The First Five Steps to Planning a Wedding

1. Do your research!

The first thing you should do is start browsing! Get ready for an endless supply of inspiration and ideas on Pinterest and Instagram which you will no doubt become hooked on. Getting a feel for what style of wedding you want is key before you dive in to making any big decisions. Although you don’t need to have all the finer details ironed out, it’s important that you start to build a picture in your mind of how you want things to look and how you want your day to be.

2. Set a Budget

So, once you have those ideas in mind it’s time to research a bit further and consider a budget. You might find hundreds of amazing ideas and pin them straight to your Pinterest board, but how much do they cost? It’s vital that you consider what’s most important in your dream wedding and allocate enough of your budget to these things first. If you find that you are left short for other things get back onto Pinterest and find some DIY tricks to cut costs where possible.

3. Select potential dates

 Having some dates in mind is important as venues book up super far in advance and you may not have the option of your first date. Select a few possible dates that you would be happy with to give you a better chance of booking your dream venue. It is also important that you consider how your chosen dates coincide with your other ideas, for example if you are longing for an outdoor ceremony, it’s probably best to avoid winter months. It’s also worth noting that you should discuss your dates with those around you, key guest commitments could get in the way, and it is best to think about this before making your final decision.

4. Start thinking about your guest list

 Now, this can be a tricky one. Who do you invite? You are likely to feel pressure during this step of the planning process as there can be a lot of expectations surrounding your guest list. This is also dependent on your budget and the less you decide to spend the more limited you are likely to be here. An important thing to remember is that there are no rules, you don’t ‘need’ to invite anyone. Do what feels right for you and avoid stress as much as possible, everyone should be able to understand your decisions and be happy for you during this exciting time in your life!

5. Book a venue

Finally, once you have all these things in place it’s time to secure your dream venue. This is potentially the most important decision you will make as your venue plays such a huge role in your day. Keep everything above in mind and make sure you select a venue that suits perfectly. The RAD hotel groups have a portfolio of award-winning wedding hotel venues, and we would love to show you around. Five of our beautiful venues have their own dedicated wedding team who offer free wedding showrounds and are on hand to help make your dreams a reality throughout the process.