5 Questions you should be asking about your Wedding

October 26, 2020

Welcome back to the Bodleian wedding blog. We are so glad you found us. Today, we are highlighting five key questions that you should be asking yourselves during the wedding planning process.

We are here to guide, inspire and really make you think about five very important subjects to help maximise the time you spend planning your wedding.

1: How do I start planning?

Now this is a very good question. There are actually many answers to this – which we recognise isn’t the most helpful response BUT, different methods suit different people.

– Pin it! – In their most recent survey, Bridebook found that 69% of the couples used the Pinterest App during their wedding planning. We are keen users too – you can see our Pinterest page here

Pinterest is great because it allows you to build boards of inspiration. From colour schemes, to buttonholes, this site really does have all the answers. This is a great first step towards planning your wedding because it provides you with the opportunity to collect your thoughts, and start folding all your personal ideas and designs into your wedding.

–Real wedding testimonials – If you are undecided about which venue to choose, or which caterer has the best selection of food, head to their websites and search for testimonials from real couples. This type of feedback can help you build trust and reassurance in the suppliers/venues that you may be considering.

Have you been to a wedding at the Bodleian before? Did you get married there? We would love to hear what you made of it – email weddings@bodleian.ox.ac.uk

–Ask for help – So maybe you have ventured beyond the pretty Pinterest stage and now you are bogged down in the nitty gritty logistical elements of your big day. Asking for professional guidance is a great way to bind all the ingredients of your wedding together. Planners and on-the-day wedding coordinators are the best people to go to for these types of things. Take our partners, Occasion Queens for example – these guys thrive off all kinds of planning. Their on-the-day coordination derives from your initial inspiration sessions that you will have with them. In effect, they will learn about who you are, your preferences and desires, and then they will feed all of these things into your wedding day. You will be in very safe hands.

2: What is in the small print?

2020 has seen hundreds of couples dissect their venue contracts with great frustration, often searching for ways to postpone, cancel and/or hopefully claim back deposits. The truth is, a Pandemic clause did not exist before now. You must note that since we have moved into this new way of life, venues, vendors and insurers are now likely to have one. Read this clause carefully – and check to see that you fully understand what the clauses are saying before you agree to sign anything.

If you are at the initial stages of wedding planning, make sure you have open and honest conversations with your vendors from the very beginning. What are their cancellation/re-booking policies?

3: How can I stay within my budget?

Perhaps one of the only disadvantages of using Pinterest is not being aware of the cost behind each image. When it comes to your wedding, frugal can still mean fancy (but splashing the cash is fine too!) According to CoCo Weddings, they found that on average, couples spend 10-15% of their overall budget on their venue hire. With this in mind, here are three ways we think can help lower your overall costs:

Finance planning – when you are set on a date, and you have your budget spreadsheet up and running, think about how much money you will need to set aside each month to help fund your wedding
Consider a weekday wedding – these are becoming increasingly popular – particularly for weddings in 2021. Venues and suppliers will often reduce rates for weekday weddings.
Do not be afraid to consider help from friends and family – maybe rather than that fancy set of cutlery you were hoping for, a generous friend or family might be able to contribute towards the entertainment or evening bar?

4: Who do I invite?

If you are reading this blog post in 2020, then this question is very topical right now. Realistically, if you are booking your wedding ceremony or reception in 2020/2021 you will have to make a contingency plan in regards to your wedding numbers. As it stands (October 2020), weddings can only accommodate up to 15 people (including the couple) For this reason, your guest list will be significantly reduced. Please make your wider friends and family aware that there are no hard feelings if they are not invited to the official wedding ceremony. All it will mean is that there will be a delay in the reception/party. (But this is definitely something to look forward to.)

In a Covid-19 free world, make sure you invite all of those who mean something to you. (Although we also understand that family politics can make this challenging at times.) Do not feel obligated to invite everyone under the moon (Your venue will not appreciate this, and neither will your pocket!)

Invitations can be personalised too and make beautiful keepsakes. A luxury stationer, Dimitria Jordan, designs bespoke invitations that are so worth checking out. You can find them here and view a sneak peak of Dimitria’s beautiful Bodleian Collection below…

5: How will I remember my Wedding day?

Nostalgia is a very real thing. Post-wedding blues are also a very real thing. Wedding planning will become your baby. In fact, you will be so hyped for all things wedding related, that you might find that other projects and interests are pushed aside. After the big day, couples are often left feeling somewhat deflated. All of that effort and hard work has finally ended. You have tied the knot, but now what?

– Hang onto the best moments through photography and videography. As great as self-proclaimed photographer Josh thinks he is at photography, ditch your brother’s best mate and leave it up to professionals you can trust. They will capture the laughs, the whispers, the dancing, the food and the magic. Post-wedding, they will spend hours editing and selecting the best photos to send to you -Seriously, ditch Josh and leave it to them.

-Guest book – Encourage your guests to write a fond memory that they have of you and ask them to pop it in the guest book. There’s nothing quite like re-reading the words from a loved one

-Make a playlist! Sounds like a simple one and other than having access to a Spotify/iTunes account, it does not have to cost anything. Make one of these to remember your wedding. Include the music of your first dance, your ceremony song – anything that you associate with your wedding. Pop it on and have a dance when you are your partner are reminiscing about that perfect day together.

Before you go!

We recognise that we are not wedding planners. However, as a venue, we oversee every strand that makes up a wedding day. From florists to DJs – we really see (and help to coordinate) it all.
In this post, we have highlighted 5 main questions that you need to be asking about your wedding. However, wedding planning is no easy topic. Hours of your spare time will be slap-bang in the middle of Wedmin galore and it can often feel overwhelming. So how else can we help ease your load?

On November 3 and 4 2020 we are hosting our very first virtual wedding showcase. We have enlisted some of the most talented partners known to Wedding-kind. They will be joining the Bodleian team to discuss who they are, what they do – providing plenty of useful hints and tips for people at the beginning, middle and end of their wedding planning journey.

If you are keen to be part of this event, click on the link below to sign-up!

https://visit.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/event/wedding-showcase