The first three things to decide when planning your big day.
Everything was planned perfectly; the lights, the music, the ring. Many couples we talk with find that being engaged can be at both exhilarating and overwhelming. Now that you’ve told all your friends and family, and they’ve probably all told you what you absolutely must do for your wedding, it’s time to get down to the details. Based on the scores of weddings we’ve done here at Vida Buena Farm, we’ve found that there are really three things you should decide first as you begin planning your big day.
SEASONS: It is often helpful to think in terms of seasons rather than specific dates: If you have your heart set on a specific date (like the day you first met) you might be unnecessarily limiting your options. You might find the perfect venue, but it’s not available on the specific date. Or the photographer you really liked isn’t available that day. Give yourselves some wiggle room and see what happens.
SIZE: Knowing how many people will be attending your wedding is a critical element of the rest of your plan. How big is your wedding party? Will you have the same number of Bridesmaids and Groomsmen? Parents? Grandparents? Ring bearers? How may guests will be invited? What we learned in 2020, is that smaller more intimate weddings can be amazing experiences. Bigger doesn’t always mean better.
SCOPE: Figure out what are the most important elements of the wedding for each of you, and prioritize those things above everything else. When Rick and I got married (way back when) the cake was the most important thing for him, and for me it was the music. We invested in those things rather than the table decor which neither of us really cared that much about given we were married outside at a beautiful venue in the Santa Cruz mountains (that venue was the inspiration for Vida Buena Farm).
Focus your initial efforts on these three areas and you’ll be setting yourself for a successful, and hopefully less stressful, wedding planning process. After all, this is supposed to be fun!