Planning the perfect wedding is only a step away with this great timeline from engagement to wedding day…

12 Months before the Big Day

The question has been asked and the champagne corks have been popped – and now the real work starts. Planning your wedding doesn’t have to be a difficult task but it does mean being organised:

• Pick the wedding date and time – send out ‘save the date’ card, always a good idea for the busy ‘wedding season’ of summer
• Decide on your budget
• Start looking for a suitable venue that is both available on your chosen date and big enough for the ceremony, reception and evening party (if you are planning your wedding this way)
• Consider enrolling on a wedding planner course

10 Months Before the Big day

Wedding dress – in order for a wedding dress to fit perfectly, it will need to be altered to be a custom fit. Shop for, buy and start the alteration process for your wedding dress.

As well as the dress, consider;

• entertainment options
• start looking for a photographer, videographer, reception band or DJ and florist
• reserving accommodation for out-of-town guests
• wedding insurance to protect deposits etc.
• a gift register, if using

6 to 8 Months Before Your Big Day

With only a few short months left, you need to start nailing down some of the arrangements;

• order bridesmaids’ dresses
• book the entertainment for the reception as well as ceremony musicians

4 Months Before the Big Day

The day is now hurtling towards you at lightning speed;

• the groom, best man and ushers need to finalise their wedding attire, buying or hiring it including shirts and shoes
• buy the wedding rings
• some couples also attend pre-wedding counselling too

3 Months Before the Big Day Arrives

With 12 weeks to go, preparations are really heating up;

• design and create your wedding cake with your chosen wedding cake specialist
• book wedding day transport, planning and working out the logistics of the day with the transport company
• order invitations
• write your invitations and post out first class – always include an RSVP date
• create a ‘live’ guest list ensuring that attending and non-attending guests are made a note of as soon as their RSVP arrives.

2 Months Before the Big Day

With the hard work and majority of organising done, you can afford to relax and begin to look forward to the big day.

• Some couples write their own vows and now is the time to do this
• Purchase gifts for your parents, bridesmaids, best man and ushers
• For the bride, book a hair stylist and try out different hair styles that match the theme of the day and your dress
• Book a make-up artist and again, enjoy several trial runs to get your look just right

1 Month Before the Big Day

The final four weeks is about checking that everything you need is in place and that means;

• Getting all the paperwork in order, including the displaying of your marriage banns
• Have your final wedding dress fitting
• Check with the florist, wedding car hire company, baker, venue, ceremony hosts etc. that everything is in place and as it should be

2 Weeks Before

You should have all the RSVPs back by now, thus you can start creating the wedding table plan for the wedding breakfast. There will be changes so don’t get too stressed about this.

As well as this, you will also need to;

• Create a list of must-have photos for your wedding photographer, as well as a detailed plan for the videographer if using
• For the DJ or band, discuss the set list and any must-have songs you want including

And finally, enjoy some ‘me’ time with a pre-wedding haircut and colour.

7 Days to the Big Day

There are small arrangements that need finalising such as;

• Final head count to the venue and caterers
• Final changes to the seating plan
• Create table centrepieces (unless the venue is doing this), including favours for wedding guests, name plates etc.
• Confirm delivery details with florist, bakers and wedding dress shop etc.
• Confirm times with hair stylist and make-up artist
• Rehearse the ceremony, if needed
• Check the timings for the day and ensure that these are communicated to all concerned!

On the Day!

Relax, enjoy it and let the day flow!

Wedding planner courses are not just for budding wedding planners. Many couples find the idea of arranging such a big event daunting, which on its own can create many issues. A wedding planner course is helpful in dealing with the behind-the-scenes arrangements, as well as wedding etiquette and the legalities of tying the knot.

Stress-free wedding planning – is there such a thing?

As you admire your engagement ring, you may be looking forward to the big day. You may have a vision of a clear, sunny, warm day, with you and your groomed bathed in perfection.
Or there may be a hint of dread, not of the wedding day itself but the build-up to it. You have before you looming large over the coming months and weeks, the stress of organising everything from flowers to cake, to creating a menu that delights whilst remembering there are three vegetarians, one vegan, and a lactose tolerant guest to cater for, to the diplomatic nightmare of the seating
plan…

There are many things to think about too and for some brides and their groom, the stress and worry of planning their perfect day can prove too much.
Arguments, tears, unkind words and exhaustion can, unfortunately, walk hand-in-hand with planning your wedding, no matter how big or small it is.

There is a solution, and that is a wedding planner course. This does not mean a wedding planning diploma as a professional wedding planner, but a tailored, bespoke diploma for people looking to create their big day, themselves without too much worry, too much stress and too many tears.

An organisational feat
Planning and executing your wedding like the professionals take knowledge, skill and an understanding of what is known as ‘the inside track.’ This means being aware and understanding the finer nuances of organising something, and bringing all the strands together at the same time.

Wedding planning is an organisational feat and one that will see you juggle many balls and spine many plates, but it can be done.

Our wedding planning course, for example, will cover important factors such as;

• Budgeting – often the thorn in the side, over-spending can ruin the ‘after’ of your big day as you struggle to pay back loans, credit cards, and your overdraft. This diploma looks at portioning your budget, being realistic about what you will get for your money, as well as the art of contingency planning and compromise.

