Starting to plan your wedding? Massive congratulations!
Getting all the arrangements locked in for your special day can be an exciting process.
But it can also be a time-consuming one. Which is something of an issue if you are busy with work, family or other existing commitments.
Luckily, there are some simple ways that you can save time on your preparations.
We’ve put our favourite ways together here:
How To Plan A Wedding When You Are Time Poor
1: Set A Budget
The first step to planning a wedding (apart from securing an amazing partner, of course), is setting a budget. Regardless of your financial situation, a budget will be a helpful tool for making efficient decisions about your special day.
Having a specified budget in place will allow you to make informed choices about what to spend your money on and what you might want to skip. It can also save you time by eliminating options that are not necessary or that fall outside your price range.
2: Hire A Wedding Planner
If you are time poor, the single biggest hack to get your wedding planned efficiently is to hire a wedding planner. A wedding planner can help you save time and alleviate the stress of planning a wedding. They can take care of everything from finding vendors to coordinating the events on the big day.
They are well connected within their local area, so are in the know! They will know who the best vendors are, who might have availability, and who is going to be most suited for your style and vibe. You can use those connections to your advantage to secure the best options for your special day without having to do any of the running around yourself.
Choosing a wedding planner is a big decision though. You will want someone that understands your dream and is able to make it a reality. Make sure you chat with your potential wedding planner before engaging them to ensure they are the right fit for you and your partner.
Here at Waipuna, we have fabulous wedding planning services that are all about creating the perfect wedding experience for you. Chat with us about how we can take all the important jobs off your hands and make sure your day goes off without a hitch!
Photo by Stacey Cavalier Photography
3: Choose An All-Inclusive Venue
Make it easy for yourself by choosing a venue that does lots of the heavy wedding lifting for you! Many venues throughout Aotearoa offer all-inclusive packages that cover catering, decorations, and other services. This can save you time and effort in coordinating multiple vendors.
If you are looking to get married in the Canterbury region, then Waipuna Estate is the perfect venue option. Not only do we have an amazingly picturesque setting nestled in the hills above Tai Tapu, with views of the Southern Alps and over the Canterbury Plains, but we offer everything you need to make your day extra special!
A wedding and reception venue, onsite florist, wedding planning services, accommodation for you and your guests, and even a helicopter ride to Mt Herbert for photographs, plus recommendations for other trusted vendors – we do it all! So, check out our packages here for a gorgeous, no-stress wedding where we take care of all the details.
4: Keep It Simple!
It stands to reason that less elaborate weddings take less time to plan! So, keeping your wedding simple is the perfect solution if you are too busy for intricate details.
The good news is that simple does not have to be boring. Simple can be beautiful, elegant and perfect for you and your partner. It is about focusing on the things that matter the most and ensuring they are locked in early – venue, catering, photographer, celebrant and guest list.
Choosing trusted vendors in these areas will mean that they can handle a lot of the intricacies, keeping it super simple for you!
Photo by Koru Photography
5: Prioritise Your To-Do List
When you don’t have a lot of time to plan, it is important to prioritise the most important jobs first. So, right at the beginning of the planning process, make a list of everything that needs to be done before your big day. Then, prioritise the things on the list based on what’s most important to you. This will help you stay focused and ensure that the most critical tasks get done first.
Clearly, things like setting a date and booking the venue need to be done quite quickly, especially if you are after a specific date or wanting to get married in the height of summer. Other things you may be able to put on the backburner a little.
The good thing about a wedding is that you don’t need to do everything yourself, which leads us to our next point…
6: Ask for Help
It’s easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of wedding planning. Some parts of this can be really exciting and some can be downright stressful if you are quite time poor!
So, don’t forget that you can totally ask for help with your preparations. If you have engaged a wedding planner, then they will be the first person to delegate your wedding tasks to. But, they aren’t the only person you can call on for help. Maybe you have friends or family members that can help lighten the load by taking some jobs off your plate.
You’ll also find that your vendors can be incredibly helpful too. Here at Waipuna, we absolutely love all things weddings. As such, we’ve made great relationships with local vendors and providers, so can recommend some of the best in the business for everything from food to photos! Want to know who to call on? Then, check out our recent blog on the Who’s Who of Canterbury Wedding Providers.
Planning a wedding doesn’t have to be full on and time consuming! Chat with the team at Waipuna today and let us turn your wedding dreams into reality.