Wedding Planning Nightmares? Recently engaged and not sure where to start? Don't worry, mrs2be.ie is here to help!
 

Firstly, many congratulations on your engagement! As soon as the engagement ring has settled nicely on your finger, it's time to start organising a few of the essentials. It may seem like there is a mountain of work involved in planning a wedding but one thing is for certain, it looks a lot worse at first glance than it actually is.

You have an exciting time ahead and whether you are having a short or long term engagement, you will have plenty to keep you occupied for the foreseeable future. Thankfully, mrs2be.ie is here to help make planning your big day much easier!

As a starting point, the first thing to think about is where and when you would like to tie the knot. These can be the two most difficult items to decide upon but once they have been agreed, a lot of the other items will usually fall into place. There are lots of factors which come into play when deciding where and when. Setting your date will sometimes go hand in hand with deciding your ceremony and reception location. If you have your heart set on a definite date (i.e. an important anniversary), then your search for a venue is going to be limited to which venues have availability for your date. If your choice of wedding date is flexible, then you will usually have more of a choice when it comes to deciding on your venues.

Whether you are having a civil or religious ceremony, under Irish law, you are required to give at least 3 months notice to the State. See State Requirements for getting Married in Ireland. If you are getting married in a Catholic church, please read Getting Married in a Catholic Church. We also have an article on Having a Civil Wedding Ceremony in Ireland.

Deciding on a realistic wedding budget is an important early step in the entire planning process. It will influence a lot of key decisions. You'll find more How to Create a Wedding Budget.

Once you have the ceremony and reception booked, most couples will turn their attention to:

a) Choosing Your Wedding Photographer
b) Choosing the Right Wedding Videographer
c) Booking the Wedding Band

These 3 suppliers are usually among the first to book up, so if you are interested in getting your first choice, you'll need to work fast. It's not unusual for these 3 suppliers to be booked up to 2 years in advance.

So, once you have given the required notice to the State, booked your ceremony, reception, photographer, videographer and your band; the remaining items will often quickly fall into place. Don't forget that you will find a wealth of resources here on mrs2be.ie and our busy forums are full of friendly brides (and newlyweds) who are always on hand to offer tips and advice as you go through the planning process. Best of luck!