6 important wedding planning tips you should know

After the engagement comes the wedding, but planning your big day is mixture of fun, excitement and stress.

You need to be fully prepared physically, emotionally and financially, to be able to plan your wedding successfully without any problems.

As you embark on this interesting journey, here are six important wedding planning tips you need to know:

1. Pick a date: You and your partner need to sit down and carefully choose a convenient date which would not clash with any major holiday or family event. It is also important that you give yourselves adequate time to plan when choosing your wedding date. In addition, take into consideration the seasons, so you don't plan an outdoor wedding in July when you know it is the rainy season in Nigeria and most West African countries.
2. Have a budget: A budget saves you from lavish spending and unwanted expenses. Your budget determines how big or small your wedding will be. Note that it is not wise to plan your wedding based on promises from friends and family members. This is because they may let you down, and it would really look bad for you to start your marital life with tons of debts to pay. Centre your wedding planning on your own budget and you can add other extra things once those who promised you financial assistance remit their pledges.
3. Hire a wedding planner: Having a wedding planner saves you a lot of stress, and helps you keep things in perspective. Whether you have every detail of your wedding mapped out in your head or you're creating them as you go, you need someone with experience to help you piece all these ideas together properly. If you feel you can't afford to hire a wedding planner due to your tight budget, then you can solicit the help of a trusted friend who would be happy to assist you. The bottom line is that you ensure you don't plan it all on your own because there's a possibility that you might overlook some important details, and also you'll miss enjoying your last days as a single lady.
4. Create a checklist: It's a good idea to have a checklist containing all the important aspects of your wedding planning. This will help you keep track of what has been done, and the ones that still need to be taken care of. This way you can easily narrow down all the areas of your planning process, and the risk of skipping an important detail is reduced.
5. Start early: Don't wait till a few weeks to your wedding before you start planning. You should begin your wedding planning at least six months before the D-day. This will give you enough time to choose a venue for your reception, shop for your wedding dress, among other things. Starting on time gives you room to make necessary adjustments in different areas of your wedding planning.
6. Be ready to make compromises: In planning your wedding, things can't always go the way you want. Remember that your family members as well as your groom's family will also want to have their say in the preparations. They may also come up with suggestions that don't really align with yours. You need to have an open mind and consider different opinions before arriving at your final decision on anything. Your ability to make compromises where necessary will bring harmony to the entire wedding planning process.