How do I start my wedding planning?

“I’m starting to plan our wedding but where do I actually start? HELP!”

How do I start my wedding planning? Start by choosing the feeling you want first, then lock in the four big foundations: guest count, budget, date/season, and venue. Once those are clear, booking your key suppliers becomes easy – and your whole day will feel calmer (and photograph beautifully).

We’re Marta May Photography – also known as The Mays (Marta + Artur). You might recognise us from TWIA – we won in 2023 as “The Mays” and we’re now TWIA judges. We’ve photographed 500+ weddings, and this is the simplest way to begin without getting overwhelmed.

Last updated: February 2026

Before you book anything: pick your wedding priorities

How do I start my wedding planning without getting overwhelmed? Start by choosing your priorities first. Otherwise, every decision feels urgent, everything feels expensive, and you end up planning a wedding for “Pinterest people” instead of… you. If you do just one thing this week, do this:

• Question 1: What do we want it to feel like?
  Calm and intimate? Big and loud? Elegant and timeless? Wild and joy-filled?
  Pick 3 words. Those words become your filter for everything.

• Question 2: What do we want to spend money on for maximum joy? Also: SEE OUR BUDGET GUIDE
  Choose your top 3 “this matters to us” priorities. For example:
  Amazing food, a proper party, a stunning venue, live music, meaningful ceremony, or photography that tells the whole story.
  Once you’ve chosen your top 3, you can stop spending money on the “nice-but-not-us” stuff.

• Question 3: What’s non-negotiable, and what’s flexible?
  Non-negotiable might be: “summer”, “outdoors”, “church ceremony”, “a band”, “no awkward posing”, “time with our people”.
  Flexible might be: exact date, colours, favours, fancy extras.

A simple rule that saves your sanity:
If a decision supports your top 3 priorities, it’s a “yes”.
If it doesn’t, it’s a “not now” (or a “no”) – and that is how calm weddings get planned.

The Mays tip (because we’ve seen this a lot):
Your priorities also protect your photos. When couples plan for comfort and connection (not performance), the day runs smoother,and the moments look more real.

How would you like to FEEL on your wedding day?

Wedding planning can be a total whirlwind. As wedding paparazzi, we’ve witnessed some seriously mind-blowing moments! Just the other day, we spilled the beans on this mind-boggling tented extravaganza featuring oysters galore and a gin-filled bathtub. And let’s not forget the bride’s jaw-dropping blue gown. Her dream for the day in her own words was: “Colourful. Fun. Vibrant. Over the top!”

Your first 7-day wedding planning plan (so you feel progress immediately)

If you’re wondering how to start wedding planning and actually feel like you’ve moved forward, this is the simplest one-week plan we’ve seen work (again and again). It’s not about doing everything – it’s about doing the few things that unlock all the other decisions.

• Day 1: Pick your vibe + your top 3 priorities
  Choose your 3 words (how you want it to feel) and your top 3 “this matters most” priorities. That’s your filter for the entire year of planning.

• Day 2: Draft your guest count (rough is fine)
  Make two lists: “must have” and “love to have”.
  You’re not committing to anything yet – you’re just finding your likely number (because it controls venue size, budget, and the flow of the day).

• Day 3: Set a budget range you can live with. Also: SEE OUR BUDGET GUIDE
  Pick a range that feels realistic, not stressful.
  Then agree a simple split: what gets the biggest share (usually venue/food, photography, music). Keep a small buffer for the boring extras that always appear.

• Day 4: Shortlist 8–12 venues
  Shortlist by vibe + logistics. If you can, include venues with a genuinely good Plan B indoors (future you will thank you).
  Then check availability and pricing so you’re not falling in love with something that doesn’t fit.

• Day 5: Visit (or properly research) your top 3 venues
  Look beyond the pretty bits. Ask about: wet-weather options, ceremony flow, where people mingle, where the party happens. The best weddings aren’t just beautiful – they’re easy for guests.

• Day 6: Build a shortlist of your “big impact” suppliers
  These are the suppliers that shape the whole vibe and also book up early:
  Photography (and film if you want it), venue/food, music (band/DJ), and sometimes celebrant.
  Make a shortlist of 3–5 for each, and save full galleries/videos, not just highlights.

• Day 7: Book your venue, then book your key suppliers
  Once the venue and date are secure, your planning becomes 10x easier.
  Then book the suppliers that matter most to you (especially the ones you’d be genuinely gutted to miss out on).

The Mays tip (DOCU-ART edition):
If you want wedding photos that feel real, plan for comfort and time pockets. The best moments don’t happen when you’re rushing from one thing to the next – they happen when you’re present.

Plan A/B/C for rain (do this once, then stop worrying)

Rain is one of the earliest wedding planning fears – and honestly, the easiest one to solve. The secret is to plan it once, properly, and then move on with your life.

