3 Simple Things to Start Wedding Planning!

By: Auckland Wedding Photographer - Danni Yu

Congratulations on your engagement! 🎉 So, what comes next? Does the thought of wedding planning feel overwhelming? You might have heard that couples often take over a year to plan their big day—what if you want to get married sooner?

In today’s blog, we’ll help you burst that stressful wedding planning bubble and give you a quick head start! Here are the 3 essential things you need to consider for your wedding:

1. What’s the style of wedding I want?

2. What size will the celebration be?

3. What’s my budget? (Or what's the average budget?)
   

   

   
   

#1: What’s the style of wedding I want?

Take a deep breath, close your eyes, and imagine your dream wedding. What do you see? Is it set in a beautiful forest, a floral garden, by the water, or maybe a vintage venue? What colours come to mind? What kind of atmosphere do you feel? This vision will guide your choices, starting with picking a venue or location that aligns with your style. Whether you're after a classic or a more intimate wedding, your style will help you narrow down options.

Create a wedding mood board to capture all those vibes and ideas—it’s a great starting point, and one step closer to choosing your perfect venue. As an Auckland Wedding Photographer, I’ve captured a variety of wedding styles, and I’d love to help you document your vision!

#2: What size will the celebration be?

Size matters in two ways: guest list and the length of the event. A typical wedding day usually hosts 50-150 guests, but in recent years, intimate weddings have become increasingly popular—especially post-pandemic. These are often smaller celebrations with less than 50 guests, focusing on close friends and family.

Consider how long you’d like your wedding to last. A classic wedding day can range from 5 to 10 hours, including prep time. For intimate weddings, elopements, or pop-up weddings, they typically take less than 5 hours, often around 3 to 4 hours. Also, think about how long you’d like photography and videography coverage for—this will help guide your next steps.

#3: What’s my budget?

If you're unsure about your budget, here’s a starting point: A survey of 15,000 New Zealand couples found that the average wedding budget is around $22,524, with an average guest list of 89 people. This works out to roughly $253 per person (excluding large purchases like your dress and jewellery).

So, if you’re planning an intimate wedding with 40 guests, your estimated spend would be around $10,000. It’s always wise to add a 10-15% buffer to your budget to account for any last-minute surprises!

What’s the next step?

There are so many details to think about when planning your wedding, and typically, couples start by finding a venue that matches their vision. A quick Google search for "Wedding Venues + Location" will give you lots of options. But if you’d rather save time and energy (and your brain cells!), come visit us at Phoenix Weddings—we can help streamline the process with more advanced search options!

We also have a full wedding team ready to help with everything, from makeup artists and celebrants to Auckland Wedding Photographers, videographers, caterers, and more. Plus, when you visit, you’ll enjoy complimentary drinks and treats!

Ready to get started? 

Send us a message, and let’s make your dream wedding a reality!

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