How to Plan a Wedding
Wedding Planning
Elettra Wiedemann | Executive Director of Mama Farm
September 21, 2023
How to Plan a Wedding: Your Comprehensive Step-by-Step Guide
Congratulations on your engagement! As you embark on this exciting journey towards your big day, we at Mama Farm understand that wedding planning can be a mix of joy, excitement, and a touch of overwhelming complexity. Fear not! This comprehensive guide is designed to lead you through the process with ease, ensuring that every step of your wedding planning journey is memorable and enjoyable. We look forward to having your wedding at Mama Farm and we love to work with couples to bring their dreams to life!
Planning a wedding is a labor of love for yourself, your partner and your loved ones. Your wedding day will be a celebration of love, commitment, and a union of families and friends. Creating the perfect day requires careful preparation and organization. The good news is that Mama is here for you and we are very good at both of those things! Not only will our expert staff support you every step of the way, we also created this guide to help you think through the process of planning a wedding – from setting your budget, designing invitations, working with us to manage vendors and much more. Read on and we look forward to hosting you on Mama Farm.
Understanding Your Budget
How to Set a Budget
Your wedding budget is the foundation of your planning process. Determine how much you're comfortable spending and allocate funds to different aspects of your wedding, such as catering, entertainment, attire and more. Be realistic and prioritize based on what's most important to you both. We created this helpful infographic to help you think through the various pieces.
Tips for Sticking to the Budget
Staying within your budget requires clear communication and smart decision-making. Be open with the Mama Farm team about your budget so we can help you to think creatively about solutions and how to bring the various pieces together to create a perfect Big Day. We recommend that you create a spreadsheet to track expenses. Please remember to include a small budget for unexpected costs (there’s always something!). It is also important to remember to include a budget for tips to certain vendors like the wait staff, DJ and others. If you need help to understand when and where tipping is appropriate, please ask us! We can help to understand these costs and walk through any other budget related questions you may have. The bottom line is that staying on top of and mindful of your budget will ensure a stress-free planning process.
Why Mama Farm Is The Perfect Venue
Mama Farm is the perfect place to host your wedding. Our regenerative farm offers versatile and customizable layouts that can accommodate any vision or theme, from a rustic wedding venue to a fairy-tale garden. Imagine having your wedding ceremony among wildflower fields, or with sheep peacefully grazing as the backdrop to your wedding altar, or fireflies twinkling in the background as you say your vows in front of your loved ones who are surrounded by trees swaying in the ocean breeze! The possibilities are endless on Mama Farm and we love to collaborate to create unique and meaningful moments that will suit your vision and dreams.
By having your wedding at Mama Farm, you are supporting our environmentally friendly mission to conserve land, use regenerative agriculture to produce food and our animal sanctuary of heritage breed sheep, goats, chickens, turkeys and ducks. We invite our guests to explore our beautiful grounds and explore the fields and surrounding woodland trails. At Mama Farm, our main inspiration is Mother Nature. Whatever your vision, Mama Farm can help you bring it to life with Mother Nature providing the perfect backdrop to your Big Day. We invite you to explore the images on our website and review the enchanting grounds and past events for inspiration.
Creating a Guest List
How to Decide Who to Invite
Creating a guest list can be challenging. Start with close family and friends, then consider extended family and colleagues. Be prepared to make tough decisions, and remember that your guest list impacts your budget. We have had weddings on Mama Farm that were just 8 people total and weddings that were closer to 150 people, and everything in between! When we work with brides and grooms who are having a hard time narrowing down their guest list, we always recommend thinking of family first. The couple’s parents and immediate family usually need priority. After that, we suggest thinking of the people who you have had dinner with or met up with for a drink or coffee in the last 3-6 months. These people should definitely be on your list. Who are the people you text with weekly or daily that live far away? Or who are the friends/family you are sending memes to regularly to keep connected and let them know you are thinking of them? They should also be on your list. That is the foundation of your guest list as those are clearly the people you love to connect with the most. Grow the list from there to include colleagues or extended family.
Managing RSVPs
We highly recommend setting up a convenient method for guests to RSVP, such as through a wedding website or online platform. Keep track of responses to finalize your catering and seating arrangements. We like to tell people that when emailing 100 people, expect 400+ responses. Every person usually has questions or something to share. Using a platform that manages responses and RSVP’s will go a long way to keeping everything clear and minimizing correspondence that can feel difficult to keep up with and manage.