Plan A: Your dream plan (best-case weather)
This is your original vision: outdoor ceremony, outdoor drinks, golden light portraits, confetti in the courtyard. Lovely.

Plan B: The “still gorgeous” plan (light rain / mixed weather)
This is the plan that saves most weddings. Examples:

• Ceremony inside, drinks outside with umbrellas
• Confetti under an overhang / doorway / tree-lined path
• Couple portraits in short bursts (5 minutes here, 5 minutes there)
• Guests stay comfortable, the vibe stays high

Plan C: The “we’re not letting weather steal our joy” plan (heavy rain)
This is where a good venue and a calm plan make the day feel effortless. Examples:

• A bright indoor ceremony space
• Group photos in a clean, well-lit area
• Portraits in one strong indoor spot (and one quick outdoor dash if it’s safe)
• You focus on people, not the forecast

How to make your rain plan actually work

• Choose one indoor space you genuinely like for photos (ask your venue where couples normally do this)
• Decide where confetti would happen if it’s wet
• Decide where groups would happen if it’s wet
• Put a small “umbrella plan” in place (clear brollies look great and don’t block faces)

And then… stop checking the weather. You can’t control it, but you can control how prepared you feel.

Want proper reassurance (with real examples)? Read next: our rainy wedding photo guides.

What to book first (and why photography is earlier than people think)

Once your venue and date are booked, the next question is usually: “What do we book next?” Here’s the honest answer: book the suppliers that shape the feel of the day – and the ones with limited availability.

Start with your “big impact” bookings. These are the suppliers that can’t be swapped last minute without changing the whole vibe:

1. Photography (and film, if you want it)
   Your photographer doesn’t just “take photos”. They’re with you more than almost anyone else on the day, guiding the flow, calming the nerves, and catching the real moments you don’t even realise are happening. If you love a specific style (documentary, cinematic, DOCU-ART), book early – because the people who do it well book up fast.
2. Music (band/DJ)
   Music changes the atmosphere instantly. If you want a packed dance floor and that “everyone’s in it together” energy, book your music early.
3. Celebrant (if you’re not doing a registrar-led ceremony)
   A brilliant celebrant can turn a ceremony into the emotional heart of the day, not just “the bit you get through”.
4. Hair & makeup
   Good artists get booked very early, especially in peak season. Plus, great hair and makeup helps you feel like yourself – just a little more powerful.
5. Florals/styling (if it’s a priority for you)
   If flowers and styling are one of your top 3 priorities, book them once the venue is set so everything can be designed around the space.

Why photography often needs to be booked earlier than people expect
Couples often leave photography until “later” because it feels like something you can sort once the big stuff is done. But if photos matter to you (and if you’re here, they probably do), you’ll have a much better experience when you choose your photographer before the calendar fills up.

Also, photography affects your timeline. A good photographer will help you build a day that runs smoothly, leaves breathing room, and protects the best light – without turning your wedding into a staged photoshoot.

If you want a simple checklist for comparing photographers, start here: 10 TIPS FOR BOOKING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER.

Want the whole wedding-day photo plan?

This post is part of our Wedding Day Photo Plan series – designed to help you plan a wedding day that feels calm, joyful, and beautifully “you”. If you want the full day, step-by-step (from getting ready all the way to dance floor chaos), start here: WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS FOR COUPLES.

Scroll down to download your wedding planning guide!

Calling all lovebirds deep in the wedding planning trenches! If you’re on the hunt for more answers to satisfy your wedding curiosity, then this guide is just the ticket!

• How and when to have the most epic photos. What the heck is a golden hour anyway? And what’s the deal with the blue hour?
• We’ve got some helpful tips for your wedding morning and ceremony.
• There are things you can control to make your pictures pop, but we’ll also spill the beans on the stuff you can’t control. Just enjoy the day!
• Let’s talk about the best confetti choices and why we’re obsessed with white and bright confetti.
• Oh, and let’s not forget the dreaded group pictures. How can we capture those without dying of boredom?
• And hey, shall we get fancy with sparklers, fireworks, smoke bombs, and other jaw-dropping surprises or not?
• Your love stories are what make your wedding day totally one-of-a-kind.
• And speaking of unique, how about a super creative film to capture all the magic?
• And finally, let’s dive into the world of professional, top-quality wedding albums.

Need more inspiration?

No problem, here are some more useful links, enjoy:

• 5 benefits to having a pre-wedding shoot.
• 10 tips for booking your wedding photographer.
• Rainy wedding day? Don’t worry!
• Unforgettable marquee and tipi weddings.
• More wedding inspiration.
• The Ultimate Guide to Top 100+ wedding venues in Herefordshire and The Cotswolds

Connect with us

We absolutely adore capturing our couples’ big days, those priceless moments and one-of-a-kind tales. Reach out to us, let’s have a little chit-chat about your wedding shenanigans. We are dying to hear from you!