November 2008

Wedding plans

In 2007/08 there were over 26,000 weddings registered in Queensland alone, and there are more predicted for 2008/09, so you are not alone when planning your wedding. As the majority of these weddings are in the South East corner of Queensland, competition to book various venues and churches can be fierce.

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The questions before you now are:

• Church or celebrant
  
  
• Which church and denomination or which park, garden etc for civil ceremonies
  
  
• Type of reception and type of venue for the celebration
  
  
• Most importantly, what time of year do you want to get married?

There are many venues available with a variety of costs, rules and restrictions so the best advice is to ring around, research on the net, and find out the availability before you set your heart on one in particular.

With church weddings, you may have to find you own priest/minister to be married in a particular church or you may have to be a parishioner in the parish.

There may be pre-marriage courses that need to be completed prior to the union. If it is a popular church you may have to share flowers/decorations and the costs for these, on the day. It is always best for ask all of these things when you ring the church.

For civil ceremonies, you will have to find a celebrant that you connect with.

Be aware that some parks or public venues require permits or bookings to be used for wedding ceremonies. It is best to contact the city council for this information. Also check with the council if there are any large public functions on in the area on the date as this may make the place inappropriate or cause you and your guests transport issues.

If you plan to marry at the reception venue, you may like to go to an open day or visit the venue to see how they prepare the area or is it your responsibility to organise this.

It is wise to check with the local council for road works or public events for the date in advance as it can play havoc with you transport plans if major events are scheduled for the date. Eg fun runs, road closures, large park events, concerts etc.

Now who to invite to celebrate the day with you! Prepare a list of who you would like to invite and who you have to invite???

You will need an approximate number of guests to help with the size of venue you may need. Reception venues have a very broad range of styles, sizes and packages. This is where you need to have some idea of what you want to financially set aside for as well as the style of event you would like to have.

When you ring around or search on the net, you will find it is quite easy to access the various food and beverage packages for most venues. You may prefer to use a restaurant for a smaller more intimate celebration. Acquiring this information first can assist you with setting a realistic budget.

When you have not planned a large event before, you really don't know what the real costs may be. It is at this point of research that you need to reassess you guest list to fit the budget or the venue.

When comparing venues, remember to be sure that there are no hidden costs like additional fees for dance floors or lecterns. Most have these included but some charge extra. Before settling on a venue, be sure to meet the function co-ordinator. You need to be comfortable with them as you will be working with them planning the reception.

You will soon work out if you fiancé is going to be useful in the planning of the wedding or whether they just are not interested in the details and decision making. Run everything past them, as some things they are really interested in and other things they aren't. Receptions are one of the areas that you can be of help with. In our case, when it came to the food and wine, my husband wanted to know every detail.

The time of year you choose will be determined by a variety of criteria including trees or flower in bloom (Jacarandas or Peony Rose), you and your fiancés work commitments, a special date, where you would like to honeymoon, or season preferred - Spring Bride. It is also perfectly fine to not be restricted by any such boundaries. (Don't be disappointed if you husband need to be reminded of the date for the rest of his life - it is not uncommon).

There are always pitfalls in organising large events so my best advice is to be calm and organised and your decisions will prove to be the correct ones. If you're not confident or at ease with the people you are dealing with look elsewhere!

Happy planning!

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