![\"Wedding](\"https:\/\/www.canvasfactory.co.nz\/blog\/app\/uploads\/sites\/2\/wedding-planning-guide-stress-min.jpg\")
<\/p>\nIn my past life I was a professional event manager, so not only do I theoretically know what makes for a great event, but I have done the hard yards, putting together dozens of events of all different sizes, styles and purposes.<\/p>\n
But I’ve never done a wedding. And I’m tired already. I’m busy doing other things. You know, writing blogs, pfaffing around on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Pinterest, Instagram and trying to save the world.<\/p>\n
My partner and I decided on December 31 that we would get married in June. No, not June next year \u2013 THIS JUNE!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
What were we thinking? Wait, WE? Why did I think this event would involve joint decisions with my beloved? Turns out there is no WE in WEDDING afterall! I’m in this thing alone, well, except for my Mum of course. Mums just can\u2019t help themselves. Thank god.<\/p>\n
Of course he thinks<\/em> he\u2019s involved. That\u2019s a job in itself, making him feel like he\u2019s contributing. However, every decision he has supported so far is the one that makes his life easier. And I totally love him for it. Why? Because I want that too! I’m so jealous!<\/p>\n One of the pitfalls of being a \u2018one time event manager\u2019 who has a history of complaining about badly run events is that your friends have high expectations of what kind of event you\u2019re going to put on for your wedding. On top of that, my partner is a professional entertainer so, basically, all eyes are on us. No, not \u2018us\u2019 as in he and I and our special union of love \u2013 just the event itself.<\/p>\n At least that\u2019s how it seems. Of course no one actually says that, do they? Instead they say \u2018It\u2019s your day.\u2019 and \u2018Do whatever makes you happy\u2019 etc. Yeah right \u2026<\/p>\n What they really mean is \u2018Oh dear, another wedding? This better be good.\u2019 or \u2018At least there will be some live music.\u2019 or \u2018What? They\u2019re having it at a warehouse?\u2019<\/p>\n The good news is, I’m three months out and I’ve pretty much got it all sorted. I’m not going to pretend a wedding like mine is everyone\u2019s cup of tea, but if you\u2019re a busy bride, here\u2019s 20 pointers to make the whole experience much less painful.<\/p>\n As exciting as it is, don\u2019t tell anyone about your engagement (except close friends and family of course) until you decide on a date \u2013 or at least settled on a month \u2013 for your wedding. Once you\u2019ve respectfully informed close friends and family, send text messages to your friends with the announcement and pop it on Facebook. You can decide later whether you want to invite them or not and what the ceremony and reception is actually going to look like.<\/p>\n Having to wait to share your news will encourage you to quickly decide on a date. Once you’ve committed to this date or month, it\u2019ll be all systems go and you\u2019ll be ready to start making it happen.<\/p>\n Telling your friends sooner rather than later will go down well. Your friends will thank you for respecting that they have busy lives with jam-packed diaries to manage as well and, given they\u2019d love to attend, they too want to book it in as soon as possible.<\/p>\n Skip it. Move straight onto the big day.<\/p>\n Save time, fuss and money by having your ceremony at the government registry office. While there are strict limits on the number of people who can attend, it can make for a much more intimate affair and you and your partner will feel less pressure to \u2018perform\u2019 and have more space to be yourselves. It\u2019s also incredibly affordable and the ceremony rooms can often be quite beautiful. Civil and religious celebrants can offer similar fuss-free ceremony options in parks, gardens, churches and halls. In fact, the ceremony\u2019s often the easy bit.<\/p>\n You don\u2019t have to have bridesmaids or groomsmen. Instead, let your besties, brothers and sisters have a good time and wear what they want. They will thank you for it! Plus it will give them heaps of time to do something special for you, from the heart, without the pressure. Plant that seed in their minds, instead.<\/p>\n Unless you have a dream location that happens to be everyone else\u2019s dream location and you\u2019re willing to wait for a year to secure it, scout around for somewhere different. Consider social enterprises, warehouses, community halls or \u2013 if it\u2019s manicured enough \u2013 your own back garden. Despite your friends and family being vocal and saying \u2018It\u2019s your day\u2019, that\u2019s not really true. You want everyone to have a good time. And they want to have a good time. A relaxed atmosphere where everyone has an awesome night can match an ostentatious extravaganza any day \u2013 and still be talk of the town.<\/p>\n If your venue doesn’t provide catering or catering staff, consider finding staff on Airtasker, an app that provides skilled people who are willing to do pretty much\u00a0anything for you at a competitive rate. Alternatively, chat to your caterers. For an additional fee, caterers often provide front and back of house services as well.