Planning a wedding, as exciting and magical as it sounds, comes with a lot of organization and delegation of tasks. While the couple spearheads the main events, the bridal party can get involved in a lot of ways. Your wedding party can ensure a smooth sailing at the event. Ultimately helping the couple have a stress free wedding of their dreams. Here are some ideas on how to get your wedding party involved in the event planning process.
Notify Wedding Party In Advance
Ideally you should notify your immediate family and friends within a couple of months of getting engaged. This could be anyone you’d like to be involved in your wedding planning processes. Notifying them in advance will give them enough time to adjust their daily schedules to accommodate for the planning process. Hence allowing them to make important introductions, making it easier for your party to communicate and coordinate with each other.
Choose Your Wedding Party
Your wedding party includes not only the people who will help you plan your wedding day, but also the people who will be by your side as you walk down the aisle and say the vows. These could be your parents, your friends, your most trusted coworkers, or your neighbours. These are people who know you well and understand what your wishes are for your special day. There are no set rules but keep in mind that your bridal party will be dedicating a notable amount of time and resources for your special day.
Choosing Bridesmaids/Groomsmen
Feel confident about asking your friends to take charge of certain events. They can assign tasks to the rest of the team. There are a lot of ways your party can get involved in the planning process. This can involve helping you decide your budget, choose a wedding planner, help you make appointments etc. Some of the bridesmaids can plan the Bridal Shower, while others can plan the Wedding Day Breakfast. Similarly, you can get their help with choosing a wedding dress, makeup necessities, party attires for family members, distributing party favours, and planning entertainment for guests. They can also coordinate with your event planner to carry out some essential tasks. The important thing to keep in mind is trust, reliability and flexibility.
Getting Your Event Planner Involved
Discuss all the wedding details with your event planner well in advance. Consult with them on how to distribute responsibilities. They can also give you advice on who to put in charge of certain things and who to choose as your advisory board. Event planners have tons of experience. So don’t hesitate to consult them on how to get your wedding party involved in the wedding process. See our service packages here to get an idea of how we, as your event planner, can help get your wedding party involved.
Moreover, a lot of couples choose to have their wedding planner assign tasks to the bridal party. Your event planner is your main point of contact during the whole process. Therefore, having your wedding planner distribute certain responsibilities removes the hesitation on the couple’s behalf. This becomes of high value for couples who may not feel comfortable assigning tasks to family members and friends. Needless to say, it reduces a lot of stress, leaving more room for the couple to enjoy every moment at their wedding.
Delegating Tasks
Assign roles to a particular person or a group of people. For example you can appoint three people to research different catering options. One person can compile a list of vendors. Another person can check for reviews and quality assurance. The third person can call these vendors to book appointments and check pricing. Have them greet and receive guests at the wedding reception, while you get ready. They can help your guests find their seating and offer complimentary drinks. This is a great way to make everyone feel included in the planning process.
Beyond Wedding Party
A lot of couples are afraid of leaving out a few friends/ family members from making the cut for the Bridesmaids or Groomsmen list. I’d like to emphasize that there are still a lot of ways you can get your beloved friends and family members involved at your wedding. Program distribution, ushering, train bearing, party favour distribution, checking up on guests, monitoring gifts table etc are to name a few. These may seem small tasks but they make a big difference in carrying out your ideal wedding.
Setting Limits
Getting your family and friends involved in the wedding planning can be a huge stress reliever. It is crucial to choose a close group of people that not only know you well, but also respect you enough to help you make your own decisions. All this while giving you a healthy space to be yourself and make your own calls in the planning process.
Despite this, the wedding planning process comes with a lot of responsibility. In such situations, complications can happen. Sometimes, disagreements between party members may arise. These may vary from budget pricing to resource allocation to overwhelming involvement in the wedding planning. Be sympathetic, understanding and compassionate. Have an honest conversation about the clear expectations and responsibilities at hand. Assure them that you love them but also set limits to allow yourself enough space to make wise decisions. This will help address issues clearly to ensure amendments are made and things are up to par with your plan.
In the end, your bridal party is your wedding squad. They’ll be with you throughout the whole process to make sure everything works out as planned. So make sure to thank everyone involved in making your wedding special. Show them your love and appreciation, whether it’s by giving them a call or sending a Thank You note. A little goes a long way!