Planning an event isn’t easy, particularly THE event – your wedding! Weddings are meant to be remembered for a lifetime, and that is why we want them to be simply… perfect. A perfect wedding would require a lot of attention to detail, meticulous organization and flawless communication. Sounds exhausting already, right? To ease your burden, here’s an all-in-one checklist, Singapore-style!
Step 1: Set A Realistic Budget As much as you would like to have a lavish wedding, you’ll still have to spend within your means. Start off by determining how much you can afford to spend on the wedding and allocate funds according to your wants and needs. This way, you will be able to decide and prioritize the venue, vendors, and other options. At the same time, don’t be overly tight on your expenses as you can usually expect blessings from family and friends in the form of Ang Baos and equivalent – hence it may be helpful to project this sum realistically and factor that as a plus in your budget. Step 2: Choose a Date and Venue Select a date and location for the ceremony/solemnisation and reception. If deemed important, you may wish to consult an astrologer for auspicious dates (but the more auspicious the date, the more heavily booked it probably will be). Remember that the capacity of the event space should be able to fit/hold the list of guests you are inviting. Other common considerations include whether the banquet hall has high ceilings, the size and layout of the cocktail area, and the indoor/outdoor setup. Especially if you would like an outdoor wedding, you need to consider if the venue has the capability to turn into a shelter in the case of a rainy day. Having a guest list discussed thoroughly with your fiancé in advance will help you prepare well. Don’t underestimate the time taken to discuss all the details of the guest list – especially where to “draw the line”! It can be challenging to decide exactly who to invite whilst balancing the intended capacity and closeness of potential invitees.
Step 3: Plan the Ceremony You can plan your special day according to the events that will take place throughout the day — Gatecrash, Solemnisation, Lunch, Tea Ceremony, and Dinner. Some of these, such as the gatecrash, are “optional” – so don’t be pressured if you don’t feel like having one. If budget allows, you can work with both a wedding planner and a licensed wedding solemnizer, both of whom may have a lot of experience that would help you smoothen out your planning. The most important decision to make would probably be selecting the theme of your wedding, which will be helpful when deciding on the menu, decorations and music for the reception area and ceremony. Adding special touches like a photo booth or dessert bar can make your wedding memorable for your guests. Last but not least, now’s about the time to think about your groomsmen and bridesmaids. While there is no “right” number for the bridal party, most couples have between 4-5 on each side, with ideally an equal number of groomsmen and bridesmaids (looks better in pictures!). If they’re really close to you, they can even help with the pre-wedding planning!
Step 4: Select Your Wedding Vendors The toughest part of planning a wedding is selecting vendors for many. To create your beautiful moments, you will need a dazzling bridal gown and suit, and to capture those beautiful moments, you will need photographers (both pre-wedding and actual day) and videographers. Some other commons on the vendor wishlist include a wedding car to chariot the day in style, a florist for your wedding bouquets and decorations, makeup artists, a live band, and pre-banquet cocktail activities such as photo booths. The basic rule of thumb is to look for reputable vendors with established experience in weddings (reliability is often number 1). Naturally, though, experienced providers tend to be in the higher price range. Another great strategy would be to seek out vendors who have experience working with each other (and so likely will have more chemistry during the actual day), and who often would offer preferential rates as well!
Step 5: Choose the Perfect Attire Find gowns, dresses and tuxedos that complement your body and face shape/structure as well as the theme of your ceremony. Try ons are a must for the actual day dress/suit as shipping in pre-fabricated threads may be really risky. If you haven’t done so, you can check out Singapore Brides to choose from their wide variety of options.
Step 6: Rent a Wedding Car After finding the bride’s dream wedding gown, it would be time to find your dream car. This is your chance (ahem…excuse) to drive or be driven in that dream ride that you’d otherwise never shell out to buy or can’t imagine giving up day-to-day practicality for – think open-top cabriolets and vintage beauties, for instance! The complete experience is renting the wedding car for optionally the pre-wedding photoshoot and essentially on the actual day, riding you to and from your wedding venue, symbolizing a new journey as you start your life as newlyweds. The ideal car is one that reflects the joint personality of the couple: many consider the Mini brand to be zesty, Mercedes to be elegant, Audi to be young and sporty, and the list goes on! Step 7: Coordinate with Your Vendors It’s important that your vendors know what you expect them to deliver. Create a timeline and discuss it with your wedding on-site vendors. You can also skip the fuss of worrying about handling hiccups on your D-day by contracting a wedding planner to help with the coordination with vendors as well as overseeing your special event.
Step 8: Get an Emcee Keep your guests entertained with an emcee, especially during any occurrence of delays. You can either get a friend or a pairing of your groomsmen/bridesmaids or find a professional emcee to host your wedding reception here. Step 9: Practice & Rehearse Just like any other event, it is crucial to have rehearsal for the ceremony, ideally a day or two before the actual day. Practice the walk down the aisle to make your entrance perfect – don’t underestimate the level of skill needed to walk in some gowns! If possible, get your bridal party involved too to better understand their ever-so-important supporting roles on your special day.
Step 10: Enjoy Your Special Day Remember, it’s your day, relax and enjoy the moment that you truly, truly deserve – you, the couple, are the stars! Trust your groomsmen and bridesmaids to be the wind beneath your wings and handle their roles well. On this once-in-a-lifetime day, focus on creating moments with your loved ones that you will look back and smile at, especially after all the effort you went through for this day to happen. And that’s it – here’s wishing you a blissful marriage and an unforgettable dose of magic!