• Venue selection – planning your own wedding can mean try to piece together the wedding dream you have always had but, if you are having a big wedding, squeezing 200 guests into a venue that comfortably holds 50 – but it is the venue you said you would always marry in! – Just may not work. Objectively assessing what your venue needs to provide is key

• Contingency planning – there are some things you can plan and guarantee but there are others that you cannot. The weather is one of them! Understanding what could change on the day, what you can control (and what you can’t) and how to deal with it are also included in our wedding planner course.
  

  It could also be a springboard to opening up a thirst for learning.

• Legalities – at one time, you could only marry in church and never on a Sunday. Today the rules are different but understanding the legalities of where and how you can marry, and by whom is important. This is certainly true if you intend to marry outside of the UK.

• Finding the right help in the right places – as you plan your wedding, you will need the help of many different people, from professional florists to cake-makers, dressmakers and so on. This diploma looks at how to use these professional services to the bestof your advantage, and when to seek advice and help.

Study for a great wedding day!
Our Plan Your Wedding Diploma is incredibly popular. By investing in the course, you are acquiring skills that will help you plan your big day. There are helpful assignments to complete, of which you will receive feedback from an experienced wedding planner tutor. This alone is invaluable advice on getting the best for your big day.

You can complete the diploma at your own pace too; technically, you could complete it within months, giving you more than enough time to plan your wedding visit venues and so on. You can complete it at a time that suits you too, whether that is a Sunday morning or an evening during the week.

It could also be a springboard to opening up a thirst for learning. Completing the wedding planner diploma may spur you on to bigger things, especially if you enjoyed planning your wedding with this course. We have another, separate course that you could complete which could see you become a professional wedding planner.

Enrolling is simple – log on, choose your course, choose how to pay and start planning your wedding today!

The wedding industry is big business, and more couples are choosing to use the services of a wedding planner. Likewise, many people are also studying for wedding planning courses to plan their own nuptials.

Whether you are planning your own wedding or looking for an exciting new career, online wedding planning courses are proving popular.

You too may be looking for opportunities to study and expand your horizons but if returning to the classroom is not a possibility, learning online certainly is. In fact, learning online is fast becoming the most popular way of earning qualifications.

Being a wedding planner
A wedding planner is the person that couples rely on to organise their big day. The average cost of a wedding is now £25,000 and although this may seem a lot, a wedding planner can help the happy couple to save even more money.

In fact, an experienced wedding planner will have contacts in all kinds of industries and trades, helping to organise a wedding day within budget.

The wedding industry is big business, and more couples are choosing to use the services of a wedding planner.

There are many personal skills and attributes you will need:

• Calmness – weddings are highly emotional affairs and the run up to the big day can be stressful for many brides, grooms and their families. Essentially, you need to be able to think on your feet and always have solutions and plenty of ‘Plan Bs’ up your sleeve!
• Charm – in the face of adversity, conflict and tension, you need to have oodles of charm and the ability to communicate clearly in situations that can be fraught and emotional. This doesn’t mean that as a wedding planner you will constantly be battling adversity; far from it as a wedding is a joyous and happy occasion, and one that you will feel blessed to be a part of.
• Negotiator – if anything, you will be the top negotiator on behalf of your bride and groom. From ordering the flowers, to hiring the band to wedding photographers and caterers, you will be negotiating on price, as well as availability and so on.
• Budget – it is imperative that you are good with money and are able to produce the product that couples want without over-spending. You need to keep a tight hold of the budget, always keeping your couple informed of expenses and where the money is being spent etc.
• Super-organised – a wedding planner needs to be super-organised and are responsible for every aspect of the big day, from making sure the flowers arrive on time, the food is perfect, that hired items arrive on time and in the right place.
• Knowledgeable – as you grow more experienced in the role, you will create a long lists of contacts, skills and knowledge that will make you a knowledgeable and go-to wedding planner
• A sense of humour – you will meet all kinds of people and characters, from emotional, indecisive brides to controlling parents and so on. You will need a sense of humour and, as a great wedding planner, the ability to keep people’s dreams on track with a gentle, guiding hand.

Why choose NCC Home Learning courses?
If you are looking to a career in event or wedding planning, potential customers always feel that you are more trustworthy and reliable if you can show what you can do. For many people, this means having a wedding planner that is qualified.

But, taking the time to attend college can seem like too big a leap thus, many students turn to online learning and to a leading online course provider such as NCC Home Learning;

• Flexible – you can study when you want; there are very few, if any deadlines and there is, with many courses no ‘must be completed by’ dates either. This gives you the flexibility to learn around your current work and family commitments.
• Cost-effective – many online courses are cheaper not because they are of a lesser value but because online course providers have fewer overheads, an expense they do not need to pass to their students.
• Same qualification, same value – some people may tell you that online courses are ‘not as academic’ or are somehow, thought of less by employers and so on. Today, online course providers go through the same rigorous planning and accreditation process as other education providers so you can be sure to get the same level of value and qualification with us as you would at a college or other educational establishment.
• Simple, easy enrolment – you can enrol anytime, there is no need to wait until September. Many of your courses come with an online or paper option so you can study in a way that suits you. Simply choose a wedding planner course, pay the deposit, followed by instalments (or pay in one lump sum) and start on the road to a new and exciting career!