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UK Wedding Planning: Where to Start?

Planning a wedding in the UK is no joke. It took me 10 long and tedious months to plan a wedding that I only half enjoyed. I forgot a lot of things at the last moment, did things in the wrong order and didn’t give enough time to the most important things. But I realised that this could all have been avoided if I had just known where and how to start.

If my reality is your nightmare and you are wondering whether you can plan a wedding without a wedding planner then you need not worry because it isn’t only possible but also quite fun. 

This wedding planning checklist will help you give a clear idea about how your initial wedding planning should look.

1. Wedding planning apps/websites

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A wedding planning app or website can help you stay organised so that you don’t miss things and remember everything that you actually wanted in your wedding.

planning.wedding is a free and efficient planner that you can definitely try.

There are some sites like the knot, which have a wide array of vendors that you can browse through as well.

With several checklists, timelines and reminders, these websites are a lifesaver for everyone who is planning a wedding.

Some of the best wedding planning apps for a UK wedding include Appy Couple, Honeyfund, Trello or The Hitched Wedding Planning App.

2. Wedding planning checklist and timeline

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When beginning your wedding planning, you must create a rough checklist of all the things that you wish to have at your wedding. You should also create a wedding planning timeline for yourself so that you know what needs to be done at what time. Try to look at some sample wedding checklists to get a better idea.

Check out this FREE detailed wedding planning checklist curated by experts online.

3. Guest list and budget

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The first thing that you need to at least roughly finalise, is the overall budget that you can afford to spend.

65% of couples in the UK have had a wedding over £15,000 but that doesn’t mean that you can’t have a phenomenal wedding under £10,000.

You just need to make a few compromises and be strict with your budget. If you give it enough time, there is no need for a wedding planner because wedding planning services will unnecessarily add extra cost to your budget. 

You also need to have a rough guest list to begin your wedding planning because that will affect your cost very much.

Your average per-head catering cost is around £90. If your guest list is over 150 people, you need a bigger venue otherwise you can manage with a small venue. Most venues can easily seat 50-100 guests.

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4. Date and location

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After finalising the guest list, you also need to discuss where and when you want your wedding to take place. You can opt to get married on or around your engagement day so it would give you an entire year to plan everything properly which is the ultimate key to wedding planning

Once you have a location picked out, you can start further research about local caterers or florists. The availability of the venue will also affect your wedding planning time frame.

5. Finalise a theme

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Another important aspect of wedding planning that you need to finalise from the beginning is the theme that you want. Most of the wedding planning to follow will be centred around this. You can choose a tropical, nautical, fairytale or even rustic wedding theme.

6. Shortlist and get quotes from venues

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After the initial phase of planning, you need to start looking at different venues and asking them for quotes. This process takes a lot of time so be sure to start at least 8-10 months before the wedding.

London wedding venues are in high demand and planning ahead is important to secure the venue that you want. 

You can search and choose an affordable wedding venue starting from 3,000 pounds like Brickhouse Vineyard – Devon (2,900), Owlpen Manor (3,250), Sheene Mill (1,000) to more extravagant venues like The Savoy, Strand.

The prices of these venues will differ in many aspects. If you are booking a venue without accommodation, then you will also need to find a hotel where you can spend your wedding night or where your other guests can stay. You need to check whether they offer in-house catering, or you will have to find your caterer, which will add to the overall cost.

Also Read: 18 Stunning Asian Wedding Venues & Halls in London UK

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7. Prepare outfits

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About 6-7 months before the wedding, you should start your research for your wedding dress. You should also start looking at bridesmaid dresses and the outfit for your groom and groomsmen. This part of asian wedding planning can take a couple of months and you will have to compare countless lists so you must start early.

8. Start looking for suppliers and make a budget breakdown

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Now that the broader things are covered, you need to focus on the details. You should start booking tastings with caterers and bakers.

Start looking at florists as well. For Indian wedding photography, you can always trust Royal Bindi

After getting quotes from all the vendors, you can now break down your initial budget. You need to think about how much money you want to spend on particular things. Try to be at least £5 – 600 under your budget so that you can make last-minute spends without much worry.

9. Other intricate details

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These things are just to give you a broad outline of how you start your wedding planning. There is still a ton left over that you need to do.

Around 8-10 weeks before the wedding you need to make sure that all the invitations are sent and you collect RSVPs.

You also want to finalise the date of the wedding soon so your friends and family have enough time to prepare. Consider booking a calligrapher and have your wedding invitation handwritten, giving them a nice personal touch.

Also Read: 11 Out of the Box Wedding Card Designs for Indian Wedding

Honeymoon bookings need to be done about a month before the wedding.

Having separate people to finish your post-wedding tasks like emptying the venue, taking down the decorations and making final payments can save you a lot of time and allow you to enjoy your honeymoon.

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