INSPO Fitness Journal October 2017

“As a little girl, I dreamed of my
wedding day. Whenever I played
dress-ups I was always a bride.
So it was only natural I ended up in the wedding
industry.
“I became a wedding planner in 2012,
starting up my business Alare, and then
became a registered celebrant in 2015. I love
being involved in weddings, seeing all the
ideas and planning come together and the
magic that happens on the day, the smiles,
the tears and the love.
I meet a lot of couples getting married,
and many are recently engaged and just
starting to plan. It’s so exciting, and often a
day they’ve been thinking about for a while.
It is so easy to get overwhelmed – with
pinterest, Instagram, styled shoots featured
on blogs, and the dreaded FOMO (fear of
missing out), it can get too much too quickly!
It’s a big deal, and a big day. No matter
whether you decide to have an intimate
ceremony in your back garden with just your
kids, or the big white wedding with 200 of
your nearest and dearest, it takes time and
effort to pull it all together, and you want it
to be perfect.
To avoid getting overwhelmed, start with the
following five things:
• Guest List
• Budget
• Date
• Theme
• Top Three
I always suggest to couples that they start
with the Top Three. Work together to decide
what the three things are that you and your
partner desperately care about, and try not to
stress about the rest.
The Top Three will be different for every
couple. For some people the photography
is the most import, others will want five-star
food. Maybe an unlimited bar tab is incredibly
important to you, or live music, or the
dream dress. Only you and your partner can
decide what your Top Three are, but figuring
those out early on is key to making the planning
process less stressful.
Why? Because once you have settled on
those three things, that helps you determine
where your budget goes, and where you’re
going to look to save some cash. The items
that don’t make your Top Three are the ones
where you’re going to look for more budget
conscious ways to achieve your ideal look
and feel.
The other details that you need to figure
out before you can start browsing websites,
making phone calls and visiting venues are:
guest list, budget, date and theme. Those
four things will determine everything else.
There’s no point in visiting a cosy homestead
if you’re planning 150 guests. There’s no
point in checking out a top of the line wedding
venue If you are hoping to get married
for under $5000. There’s no point in visiting
an inner city urban venue if you’ve got your
heart set on the beach. And there’s no point
in visiting anywhere if you have no idea
when you want to get married.
So figure those things out first. Write them
down, and refer back to them during the
planning process. When you find beautiful
things online that you MUST have on your
big day, go back to the theme, the budget and
Photos this page: Brooke Baker, Photo Taker,
Magic Maker (www.brookephotomagic.com)
INSPO – FITNESS JOURNAL OCTOBER 2017
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