A wedding brainstorming guide for the newly engaged

Summer is a prime time not only for weddings but also engagements- for the newly engaged this is SUCH an exciting time with so much to think about. When it comes to planning your wedding day it’s best broken down into manageable steps, and remember this is a time to really enjoy designing your day to suit you as a couple. With Wild Hearts 2018 events taking place in Auckland, Tauranga, Christchurch and Queenstown, and our directory full of the best wedding companies and vendors in the country, we’ve got your back! All you need to do first is decide how you want to celebrate your big day.

To help you out with this super fun but sometimes daunting task, we thought we’d share a brainstorming guide by our girl Aleisha Roulston of Hawkes Bay based bell tent and furniture hire company, Lucy Chase Weddings. This guide is beautifully illustrated by Sophia Gardiner of Frida & Fauna

Before you go running off with your mother, sister, bestie and industry professionals who are more than happy to give you reams of advice, sit down with your one and only and brainstorm your wedding day together. After all, he or she is the one you’ll say “I do” to, so they should be the one you ask “how to”!

As tempting as it is, try not to host this little brainstorming date until you have a ring on your finger for more than 14 days prior… who am I kidding make that 7. Try to go for a Sunday evening and turn the television off (especially if sport is on…) and rule number one: There must be a beverage (ideally of the alcoholic variety) and snacks (ideally in the cheese family) within arms reach.

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The aim is simple in theory. To gather some sort of collective vision and priorities for your wedding.

Work through and write notes on these points independently and then share your answers at the end… Debate. Agree. Call the wedding off. Make up. Argue. Cry. High five. Don’t be surprised if it takes you drastically different times to complete and rule number two: No copying.

Remember this is not designed to have your wedding planned within a few hours. You will revisit these little pieces of paper often. File them away in that wedding notebook I know you have hiding somewhere and don’t hold each other to what you write down. Don’t turn it into a contract.

Good Luck! No eye rolling…

Write a paragraph to describe your dream wedding. Grooms, you might laugh at this concept but give it a go. Try using adjectives or bullet points. There is no right and wrong answer… Still battling? Write what definitely isn’t your dream wedding.
What is your ideal wedding destination? This may be a straightforward answer but for those with families across the country or themselves living aboard there may not be an obvious choice. Fingers crossed your answers are the same for this one. And bonus points here if you add any ideas for venues.

How many guests? Always a hot topic and debate that will end in dozens of versions of your excel spreadsheet and at times some hearty debate with families you think are simple. True story: I knew a couple that did this and she expected 300 and he wanted 80.
What are your top 3 priorities for the wedding and why? It might be food, photography, entertainment, styling, honeymoon, dress… When discussing, it might help to also discuss your lowest priorities for the day. Both don’t care for the European honeymoon? Perfect. Awkward if one has this as their top priority… File that discussion for another day.

What do you want to see on your menu? Including drinks… Keep this simple for now as it will certainly evolve once you get into the details with your venue and catering provider.6. On a scale of 1 – 10, with 10 being super traditional. Where does your wedding sit?

7. What is our realistic wedding budget? Maybe file this one for discussion later if there is starting to get some distraction/fatigue/angst creeping in.