HOW TO PLAN A LAST MINUTE WEDDING
Lately the majority of my wedding enquiries are based on short timelines and micro weddings, which is completely understandable under the current regulations.
This is why I have decided to give you some quick wins on how to plan your last-minute weddings effectively.
Check out my full blog below as I reveal to you my 7 steps guide.
If you’re currently considering a micro wedding that you would like to take place within the next 2-3 months and don’t know where to start, contact me today. I’m sure we can come up with a great plan together.
LEGALITIES
In my opinion your number one objective for a last-minute wedding should be your paperwork.
You want to make sure that you have all the required paperwork completed within the allocated timeline for your destination – in Scotland you need to lodge your notices with the intention of marriage, otherwise known as M10 form, no later than 29 days prior to your intended date of marriage.
This only applies if you want to make sure your wedding ceremony is legally binding – for symbolic ceremonies, this will be down to the availability of your desired celebrant.
How are you all finding the legalities and paperwork related to filing for a legally binding ceremony? Let me know in the comments below.
IDENTIFY WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO YOU
When you’re planning for a wedding with a limited timeline, it is important for you to decide on the MUST HAVEs and things that you can forgo which won’t upset your overall vision.
The reason why this is so important is that you as much as you would want to consider everything for the most important day of your life, you don’t want to left disappointed or frustrated if it doesn’t happen due to the limited timescale.
Take one evening together and work out what’s important to you – I can promise you, this will ensure that even when planning last minute you can enjoy the process just as much.
Would you agree with this advice? Give me YES in the comments below if you do!
BUDGET
Now, that you’ve identified what’s important to you, set your budget – how much can you spend on this wedding celebration and how much are you prepared to invest into it?
You’ll need to consider your venue, legal fees (if you’re wanting a legally binding ceremony), any transport, outfits, photographer, flowers, accommodation, accessories and the list might go on and on…
What I am trying to say is that no matter the timeline or size of you wedding, you will still need to consider a lot of integral parts of this very special occasion and you don’t want to feel like you need to always compromise because of the limited timescale – setting a budget will help you achieve what you’ve planned for.
What budget would you estimate for an elopement or micro-wedding?
A – up to £1,000.00
B - £1,000 to £5,000.00
C - £5,000+
VENUE
Choosing a venue for a last-minute wedding might have its disadvantages such as availability, but also benefits such as ‘late availability deals’ which will help you to maximise the budget you have set.
Availability is of course important, so would you consider off-peak dates such as Fridays, Sundays or even Thursdays?
Is it a unique reception hall that you want for your wedding or would you rather hold your ceremony at the Registrar’s Office and host your meal in a private room at a hotel or restaurant?
Remember that no matter what you decide on – charges might apply for the hire of your venues even if it is just a Registrar’s Office.
What venues would you consider for a last minute or micro-wedding? Share your ideas in the comment box below.
SUPPLIERS
This one is an interesting matter – because normally, you would see many suppliers fully booked for years in advance.
Nowadays, you might find a lot more flexibility, however, if you’re struggling to find available suppliers – check out online wedding directories and place your enquiries through these sites with as much detail as possible - remember you don’t want to be wasting your time on follow up email asking for more details!
On the other hand, if time is precious for you and you would like to focus on other things that matter to you more, delegate this task to someone else - Wedding Planners like myself can organise a list of availability, negotiate rates and put together proposals for you within a few hours.
Would you consider sourcing suppliers though a Professional Wedding Planner? Give me YES in the comments below if you would due to limited timeline.
INVITATIONS
This one I think shouldn’t come as a surprise – designing, printing and then posting hard copy invitations might not be an option if you’ve got limited time to organise your wedding. Additionally, you wouldn’t want to wait for RSVPs in the post either – your time is precious here!
Why not use one of the web-based services widely available to send your invitations and collect your RSVPs automatically?
You can still have a say in how they will look like and what they will read, but this method simply ensures you can shorten the process and send your invitations in a matter of minutes to your entire guest list.
Have you heard of PaperlessPost.com? It gives you the first 50 online invites free and helps you collect your RSVPs. Check it out today!
DELEGATE