Four important tips for planning a wedding in the post-Covid era.

For many busy couples, their response to taking on the responsibility of organising a wedding is to offload it to a professional wedding planner. This comes with its own extra layer of cost, however, so it may not always be an option.

And for other couples who can afford it, they may choose deliberately to stay on top of their own event, giving them a greater sense of ownership.

Whatever the reason for going solo, here are four things to consider when you’re running the show yourself.

People do what’s inspected – not what’s expected.

One of the many hidden ways in which wedding planners earn their corn is by constantly checking in with suppliers, making sure that things are on schedule, and that there will be no nasty surprises nearer to the big day. This is time-consuming, and often a right pain in the ass as you have to crack the whip. But if you avoid the constant check-ins, you’re absolutely guaranteed to run foul of at least one of your key suppliers.

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Embrace technology.

There are so many moving parts to a successful wedding that you’re bound to forget a number of them if you simply depend on memory alone. There are some great suites of software on the market – from a simple Excel sheet to more sophisticated solutions – that can keep you very firmly in the driving seat. They’re relatively inexpensive, but they can save you a fortune in terms of time and money.

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Talk to other couples.

The biggest source of information you can possibly get is your peers – those other couples of around your own age who have already tied the knot. They will have got lots of things right – and some things wrong. Talk to them for as long as you can, and ask them what they might have done better, what they’d never do again etc. It really is a massive repository of free advice and guidance that you should look to avail of.

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Book people you can physically see.

Getting a recommendation from somebody for a wedding entertainer or a florist or a limo driver is all very well, but you really should look to see them operating in the flesh before you book them. No decent wedding band or mentalist, for example, will say no if you ask can you come along to an event and watch them from the background. Apart from giving you the peace of mind of knowing that you’ve made the right choice, you’ll also get a real-world experience of the chosen supplier.

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