The wedding is all about you and your partner. Take care not to have too many voices influencing your choices. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe said ‘God is in the details’. To create a truly spectacular wedding day attention to detail is of paramount importance.

Dream

Spend time brainstorming wedding planning ideas. Set aside a day or weekend to dream, create mind maps and develop a time table. You may want to do this alone, with your partner, a best friend or parent. In your first session let your imagination run wild. As ideas pop into your head write them down. At this stage don’t think about the cost or obstacles.

Set the date

The first thing to decide when planning your wedding is the date. Every other decision on your wedding planning list will relate to this. When setting a date, think about time schedules. This may seem obvious, but it is better to think the whole thing through with regard to things like holidays and the time frames that suit the people you want to invite.

Create a to do list

Again, make notes. You may have some things you have to check. To help you with this create a ‘wedding planning checklist’. Try to write everything down. We tend to think we will remember; unfortunately we sometimes don’t.

Set a date or set a goal to set a date

You may be unable to set a date at this stage. However you can set a goal to set a date. It can be helpful in the early stages of planning your wedding to check out some time frames. For example, call reception venues and ask how far ahead you need to book. Check out the church or any other place you may want to use for the service. Maybe talk with some caterers and dress makers. Take notes as you go.

Ideally, most weddings are planned at least a year ahead. If the wedding is to be a big, formal affair, you will need at least that amount of time. If you plan to have a more casual wedding then a few months - even a few weeks - will be enough lead time. Set aside a calendar just for planning your wedding. The best calendars for this exercise are the ones that have a square for each day. You can write deadlines clearly on the appropriate days.

Use a yearly calendar

The more detailed you can be in the planning stages the better. Even if you decide to use a professional wedding planner, it pays to spend some time gathering your ideas and to have a clear idea of what you want. It may be helpful to have small hardcover wedding planning books to carry in your handbag. This means you can make a note of ideas wherever you are.

Count the cost

It is important to work out what you can or want to pay. This could also influence the date of the wedding. You may have to spend some time saving the money for the big day. Weddings do not need to be expensive to have the wow factor. The wow factor is achieved with detailed planning, coordination and organization.

Work out a theme

Once you have worked out a date, you can develop the ideas you came up with during your brainstorming session. Your theme may be a very simple traditional wedding or a quiet beach side event. The wow factor comes from coordinating everything, making everything for the whole day work together to make it memorable.

Create some mood boards to see how your ideas work together

The SampleBoard website is a great place to find wedding planning help. The website is full of ideas - it even has a platform where you can create wedding mood boards – and competes with some of the top wedding planning websites. If you visit our wedding planning mood board editor, you will find it easy to do and it’s fun. The mood boards you create can be saved and can become the blueprint for your wedding plans.
There are many themes that you can use. It’s best to select a theme that reflects your lifestyle and personalities. Committed bush walkers could have a forest wedding. Everything selected for the wedding from the invitations to the flowers and dress coordinated to emphasise the theme. If you want things not to be taken too seriously, make it a fun event. Maybe do a Robin Hood and Maid Marion theme.

Select the color

The theme you select for the wedding can actually indicate the colors to use. For the forest wedding, soft white, greens and autumn colors would work very well. The style of clothing can also be influenced by the theme. Flowing softly draped high-waisted dresses with ribbons and twigs or flowers as a head dress would follow the theme through.

How to find out what you want and don’t want

Besides creating mood boards on the SampleBoard website you could visit your local library and find a wedding planning guide, books and magazines. As you look at the images, ask yourself ‘do I like this or not’. Try to make your decision quickly (yes or no). Gather the images you like into a folder. You can photocopy the pages from the library books and magazines.
Once you have gathered a folder full of images, sit down and go through them slowly. Ask yourself, “What do I like in these images?” As you do this, you will find a clear picture developing of what you like.

What you need for this first stage

• Note pad
• Calendar
• Small hard-cover note book
• Membership on the SampleBoard website
• Your SampleBoard mood boards
• Wedding books  and magazines
• Images
• Folder

This is the first yet vital stage of planning your wedding. It is at this stage you start to organise the big day. You can use the calendar to record goals and schedule more detailed planning days. The more detailed and organised you are, the more likely you are to have a stress-free coordinating process and a wonderful wedding.

Check the creative buzz blog regularly for more helpful wedding planning tips.

Or try out the digital wedding planning mood board editor to create your own wedding scheme.

Author: Rosena MacFadzean