Selecting Vendors
Catering, Photography, Entertainment, and More
When it comes to throwing a party, Mama Farm only partners with the best of the best. We have preferred vendors for you to work with that can take care of your catering, drink and rental needs. We also have an extensive list of talent for you to consider including wedding photographers, musicians, deejays, florists and much more. We also have relationships with local tent companies for every budget and every desired aesthetic.
Our catering partners can execute small and large events with excellent organic food sourced from our fields and other local farms. All our catering partners have extensive menu offerings and can work with you to create the wedding menu of your dreams. These are vendors that we have tried personally, know are the best around and we trust to be excellent, professional and meticulous. Please talk with us about our preferred partners and what they can do for you to make your special day delicious and memorable. Whether you wish to have a seated multicourse meal or a food truck, we know and have excellent relationships with the best in the business and we look forward to sharing this information with you to make your Big Day a perfect one.
Designing Invitations and Stationery
Choosing a Theme and Design
Your invitations set the tone for your wedding. Choose a design that reflects your wedding style, whether it's elegant, rustic, or modern. Mama Farm can help to incorporate these design elements into your wedding such as floral design, tablescape flourishes and more.
Timing for Sending Invitations
Depending on the size of your wedding, we recommend sending out your wedding invitations 6-18 months before the big day. Consider sending save-the-date cards earlier for out-of-town guests to make travel arrangements. If you want to have a wedding hashtag, be sure to establish that as early as possible and include it on your invitations and save-the-dates. Having a wedding hashtag is a wonderful way to source more fun photos from your big day, with photos taken from friends and family and posted to sites like Instagram.
Planning the Ceremony and Reception
Selecting a Theme and Décor
Your wedding theme and décor should be a reflection of your personal style. We can help to coordinate colors, flowers and other elements to create a visually stunning atmosphere. Please check out photos on our Instagram and website for a feel of past events and weddings.
Coordinating Entertainment
Whether you opt for a live band, a DJ, or a mix of both, your choice of entertainment should align with your wedding vibe. We have connections with a wide array of talent and entertainment choices to cater to a variety of musical tastes, including international artists and music.
Creating a Timeline
Building a Wedding Timeline
Whether you are working with a Mama Farm wedding planner or your own, a well-structured timeline ensures that your wedding day runs smoothly. A timeline helps to keep everyone on the Big Day coordinated so that everything runs smoothly and your wishes and timing are clear. We recommend that you also create your own personal timeline and work backward from your wedding date to establish deadlines for tasks such as sending out invitations, dress fittings, purchasing wedding rings, and finalizing contracts with vendors. Other things to consider include finalizing seating arrangements for your wedding, thinking through the people who will be involved in your ceremony, if any (flower girls, ring bearer, bridesmaids, best man, etc), and what, if anything, is needed for those people.
Important Milestones and Deadlines
Key milestones in wedding planning include securing your wedding date with Mama Farm, securing vendors, sending invitations, securing and tailoring your wedding outfits, purchasing rings and planning the rehearsal dinner, if you are having one. Allocate time for dress fittings, hair and makeup trials, and other personal preparations. Remember that there are always hiccups along the road – this is normal and happens to everyone and for every wedding! Expect hiccups and plan for them when thinking through your timeline and you’ll remain calm in the event that something unexpected happens or something like your tailoring appointment needs to be rescheduled. When thinking through your timeline, we recommend pretending that your wedding day is 10-14 days earlier than it actually is. This will really help to build in cushion for unexpected hiccups and also ensure that you are happy and calm heading into your wedding day. No one wants to be stressed the night before or the day of their wedding! It is a day you have planned for a long time - make sure you’re taking care of yourselves too and build in time for pure enjoyment and presence with yourself, each other and your loved ones.
In this journey of planning your dream wedding, remember that each step brings you closer to a magical celebration of love and unity. While the process might feel overwhelming at times, the end result will be worth every effort you put into it. Mama Farm is here to host your magical day and to help every step of the way. We have been praised for our collaborative skills, creative thinking, humor and warmth. We love watching families and friends come together and celebrate. We know we will make your Big Day fun and also the days leading up to it. Remember to cherish the moments – including the hiccups! – and enjoy the journey toward your perfect day.
This might all feel like a lot. It is! But you're not alone in this process – Mama is here for you! Whether you're planning the wedding yourself, with your partner, or with the help of loved ones, we invite you to take advantage of our resources, advice, and support. We hope this guide has been helpful in thinking through how to plan your wedding. As you move forward, remember to embrace the excitement and joy that come with planning one of the most important days of your life. We look forward to working with you!
