Planning a wedding can be an overwhelming task, but with the right planning strategies, you can make sure that your special day is a huge success. Here are our top planning tips for the best wedding day:
Set a realistic wedding budget
It’s important to determine how much money you have to spend on your wedding and stick to it. Although many brides-to-be have their own ideas of the ‘perfect’ wedding, it’s worth considering the impact of debt that may result without a realistic plan and budget. In many cases, it’s not just the wedding to consider within the budget; your honeymoon will also impact your bottom line.
Create a guest list
Determine how many people you want to invite to your wedding and create a guest list. As with many Cairns weddings, guest lists often extend interstate and even overseas due to the fact that so many of us are from ‘somewhere else’, usually down south. It’s common to start with a small-ish guest list which then becomes somewhat large and potentially unmanageable. Thoughtful and realistic culling will generally provide you with the best possible choices for your final list.
Choose the right venue
A well thought out guest list will help you determine the size of the venue you will need. While there are plenty of amazing wedding venues in and around Cairns and Port Douglas, knowing the size will help you narrow your choices down. Select a venue that fits your style and budget. Consider things like location, transport, capacity, and availability.
Consider hiring a Cairns wedding planner
A wedding planner can help you with all aspects of planning your wedding, from venue selection to vendor management, and can help keep you on track and on budget. If a wedding planner fits into your budget, you’ll appreciate the benefit of the stress reduction of having a ‘one stop shop’ for the bulk of your wedding planning needs.
Hire a Cairns wedding photographer with local knowledge
Your wedding photographs and videos will last through the ages, capturing that brief, special moment in time. When you look at the differences between professional wedding photographers and the DIY mobile camera type photos, you’ll understand the benefits of hiring a professional for your wedding photoshoot. Naturally, we highly recommend the services of a Cairns wedding photographer and videographer with the experience and local knowledge to make your photos and videos shine and stand out from the crowd. Graeme from Focus Imagery is a highly skilled photographer and videographer in Cairns. His knowledge of the local region enables him to select the best possible locations for your wedding photo shoot that fit in with the wedding ceremony and reception venue locations. Speak with Graeme about his personal wedding tips and recommendations as Cairns’ leading videographer and photographer.
Find a cake that ‘takes the cake’
Your wedding cake is usually the centrepiece of your wedding reception and should clearly reflect the theme of your special day. To help with the decision making process, read our interviews with two of the best Cairns wedding cake makers, Iain and Susan.
A wedding dress to impress
Choosing a wedding dress can be a veritable minefield for many brides-to-be. Wedding photographs and videos provide a snapshot of some of the most cherished memories as we move through life. What you wear on that special day will be captured by your professional Cairns wedding photographer and videographer. We spoke with two wedding dress suppliers to get their top tips when choosing a wedding dress, you can read all about our interview on our Dress to Impress post.
Choose a local Cairns Marriage Celebrant
Whilst there are several great Cairns wedding celebrants, it’s important to match your celebrant with the type of ceremony you are planning. To clarify this point, read about our chat with two well known Cairns celebrants. They’ll help clear up any questions you may have about what types of services are on offer and how their style may be a perfect match for your big day.
Flowers – the pick of the bunch
Front and centre, and right next to the wedding cake in terms of creating that ‘wow’ factor are the flowers. Posies, cascade bouquets, teardrop bouquets, Biedermeier…. The list goes on. Bouquets feature heavily in a photoshoot with your professional Cairns wedding photographer, as they provide a stunning centrepiece in any wedding photo album. Need some tips or advice on how to choose the perfect flowers for your wedding? Read our interview with two local Cairns florists, Kerry and Lori.
Create a timeline
Create a timeline for your big day, including all events, speeches, and activities that will take place. While a few people may be involved in these mini events, you’ll obviously be best suited to have a responsible person/planner to manage that for you.
Plan your wedding party
Determine who will be in your wedding party and what roles they will play on the big day. Huge tip here…. Plan this well in advance as some key figures may not be available or will need time to adjust their own calendars.
Plan transportation
Determine how you and your guests will get to and from the wedding venue. Cairns, Port Douglas, the Atherton Tablelands and the surrounding region all have amazing wedding venue choices. It would be unfortunate if your favourite location choice was hampered by the lack of available transportation. Book this well in advance, such as around the time you book your venue.
Create a wedding day emergency kit
This one is often an oversight, however you don’t want to be caught with a dropped hem or a broken strap. Prepare an emergency kit with essentials such as band-aids, safety pins, and a sewing kit.
Take care of legal requirements
Make sure that you have all of the legal documents and licences necessary to get married in your chosen location.
By following these tips, you can make sure that your wedding day is perfect in every way. Speak with Graeme at Focus Imagery today to book your perfect day.
