HOW TO GET MARRIED AT 25; The Incomplete guide! PART4

Part 4: Planning

You have not planned anything until you plan a wedding… your own wedding. There’s nothing like it!

(According to me.)

And it has nothing to do with your intended guest list at your reception. Talking about guest lists though, it’s true that when you tell people you’re planning for a hundred and fifty people, they usually hear “a hundred and fifty groups of a hundred people”. And everything else follows suit. The decorator when you agree on drapes hears grapes. The deejay who agreed to your 90s’ Hits list shows up with his when_they_call_me_for_an_abrupt_gig_fix list. Then the car hire people hear “No bows” and show up with a huge bow and arrow. Go ahead… laugh.

Kasita that’s not what happened to us… not exactly.

I stand to be corrected, but planning is not just about the wedding day (church and reception). It’s supposed to cover everything like fundraisers, marriage courses, meeting the parents, ceremonies. It’s something that should kick in the moment you start this journey.

Here’s what we learnt.

God

(See part 2)

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”KJV

~Proverbs.3:5-6

Oh yes I’m into that “God business” quite a lot. I am one of those people who believe that we struggle a lot in life, when we choose to ignore or not engage our spiritual potential. Yes, pray about your planning…yes, pray all the time.

Someone to Keep you Accountable

(See part 2again.)

Remember that couple that are friends of ours? Well, the fact that they had done a wedding of their own before meant that they were such a great help.

(Couple friends of ours, “if you’re reading this, it’s too late!”...hahaha…THANK YOU!)

We learnt a very simple method to help you check if you have forgotten something (and it works for just any event). Go through the whole event step by step in your mind. Leave home…get into the car….go to church…pull out the rings… (you catch the drift, right?)

Know What you want and Know it in Time!

Chances are when you tell anyone that you’re getting married; right away they will already know what they want for your wedding. Yours, not theirs. Everyone, right from service providers, friends and family, and virtually anyone is going to want to front some sort of idea they believe is the best for you. And if you’re not careful, that is the wide road that leads to conflict and stress.

If you can, do your research and work out your issues months before the day. You could find out prices of stuff, look up a few venues, talk to a couple of service providers, and even make bookings way before crunch time!

Always remember it’s always fiancé and fiancée who make the decision on what they want. After all, it’s them who have to live with it the morning after the wedding.

The Committee

(that’s if you’re having one.)

Choose a few competent people, who understand what you want. They shouldn’t bully you, but they should bully everyone else on your behalf. Trust me, you need these people.

Our “competent people” were put together in the final weeks because we didn’t really "hold meetings". 

Other

Just like any event, you must ask yourself how you’re planning to fund a thing like that.

Some people do it with their savings, others do wedding meetings.

 On our part we put together some musicians, a gamers’ hub, foodies, and a make-up artist and did jam sessions where people paid for stuff.

Some friends of ours threw a bash where everything (drinks and food) cost quadruple its price. And I know of another couple that did a yard sale. There’s no end to how creative you can get. Just know that “NO MONEY” cannot be your excuse for anything (in life).

In other news, a friend of mine says because of the pressure, he’s going to do a blog series on “How To Stay Single at 25”. I had a good laugh…seriously!

Someone else asked me to do a Vlog (video blog) of this very series. Would people be interested in something like that? Let’s hear those comments (if you noticed, there’s a comment section just below this post).

Also, to the right of this blog is a small widget that says “Submit”. Type in your email and click submit to get notifications when there’s something happening here.

Ladies and Gentlemen, bye!

Source: Stock photo