Congratulations, you are now engaged, and all the excitement of wedding planning begins. Or does it? For some people, starting this journey can be the most exciting time of their life, for others it can turn out to be stressful and tricky to navigate. Making your wedding day your own isn’t always easy with requests, kind advice, and ‘have you thought about …’ statements being thrown at you from every angle (yes even Aunt Edna has got something to say about the cake flavour). Generally, this is new territory for you, so there are some key things you may want to consider to help the planning of your big day be truly yours and not a reflection of what everyone else might want.
Firstly, take some time to enjoy your engagement, it can be easy to slip straight into thinking about when, where, and what but taking some time to celebrate and appreciate the start of this journey is a must in our book. You may find that everyone jumps on board with the flurry of excitement, and whilst that is very sweet take care to not invite too many questions or words of advice before you have even had the chance to finish that first glass of champagne.
Research and gathering inspiration are probably some of the most fun parts of wedding planning and should be focussed on how you want to represent each other and yourselves as a couple. So, think about the things you love, the places you have visited, and the things you hold most dear, and use those to guide your decision-making. This will set you on the right path to ensuring the decisions that follow will give you a day that has your identity all over it.
Relatives tend to have ideas on what you may or may not want to consider. Our advice is to be clear with everyone that you want to take your time to do some research and make your special day a true reflection of your relationship and love for each other. If you are kindly being offered financial support from family, then ensure you are all on the same page about what that means. If making your wedding day yours is important to you, share that with everyone so it is clear you would like full autonomy over the decisions for the day.
You will want to identify some allies; friends and family that will be supportive and champion your ideas. These are the best people to get involved in the planning, as they will help you explore options without weighing in too strongly with their own thoughts or opinions. Planning some time for wedding planning is also crucial, but we do also know how important it is for you both to take some time out from wedding talk so that it doesn’t become too much.
Take care to not rush into decisions and use that planning time to decide when you need to do which tasks, so you aren’t rushing to make your mind up on things. It’s so important to remember why you are having this special occasion and focus on who you two are as individuals, to celebrate that, as well as who you are as a couple. If you are finding the process stressful, take a step back and pause, and of course, reach out to the many professionals in the industry who can support you along the way. Here at Something Borrowed we love nothing more than having a chat with our brides-to-be to discuss their ideas and questions. It helps us to ensure you are getting the perfect wedding dress or bridesmaid dress, and it means you feel confident you have all the expert advice you could need. Get in touch with us now to discuss rental wedding and bridalwear or read how our Something Borrowed Real Brides have benefited from opting for a more sustainable, and budget-friendly, rental option for their big day.