duration of the ceremony. There's really nothing worse than aunties in the aisle with their phones (or better yet, iPad's!) in the aisle while the bride is walking down.

Then of course the location is very important—whether you get married in a church, or outside you will need to think about the light. If it's in a small chapel, are there windows that let in enough light to be able to take photographs, or will you be providing additional lighting? If it's outside, make sure that you (the couple) are in the shade, either under a thick tree or a type of gazebo. You do not want to be in full sun—the sun will most likely still be quite high at the time of your ceremony, it will create dark shadows on your faces and it'll probs make you sweaty. No-one wants that!

#6: Go with the flow—this is your day

There will always be things that don't go according to plan, but you know what—that's okay! The only thing that needs to happen is you marrying your best friend, the rest really isn't that important.

Now I want to give you my secret sauce—all my top tips on planning the timeline for your day to ensure a stress-free flow and enough time to capture every detail of your day. If you want access to my FREE Timeline Template then all you have to do is enter your details below and the internet fairies will make sure it ends up in your inbox!

Now get rid of those nerves and get your A-game on with this template!

FREE Wedding Timeline Template

Including 8 Quick Planning Tips!