12 Things I've Learnt in 12 Months of Wedding Planning

I can't believe we've been engaged for a year already, it's just insane how quick that year has gone! On that note, there is only EIGHT months left until the big day and that actually scares me.

Here is what I've learnt in 12 months of planning our wedding...

Wedding Fayres aren't for me

We attended our first wedding fayre last year when we were newly engaged and WOW. It set my anxiety sky high. All we wanted to do was walk around and get ideas but people were constantly bugging us. Forcing cake in our faces and trying to sell the idea of having a tipi at our wedding. It was too much and ended up not staying long. Also, wedding fayres seem to always have the 'top' suppliers - photographers, cake makers, stationers etc, which are super expensive and booked up. So because we were on a budget, I'm glad I didn't fall in love with anything.

Facebook is your best friend

I have been loving Facebook for wedding bits. Firstly, people sell so much stuff on there, if you're looking for something in particular, you're bound to find it. And secondly, there are so many wedding and bride groups you can join. If you have any questions or need opinions, you can post them into the group and so many other brides-to-be or previous brides can comment and give you their opinions. I actually really enjoy spending time in these groups. Everyone's so lovely too!

People have opinions

I have received a lot of opinions, some quite rude, since I told people we had booked our wedding. People have their own opinions, so take their opinion into consideration but remember it's your day and if you don't like their ideas, you don't have to go ahead with them.

Shop around

This is very important because weddings aren't cheap. If you like something, shop around to find something similar that's a little cheaper. The worst thing to do is rush into buying stuff and then regret it at a later date.

Ask for help

You can't do everything by yourself, even if you want to. It just makes you stressed and sometimes, ideas from other people can be better than your own. People like to be involved in wedding planning as well. We asked my mother in-law to do the table decorations and centrepieces and she's so grateful that we asked. 

Use Planning Apps & Websites

Bridebook has been my number one planning app. From when you first download it up until your wedding date, it gives you a timeline of deadlines. It also has lists of venues and suppliers in your area too which are super helpful!

Know when to stop scrolling through Pinterest

I made this rule when I found my wedding dress. I have a board dedicated to wedding dresses and before my first shop, I was neverendingly looking at different dresses. After buying my dress, my Pinterest feed was still full of dresses, and of course, it makes you self doubt. There's a button you can press to hide certain things from your feed which is what I done. You can forever scroll through Pinterest and see all gorgeous and different centrepieces, but then you'll be forever changing your mind. So, once you have ideas set in stone, try to control what you see on socials.

Everything is SO bloody expensive!

I knew weddings were expensive but I didn't actually realise HOW expensive they are. We have done it on a budget but it's still a good ££££. So keep your finances in mind when thinking about wedding planning.

The table plan is hard work.

Some of Liams family don't get on, so it's been hard to choose who sits where. We also don't know who we'd like with us on our top table. I feel like this has been the biggest challenge so far.

Write everything down

We have neverending amounts of lists. From songs for the DJ, to how I'd like my invitations designed. Literally every idea that pops into my head for the wedding, I jot down or make a note of it in my phone.

You become very organised

We have a pretty little storage box that we keep all of our wedding documents and invoices in. I'm an organised person anyway but I'm even more organised than I've ever been. It also makes everything 100x easier when everything's together in the right place.

Remember that it's YOUR day

Of course, the most important thing to remember. I'm trying not to stress and overthink about silly little things. Like 'what if our guests aren't happy with this or that...', it's our day and we'll do it how we want to.

Can anyone else relate to any of these or have any more tips?