How to: Plan a Wedding in 60 Days
There’s a common misconception that to have the perfect wedding day, years of planning is required. But rather than letting a short time frame between now and your wedding day overwhelm you, instead remember what your special day is really about – the love between you and your partner and being able to share it with those who love and support you. Whether the short notice is by choice or not, here’s everything you need to know to plan a wedding in 60 days, because it really IS possible!.
The countdown is on… 60 days prior
Start with the essentials – date, budget, location
Choose a date and set a budget, because money adds up quickly and it can be easy to blow out when you’re trying to rush and organise things quickly. If there’s not a lot of availability on your desired date, consider opting for a Friday or Sunday afternoon or evening, instead of the usual Saturday wedding. This will increase your chances of booking a venue and lower the costs.
Next, location needs to be determined.
Our Mantra Hotels properties offer a variety of stunning coastal or country locations with brands and budgets to suit your style. There is sure to be a location perfect for your last minute wedding plans. Bonus – each of these properties can double as a reception venue PLUS a place to stay the night for family and friends meaning you can host all the celebrations from start to finish in one place.
Check out our last minute wedding specials here.
Part of streamlining your wedding day means choosing your vendors without too many changes. From flowers, to your cake, photographer, band and makeup artist, there are so many things to think about. To make it easier for brides-to-be, Mantra Hotels’ wedding packages provide a list of preferred suppliers for all these extras. It’s the perfect recommendation to help you organise what suppliers to choose without doing hours of research. An added bonus is that preferred suppliers will already be familiar with the venue spaces and working with the property’s wedding coordinator - you’re special day is sure to be in safe hands.
Pictured: Peppers Seminyak Poolside Wedding Setup
50 days prior...
Invite your guests
The best option for you to save time when it comes to sending invites is to send them digitally. It will also open the communication lines between you and your guests to ensure they received the invitation and can follow them up easily. There are beautiful wedding invitation templates available online, or you can involve a graphic designer to better suit your theme and style.
Organise your celebrant and marriage licence
When choosing a celebrant, you will need to meet them prior to make sure everybody feels comfortable together for your big moment. This also gives you an opportunity to go through a running schedule of the wedding day. Think about who you’d like to have standing by your side on your special day (aside from your beloved partner) when you say “I do” together.
Once that’s sorted, it’s time to organise your marriage licence. This is one of the most important things to prepare and at the latest, make sure it’s completed at least a week prior to your wedding day. Choose a dress and suit
It’s time to go looking for your attire. With the short timeframe, keep in mind that custom made dresses take over six month to order, so you’ll most likely have to choose something premade from a store. For something a little non-traditional, trying checking out vintage stores and for brides, try a dress straight off the rack that you can style in your own way and if needed, have a seamstress fit to your shape.
Image courtesy: Sugar Love Weddings
40 days prior...
Organise your bridesmaids and groomsmen’s attire
For the ladies, a good way to cut down the searching time is to choose a neutral colour like beige and have your bridesmaids choose from the dresses they already have. A popular option is to set the colour scheme and have your bridesmaids choose any style they want but from the same department store. Males can wear a black or navy suit which most will likely have already too and simply purchase matching ties to coordinate the look.
Image courtesy: Sugar Love Weddings
30 days prior...
Craft and create
Get together for a night of dinner and drinks at home with your wedding party and get creating. Craft your own centrepieces, fold place cards and decorate the bouquet jars, taking inspiration and hints from YouTube tutorials, Pinterest boards and Instagram.
There may not be time to order a traditional cake, but most bakeries will be able to accommodate a layer cake with short notice and without using the word ‘wedding’ you may save on costs too.
3 days prior...
Beauty treatments and bridal party gifts
Get any beauty treatments completed 2-3 days before the wedding so that the day prior can be spent with your loved ones and sorting out any unexpected last minute details that are sure to come up. If you’re giving your bridal party thank-you gifts, now is the time make sure they are complete and ready to go.
If you’re writing your own vows, get them printed out so you can easily read them or make palm cards. Also ensure your wedding day schedule is set up with bridesmaid’s hair and makeup times written out and save examples of the look you want ready to go in your phone.
On the day...
Follow a checklist
Make sure you have your vows and gifts ready to go along with your schedule, then follow your schedule and remember to enjoy your day! The team at our Peppers and Mantra properties are on-hand to assist and take the stress off your shoulders. Speak with them prior to the ceremony to ensure everything is organised and ready to go.
Start planning your magical wedding day here.