Not Sure What You Want Your Wedding Day To Look Like? Here's What To Focus On

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Planning your wedding day is a lot of pressure. It's your day, you know that. But there’s going to be so many people coming along, you’ve got a budget to stick to, and you want to look back on your big day as the happiest time in your life. That’s a lot to juggle! 

If we’re honest, there are a lot of people out there who’ve gotten engaged and have no idea what they want to do next. They look into wedding trends, make Pinterest boards, and watch plenty of videos about handcrafting their own decorations - but they don’t have a core idea of what their wedding day is really going to look like. 

And if you’re someone in this kind of grey area, you’re probably completely exhausted over the idea of planning your wedding! And when that happens, you start to put things off and off, but the circle on your calendar is still hurtling toward you at the same speed.

So, when you don’t know what to include in your wedding plans, what can you do to pull things together? Here are a few tips that might just straighten things out and give you something to focus on.

Get a Realistic Idea of Your Budget

According to figures from 2023, the average cost of a wedding is about $35,000.

Do you have that kind of money ready for your big day? It’s not the kind of amount you can just spend on a whim! 

Most people need time to put it together, and many resort to taking out short term loans to make sure everything can be paid for in time. 

Whether or not you’re comfortable with borrowing for your wedding day, you do need an idea of what you could realistically spare (or pay back) when it comes to your overall plans.

So, what have you got to spend on your wedding at the moment? If you have savings, could any portion of them go toward your wedding day? And if you were planning to use them on something else, what would you have to save (and for how long) to make up the deficit? 

Who Do You Want Sharing the Day with You?

Guest lists give everyone a headache! Everyone has an opinion on them! But when you want to celebrate your relationship and your love with the people you care about, who actually should be there? 

Extended family, some of whom you’ve never spoken more than two words to? It might be expected, but there’s nothing to say you have to! Your guest list is up to you and you alone. 

And remember, you can always stream your wedding to those you feel obligated to invite but don’t actually want at the event!

What Reception Activities Actually Feel Fun?

Wedding receptions are the celebrations after the fact, where you get to cosy up with your loved ones (and new spouse!) and revel in the atmosphere of the day. And a lot of people think this means music, booze, and dancing, which does seem quite traditional at this point. 

But if you’re not sure if that feels right for you, don’t go all out on a celebration that won’t make you happy! Receptions are supposed to be fun, for both you and your guests. So think about fun activities on both sides, and then look for a balance in the middle.

What Happens After Your Wedding

Your wedding plan doesn’t stop at the end of the day. It needs to extend into the month or so after as well, and for a few reasons. 

The main one? Looking back on your wedding. Most people opt for the best wedding photographer they know, and we highly recommend doing the same. 

But when selecting your photography package, get the lowdown on when your photos will be ready. You need to know when you can put albums together and get funny group shots off to the bridesmaids and groomsmen! 

Then we need to talk about the practicalities of your wedding day. 

Once the day is over and the reception is more or less finished, what happens to the mess that’s been created? Is anyone going to stick around to help you clean up, or will the venue take care of this? And don’t forget about any presents you receive and how you can safely get them home too. 

You should also pop the honeymoon plans under this bracket as well. A lot of people like to schedule their honeymoon for immediately after the wedding is over, but you don’t have to do the same. You can leave it a few days (especially if you’re expecting a killer hangover!), or you can even go on your honeymoon a month or more later. 

It’s totally up to you, you just need to get a vague idea of what can happen and when down on paper right now.

Let’s Put an Idea Together for Your Big Day

Either you or your partner have popped the question, you’re keen to pick a date and secure a venue, and now you’ve just got to pad the plan out. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? But in reality, wedding planning is a mass coordination. 

The catering, the guest list, the cake, the outfits (and the occasional emergency tailoring session), the flowers, the decoration, the minister, the afterparty, the honeymoon, the accommodation - there’s still a lot more to include here but we think we’ve made our point! 

Trying to narrow down every single one of these elements can be overwhelming, stressful, and downright exhausting. And when you’ve got no idea what these elements should be, you’re going to feel even more lost in the end! 

But you can put a much better idea together for your big day. Focus on what you like, discount what you don’t, and always have your budget prepped and ready to begin with. That’ll really give you a proper jumping-off point to plan the rest of the wedding from.