how to plan a wedding in the uk
Planning a wedding in the UK may seem daunting at first. After all, it’s your first (and hopefully only!) time planning a wedding.
We’ve got you covered! Let’s deep dive in to the basics and common mistakes to avoid in this ultimate step-by-step simple guide.
step 1 – Setting a date
You want to work out a rough timeframe to get wed – planning a wedding in the UK has one main downside that weather is never guaranteed. Plus, school holidays need considering.
Things to consider
School holidays – Can guests attend with kids if they are in school?
Budget – Can you afford to save in time?
Summer – Can be more expensive but mid week can save you money
Winter – The weather is likely to be poor but your pockets will thank you
to discuss
- Number of guests? Each guest can often add £100 to your bill… Do you really want your auntie Becky’s best friend there?
- Children or no children? No children lets all your guests enjoy the day but can reduce the number that say yes. Having children adds expense and can mean the parents will be distracted for some of the day.
step 2 – picking a venue
What vibe are you looking for? A hotel? A rustic barn? Something D.I.Y? There are so many wedding venue options when it comes to planning a UK wedding
Things to consider
- Is the accommodation available nearby for guests?
- Do you require something with disabled access for guests?
- Is it within budget when you add in everything, such as food?
- Does it have the picture-perfect spaces for photos you want?
- When are payments required? Some may ask for the full amount as early as 6 months prior to your wedding date
- Test the food, read the reviews, look it up – So many times food is overlooked. Some venues can feel the venue itself is the key selling point so the quality of the food can seem like an afterthought. You don’t want your guests to complain on the day that they couldn’t cut their beef!
- Most important – Can the local council provide you a registrar for the time and date you want? If left too late, they may not have many options left and this vital fact is often forgotten.
*** Book the registrar before you commit to the venue and date, the venue will not do this for you ***
Budget planning for a uk wedding
Whilst a wedding is the most important day of your life, it’s not the only day of your life, so try not to throw all your money at it. There is a whole marriage after the wedding day and it’s easy to get emotionally invested and overspend.
- Work out what’s the most important to you
- Expect to overspend by 20% of your original budget
- Don’t underspend too much on the things you don’t think you care about
It’s very easy to think “We don’t care about video so let’s get that guy who will do it for £300!”, and then later find the quality was so poor that it wasn’t worth bothering. Whilst it’s okay to to spend less, just ensure you’re not sacrificing quality so much that’s its almost a wasteful spend.
Be realistic about how much things cost. Good florists, amazing photographers, great DJs, and delicious food aren’t cheap.
Don’t fall for the “wedding tax” myth
Before I got into wedding photography, I, myself, strongly believed that suppliers doubled the price when it came to weddings. But when you get into the industry yourself, you soon start to appreciate why things cost what they do.
Take it from me – weddings involve double the time, 10x the pressure, and 10x the equipment quality. Being in the wedding industry is extremely hard work.
The “wedding tax” mindset can often lead to making you feel like you are being ripped off by suppliers, resulting in you picking poor quality suppliers. Don’t make that mistake!
step 3 – sending out save the dates
Sending out preliminary save the dates help people plan in advance before you have set timings. The earlier the notice you give, the more chance you have of getting a yes from your guests.
These can be posted, emailed or even a text.
step 4 – wedding insurance first
Wedding insurance is often an afterthought, but it will help cover you in the event of a disaster or health issue or any suppliers going bust… Believe me it happens! Even the biggest venues can fall in to liquidation.
step 5 – choose your theme & colours
Deciding colour schemes and theme is a must before you start to put down deposits on things!
Whether it’s seasonal or Disney-related, making supplier decisions will be much easier when you have a central theme or idea in mind.
Spend some time scrolling Pinterest & Instagram, you’ll soon start to find a vibe that suits you.
step 6 – Suppliers
Start booking suppliers as soon as you can. Photographers are the first booking for most; followed by video, entertainment, DJs, make-up artists, and hair stylists.
If you’re getting married in summer then availability is greatly reduced for suppliers, so the sooner you get booking the better. (Just to give you an indication of how far in advance people book… as I write this in October 2024, all of my Fridays & Saturdays for 2026 summer are nearly gone!)
Leave it too late and you could find yourself picking anyone available as opposed to who you actually prefer.
For weekdays you have a bit of room to breathe but don’t leave it until last minute, you can also pick up better deals by booking earlier too!
Read more -> Top 10 tips before booking a wedding photographer
step 7 – Logistics
How will your bridesmaids and groomsmen arrive at the venue? Do you need to transports guests between the ceremony and the reception?
Minibuses are a great shout for bridal parties. The classic wedding car is becoming less common, especially for all in one location venues, but you may still need to get around from bridal prep to venue.
step 8 – send out invites
Get those full invites sent out as soon as possible and put an RSVP date on them! Getting responses off guests can be frustrating, but setting an early deadline will force them in to a decision. Four weeks from sending the invite is ample time to give a yes or a no.
Make sure to ask if they have dietary requirements or allergies as the venue will need to know this
step 9 – Table planning
Table planning is hard work but as soon as you start to get your lists together start plotting table plans together. That said, don’t jump the gun and start printing anything just yet. Whilst people say yes, it’s not uncommon for people to let you down with just 6 weeks to go, so I advise saving all your printing till the last few weeks before the wedding. Just keep an eye on the print and delivery timeframe of your suppliers!