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re too proud for \u2018bring a plate\u2019 or a backyard barbeque, you\u2019re going to have to cater and catering is expensive. If you want 200 people attending your party, you can. You just have to get creative. Arrange 10 friends or family members to bring a big meal each to share (nibbles, mains, salads, desserts). You can still pay them for the produce, but having their help will ease the pain. If you don\u2019t want to bother your friends, consider hiring a professional caterer to look after the main course and self-catering your appetisers and desserts. All you have to do is drop the extras off (or ask a friend or mother to) and your hired front of house can lay them out.<\/p>\n These days, you can hire everything you need \u2013 chairs, tables, cutlery, crockery, glasses, decorations, balloons, helium bottles \u2013 from the same company. Hire comfortable chairs. You know those white plastic chairs that everyone seems to get for their wedding because they look pretty with a cover and a satin bow? Don\u2019t get them. They\u2019re the most uncomfortable chairs ever. Spend an extra $2 per chair for the next level up \u2013 something less rickety and with more padding. Your guests will love you for it. If you have extra cash, hire someone to put on some fireworks. Seriously, how amazing would that be? That\u2019s a wedding I\u2019d never forget!<\/p>\n People want to drink at weddings. That\u2019s an Aussie fact. If your guests are the type who won\u2019t cope if the bar goes dry, but you can\u2019t afford to provide an endless supply of alcohol, be sure to provide facilities where they can purchase more. Alternatively, supply endless bubbles, wine, beer and soft drinks and invite people to bring their own spirits. If you\u2019re on a tight budget, offer some fancy offerings earlier in the event and bring out the cheap stuff later in the night. By that stage, guests won\u2019t even notice and will just be grateful for the tipple.<\/p>\n Live music always goes down a treat and a quality covers band will get your guests dancing and having a good time. If you want to create a party atmosphere and encourage dancing, you have to create the right mood. A daytime reception may not enable the right ambience for dancing, but an evening event \u2013 with dimmed lighting, disco lighting and a smoke machine \u2013 will create excitement. Encouraging dancing is all about encouraging people to be as uninhibited as possible. Mood lighting (and plenty of drinkies!) achieves that. If you do not have time to concern yourself with live music, put together your own music playlist and simply set it to run throughout the whole night.<\/p>\n Lock in a terrific MC early. You know who they are. Be kind and give them a running sheet. Don\u2019t write it on the back of a napkin on the day. Put it together at least a week before so they have time to plan their wit around the proceedings.<\/p>\n Speeches from family and friends provide endless entertainment. Everyone loves a good wedding speech. Don\u2019t invite people on the night or the week before to do a speech. Give them plenty of notice, so ideas to amuse and entertain your guests can start percolating in their minds months ahead, resulting in a great speech. For those you know have a tendency to rave on and on, give them a time limit.<\/p>\n The process (and the cost!) of choosing, writing and mailing paper invitations is time consuming. Go digital! There are quite a few online invitation services popping up of late. I received my first digital invitation just the other day \u2013 and loved it! Be sure to check it out.<\/p>\n If time\u2019s an issue and money\u2019s no object this is a no brainer. Go shopping and choose your favourite! If money is an issue then shop around online \u2013 online jewellers and craft websites like Etsy have some beautiful options. In your downtime, Pinterest is great for inspiration. If you are after a unique piece (whether that\u2019s an engagement ring or wedding band), jewellers can now look after you completely online, meaning you can avoid the shopping centre carparks.<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t have bridesmaids and groomsmen to consider, this is a much quicker activity both for you and your future husband. You can then dedicate all your time to finding something that\u2019s perfect for you. If you don\u2019t have time to visit bridal shops or attend dressmakers fittings, hop online and search the entire globe for your dream dress. This is ideal for the busy bride to be whose only spare time is at 11pm on a Tuesday night.<\/p>\n No matter how busy you are or how simple your dress is, don’t go DIY when it comes to hair and make up. Pamper yourself. It’s only a few hours out of your day, on the day of your wedding. The results\u00a0will be worth it, particularly for the photography which – unlike your youth – tends to stick around for years to come!