Love is in the air in Calgary because Evelyn Clark Weddings is receiving a ton of inquiries from couples looking for a Calgary wedding planner and a wedding planner for the Mountains.

Although the most popular engagement season is between Christmas and Valentine’s Day, we notice that many lucky Calgary couples are getting engaged in the summer and even fall months. And while the engagement period is exciting, we often hear from brides (and grooms!) that they are not sure what to do next after the glow of engagement starts to fade and they are left with a giant wedding planning list.

Here is where this Calgary wedding planner comes in: this post is the start of a in-depth series about The Top 5 Things To Do When Planning Your Wedding. These posts will give you tons of info on how to tackle the big aspects of planning your wedding, so let’s get started with #1.

#1 of 5 Things To Do When Planning Your Wedding – Determine Your Wedding Type & Style

Photo credit: Shay Cochrane Photography

Plan your first heart-to-heart chat with your fiance to talk about what kind of wedding you are envisioning. The areas you should cover when discussing your wedding type & style should include:

• Your wedding framework

  — On what day of the week would you like your wedding (keep in mind any religious restrictions that limit certain days or weeks for a wedding)? What time of day? Will this be a formal wedding with a sit-down dinner followed by a dance? Or would you prefer an evening ceremony followed by a cool cocktail party with hors d’oeuvres? Once you nail down your wedding framework, you can consider items like your venue and guest count.

• Your wedding guest count

  — If you are considering hosting a chic cocktail party at a cool restaurant, you may be considering a smaller, more intimate wedding with no children. Conversely, if you want the traditional dinner reception with a live band and dance, you could invite far-extending family, friends and co-workers for a plump guest list. No matter the size of your wedding, you must understand that your guest count is directly related to your wedding budget. The more guests you invite, the larger the venue, the more food you need, the more napkins you need to rent, etc. It’s not what you may want to hear, but an easy way to cut costs is to cut the number of guests. Your wedding budget is a topic in itself, and we will be covering that in another post.

• Your wedding style

  — Do your wedding dreams include a ritzy ballroom with you in a fabulous wedding gown surrounded by your guests dressed in their best? Or maybe you prefer a wedding with wood details and snow capped mountains in the background? If you have a specific wedding “theme”, you must consider how much decor and rentals you will need to convey your wedding theme. A “lush, romantic garden” wedding theme will require oodles of flowers, greenery and trees to transform a venue, which leads to a very large large wedding flower budget as well as a space requirement at the venue to allow this depth of decor. Determining your wedding style will dictate what venues you consider for hosting your wedding ceremony and reception.

If you go over these important wedding details first, you will lay a solid foundation to start your wedding planning. Remember to consult family early in your wedding planning too, especially if they are paying for a a large portion, or all, or the wedding. Compromise is a huge part of wedding planning (and marriage, in general), so be prepared to consider other opinions.

As a Calgary wedding planner that offers a variety of wedding planning & design services in Calgary and beyond, we are happy to help you with your wedding planning journey. Planning a wedding is a big undertaking that should be exciting and fun. If you find yourself getting overwhelmed with making decisions or dreading keeping track of every detail, try our wedding planning & design services and let us help!

Don’t forget to check out Tip #2 in the Top 5 Things To Do When Planning Your Wedding!