Wedding Countdown Part 2

Planning your wedding – even with the help of family and friends – can take a toll on your mental, emotional and physical health. It’s never too early to start planning for the big day, whether the pretty details like the trimming on your cake or a possibly relationship-breaking guest list. So where do you start? Just check out my handy guide!

This is part 2 of the wedding countdown, you can read part 1 here.

The Guest List

Your first consideration, no matter how huge a family or circle of friends you have is, how much you have to spend. Think practical at this stage, like the number of people in your church, home or registrar’s office will hold. If your numbers are limited, divide your guests into those you want at the ceremony and those you could invite to the reception.

The Photography / Video Recording

You can’t do without both, but you can do without the video recording if you need to cut down your expenses. The best way to find a photographer is through personal recommendations, so check around My Malaysia Wedding for reviews from others.

• Decide on a style that you can discuss with your photographer.
• Do you want formal pictures / candid shots or both?
• Do you want black and white / coloured or both?
• Do you want to do studio shots before or after the wedding.
• Specify to your photographer the people you want pictures taken of, if any.

The Stationery

Here is your complete checklist of what you’ll need so you can shop for them or order them at one go:

• Wedding invites
• RSVP cards
• Envelopes
• Service sheet for a Christian ceremony
• Menu cards for the reception
• Place cards for formal reception
• Thank you cards for those who have helped out
• Thank you cards for guests for their presents

The Flowers

Check what flowers are in season. Out of season bloom can cost you a bomb. If you are in a money bind, then consider using more foliage and fewer flowers, or get a creative friend to make a bouquet up for you! Consider these:

• Colour of the theme for the wedding
• Size of hand bouquet for the bride
• Be sure that the flowers don’t stain the clothing
• To keep the flowers fresh, have them send to you as late as possible

The Cake

The wedding cake is not necessarily the grand centerpiece of the wedding feast, so don’t worry if you’re throwing out this option completely. You can have an eight tier cake with only one tier made of real cake for the cake-cutting ceremony. It’ll look just as lovely as the real thing and will only cost you a quarter of the price.

The Wheels

The mode of transportation constitutes arrival in style. Stepping out of a gleaming Rolls Royce or Mercedes isn’t as far a cry as you think if you start looking early for someone you can borrow the car for one day.