<\/p>\n Skip it. Or instead treat yourself and a few friends to a day spa and massage. Busy brides to be need massages not extra events to organise. Yes, I do realise it\u2019s the job of the chief bridesmaid, but how grateful will your busy bestie be if you let her off the hook?<\/p>\n When else is this going to get done if you don\u2019t schedule it in? Power couples need time together and what better way to complete your vows than arranging some quality time to focus on this important task?<\/p>\n Struggling to find time to plan which songs to play for your ceremony and reception? Combine it with the above.<\/p>\n If you want to capture your special day, find someone who knows what they\u2019re doing. This person usually costs a lot of money. Don\u2019t get excited by someone who\u2019s \u2018cheap\u2019. I’ve seen friends rave about their cheap photographer and they now have the very ordinary photos to prove it.<\/p>\n Set aside some of your budget to put your favourite photo prints on glass. I love that we offer newly weds affordable custom photo prints on acrylic glass. Check out the prices now<\/a> and include professional photo prints in your wedding budget.<\/p>\n Guests love to give a gift at weddings, but it\u2019s important to make it as easy as possible for them. If you\u2019re keen for cash gifts but you\u2019re too busy for craft, find a crafty friend to build you a wishing well. There\u2019s an abundance of gift and charity registers online these days, so choose these early and include them on the invitation.<\/p>\n Busy people shop online. If you\u2019re after a big worldwide adventure, find a good travel agent to look after you. If you\u2019re after something more humble, choose something that requires as little effort from you as possible to organise: a nearby beach resort, a tropical island holiday\u00a0or a cruise.<\/p>\n These 20 tips do not provide\u00a0a recipe for a traditional fairytale wedding, but it\u2019ll get done and everyone will have fun. In the end, that\u2019s the main thing right?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In my past life I was a professional event manager, so not only do I theoretically know what makes for a great event, but I have done the hard yards, putting together dozens of events of all different sizes, styles and purposes. But I’ve never done a wedding. And I’m tired already. I’m busy doing … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3943,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[87],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-weddings"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.canvasfactory.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3941","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.canvasfactory.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.canvasfactory.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.canvasfactory.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.canvasfactory.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3941"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.canvasfactory.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3941\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3950,"href":"https:\/\/www.canvasfactory.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3941\/revisions\/3950"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.canvasfactory.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3943"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.canvasfactory.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3941"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.canvasfactory.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3941"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.canvasfactory.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3941"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Wedding](\"https:\/\/www.canvasfactory.co.nz\/blog\/app\/uploads\/sites\/2\/wedding-planning-guide-cartoon-min.jpg\")
<\/p>\n1. Save The Date Announcement<\/h2>\n
2. Engagement Party<\/h2>\n
3. Ceremony<\/h2>\n
![\"Wedding](\"https:\/\/www.canvasfactory.co.nz\/blog\/app\/uploads\/sites\/2\/wedding-planning-guide-ceremony-min.jpg\")
<\/p>\n4. The Bridal\u00a0Party<\/h2>\n
5. Reception Venue<\/h2>\n
6. Back Of House<\/h2>\n
7. Catering<\/h2>\n
8. Party Hire<\/h2>\n
9. Drinks<\/h2>\n
![\"Wedding](\"https:\/\/www.canvasfactory.co.nz\/blog\/app\/uploads\/sites\/2\/wedding-planning-guide-champagne-toast-min.jpg\")
<\/p>\n10. Entertainment<\/h2>\n
11. Speeches<\/h2>\n
12. Invitations<\/h2>\n
13. Rings<\/h2>\n
14. Clothing, Hair & Makeup<\/h2>\n
![\"Wedding](\"https:\/\/www.canvasfactory.co.nz\/blog\/app\/uploads\/sites\/2\/wedding-planning-guide-makeup-min.jpg\")
<\/p>\n15. Hen\u2019s Night<\/h2>\n
16. Vow Picnic<\/h2>\n
![\"Wedding](\"https:\/\/www.canvasfactory.co.nz\/blog\/app\/uploads\/sites\/2\/wedding-planning-guide-vow-picnic-min.jpg\")
<\/p>\n17. Playlist Picnic<\/h2>\n
18. Photography<\/h2>\n
![\"Wedding](\"https:\/\/www.canvasfactory.co.nz\/blog\/app\/uploads\/sites\/2\/wedding-planning-guide-signing-certificate-min.jpg\")
<\/p>\n19. Gift Register, Charity Register or Wishing Well<\/h2>\n
20. Honeymoon<\/h2>\n