SOS Marriage in sight (Part 1)

A guide to perfect wedding planning!

This is how the journey towards the "I do" day begins

CHOOSING A WEDDING DATE

Everything starts here. The first decision to be made is the day on which you will say "Yes, I do". Of course, there are a few key aspects to bear in mind when choosing the day of the event:

• Take your time so that you can prepare your wedding calmly and carefully work out all the details. The advice is to think about it at least a year in advance. Moving well in advance may also give you the opportunity to set the wedding day on a date that is "special" to you.
• Identifying the season in which to get married is a crucial choice as it will determine every other aspect of the wedding, from the wedding dress, to the type of reception, to the floral decorations.
• Keep an eye on the calendar to ensure that your wedding does not coincide with a national or regional holiday.
• Finding out about the availability of the church and reception venue is another step to take before deciding on the wedding day.

DEFINE YOUR BUDGET

There is no such thing as an ideal or fixed budget; each couple decides how much they want to invest according to their financial possibilities. Drawing up a list of priorities and then defining what is essential for you becomes an important step as it will allow you to have a clear picture of the investments to be made for each item of expenditure.

DRAW UP A GUEST LIST

After the friends you can't do without and the closest relatives, deciding who to invite to your wedding becomes a really thorny task. Between your parents' requests and the formal invitations there will be a war to the last chair!

DETERMINE THE TYPE OF RITE TO CELEBRATE THE UNION

A Catholic ceremony takes much longer than a civil ceremony. If your wish is to get married in a church, consider that you will need about 85 days to complete all the steps required for the religious ceremony, from the choice of parish, premarital training, to the parish and municipal banns. Then you have 180 days to get married, after which the documents are no longer valid and you have to start again from scratch.

The civil ceremony is a much more flexible procedure and the timeframe is shorter. In this case, the bureaucratic process will keep you busy for about a month, followed by the 180 days within which to get married.

BOOK THE LOCATION

Also in this case, the first recommendation is to move in time. Start looking for a location about 10 months beforehand and your chances of finding the venue you have fallen in love with will increase.

HIRE A PHOTOGRAPHER AND VIDEO MAKER

The photographer and the video maker are undoubtedly two indispensable figures on the most important day of your life. They are the ones who will immortalise the most beautiful and emotional moments of your wedding in a professional manner.

CHOOSE THE MUSICIANS

First of all, the music should reflect the style of your wedding, the type of celebration you want to experience and share with your guests and, of course, the couple you are.

Consider, then, that if you have decided to get married in a church, you will probably need to hire different musicians. Therefore, ask for quotes from each one and find out about deposits so that the total amount of musical entertainment does not exceed your budget.

Discover more tips...