By Jennifer @ Exquisite Ivory Events

Having planned weddings and events in a variety of different countries there are a few tips I thought you should know. Whilst budgets dictate what type of wedding you can afford, the principles always remain the same.

1. Create a Budget First

Getting married is an exciting time and it can be easy to rush into things before you have sat down and properly decided your budget, but it is something you must do. So, before you sign any contracts, sit down with your partner and create a detailed budget so you both know exactly what you have to spend. You don’t want to end up arguing over something that is meant to be the best day of your life, so your budget needs to include everything from the shoes, gratuities if applicable, bonbonnieres, accommodation, power if you are having your wedding/reception outside etc.

2. Picking Your Guests

The number of guests you have dictates how big a budget you need and which venues you can use. The more guests, the bigger the budget needs to be, so try to narrow down your guest list to those who are really in your life and important to you. Don’t feel obliged to invite everyone you work with or to allow everyone to bring a plus one. This should be reserved to those engaged or living together. Not someone’s new boyfriend or girlfriend who you have probably never met and will never see again.

3. Hiring a Wedding Planner

You probably have visions of a wedding planner costing you a fortune only for them to completely take over your wedding. That is not the case. You should expect to spend anything from 10-20% of your overall wedding budget on your wedding planner, depending on what you want them to do. They are the person who you can rely on to make your dream wedding a wonderful memory which will last a lifetime. They will manage everything and execute your day so you can enjoy everything without the stress that can occur when you decide to do everything yourself. Something is likely to go wrong. It may be something little or it may be something big. You want to enjoy your special day and not have to run around sorting things out or get your friends and family to and that is why you hire a wedding planner. They will take care of everything without you hopefully ever knowing anything happened, enabling you to truly enjoy every aspect of your day.

4. Ensure You Have an Emergency Kit

It’s a good idea to arrange an emergency kit, as the chances are something will be needed. I

recommend having a bag with a phone charger, hair pins, men’s dress socks, plasters, tissues, pain relievers, hair spray, wet wipes, extra lipstick to reapply for the photographs.

5. Destination Weddings

If you have decided to have your wedding in a holiday destination, your friends and family will be spending a lot of time and money to be able to be there for your special day. To make them feel like you understand what they have done to be able to attend, arrange something for everyone, such as a welcome dinner, evening cocktails, or an activity the day before, such as wine tasting, or a day at the beach. Not only will it enable you to spend quality time with everyone prior to the wedding. But it will relieve some of the pressure on your wedding day, as you won’t feel like people have travelled to be there and you haven’t had chance to say hi or spent enough time with them.

So there you have it; 5 tips from an expert wedding planner. Go and check out Jennifer if you're interested in her services.