Hey there, I'm Kate
So the question (and the champagne cork) has finally been popped and you’re on your way to planning your perfect wedding day. So here are some wedding planning top tips to get you started.
Wedding Planning can be Overwhelming
You’ve maybe visited a few wedding shows already, picked up a handful of magazines, browsed through an endless barrage of wedding inspiration online and your brain is now buzzing. It’s SUCH an exciting time and a wonderful journey to be setting out on. But it can also be a little daunting knowing where to begin. How to choose the best suppliers and whether to splurge on that ice sculpture of a swan you saw on Pinterest the other day!
Be a wedding planning genius with these five Wedding Planning Top Tips from Worcestershire Wedding Photographer, Katie Lancaster – director and lead photographer at Still Light Photography.
At the very least to make sure you don’t end up with THIS on your Facebook feed…
A little about me…
Hi there, I’m Kate! As a wedding photographer with more than ten years’ experience, I’ve put together my FIVE TOP TIPS for wedding planning to help you on your way. Things I’ve picked up from attending weddings professionally, being part of my friends’ big days and also from fellow wedding suppliers I’ve met and worked with along the way.
1. Don’t be Afraid to Delegate
Your families and wedding party really want to help make sure your day is perfect for you, so let them help with tasks such as making favours and stationery. They can send out invitations, visit fayres with you and help pick out dresses. This experience will be a whole lot more fun with lots of people around you to share the memories.
I know it’s difficult to hand over super important tasks – believe me, I’m the WORST delegator. But your besties know and love you more than anyone. Yhey are your biggest fans and they’re going to be there every step of the way to make it perfect.
2. Get Wedding Insurance
Yep, the boring bit. But this is super important!
Like any insurance, you probably won’t ever need it but it’s worth the peace of mind to take it out as soon as you have your date secured. A lot of insurance companies allow you to buy a policy up to a whopping two years before your wedding date. This will cover you for all sorts of things and make sure you’re financially covered if anything does go wrong. A few things to note – make sure the policy covers you for deposits already paid out, so you won’t be out of pocket on that score, and check what exclusions are in the small print.
None of us like to think about the negatives, but get this sorted and out of the way nice and early and you can crack on focusing on the more fun aspects of wedding planning…Cake and wine tasting, here we come!
While we’re on this subject, it’s useful to ask any suppliers you are booking for their insurance details too. Always make sure they have Public Liability insurance before booking them – this proves they are a professional supplier and you’ll be in responsible safe hands.
3. Inject Your Personality
Are you mad on Harry Potter? Do you go to Comic Con every year? Are you obsessed with all things vintage?
Whatever your interests and passions, don’t be afraid to build them into your wedding. Yes, magazines and Pinterest are full of beautiful pastel and white wedding decor (which is gorgeous) but that doesn’t mean you have to follow the crowd. This is YOUR day and it’s all about YOU as a couple.
Some of the best weddings I have been to have been ones where there is a solid theme, or the couple have approached me with a photo idea, saying “This might sound weird, but…”. It’s not weird. It’s AWESOME! I’ve photographed Harry Potter style wand duels, brides wielding Marvel inspired weapons and even little buttonholes made from Power Rangers lego people!
You are celebrating your life journey with the person you love most in all the world so fill your day with all the things you love.
4. Keep it Personal with your Suppliers
Your wedding suppliers are with you from the moment you first click send on your enquiry, right up until your wedding day, and beyond in some cases (myself included). We love weddings, and we love meeting and getting to know you and helping plan your special day.
I’ve always said, to anyone I know who is getting married – whether friend, family member, clients or people I meet at wedding shows – GET TO KNOW YOUR WEDDING SUPPLIERS. If you can’t meet in person, set up a video chat or at least talk on the phone. Email is hugely useful for getting things done and having a paper trail for your planing records, but there is nothing like sitting down with a cup of tea (or glass of wine!) and having a good natter about your plans and what you want out of your wedding.
For me, this is what I base my whole business around – good relationships with my clients equals better photographs.
Also, some of them are going to have a big part to play on the day – your make up artist, hairdresser, photographer, videographer, venue coordinator…they’ll all be there with you to help make your day super special and fun, so you want to choose people that you click personally with and will fit into your day seamlessly.
5. Invest in a Wedding Album
Your wedding photographs will be one of the remaining physical memories of the most important day of your life. A lot of people say to me when they approach me about booking that they feel photography is one of the most important aspects as it is what will live on after the day has ended. This is the thing that has always resonated with me when it comes to photography – any photography. It’s our link to the past, to our memories and to our emotions. It allows us to relive moments we may have forgotten.
In printed form, as an album, this will be passed on physically through the generations of your family. Your children, your grandchildren, maybe even your great-great-grandchildren, will touch these pages and learn about you from them. It will forge a link across years that not much else can.
We use only the best print labs for our albums – you want to make sure you’re getting great quality albums so they’ll stand the test of time. Ours all come from the amazing Italian based Graphistudio.
Worcestershire Wedding Photographers
With over 12 years experience in the wedding industry, I hope these wedding planning top tips have been useful to you! Feel free to visit our wedding page to learn more about our wedding photography.
You can view our wedding portfolio here and you’ll find our pricing and collections listed here.
