Singaporebrides | Weddings 101

April 2020

The Ultimate Wedding Planning Guide Every Bride Needs For Their Happily-Ever-After

By Audrie Soh

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This is the only guide you’ll ever need for your wedding planning needs.

Wedding planning is no easy feat, especially if you are not used to organising events of such importance and with a long list of guests. With the amount of planning, organisation, logistics, budgeting and time management involved, some couples may feel overwhelmed or lost, unsure of where they should start their wedding planning.

If you’re unsure of where you should begin your wedding planning, don’t panic – we’ve got your back. Our directory of wedding essentials are categorised according to the different planning stages so you’ll know where to start your planning and which vendors to get in touch with first. We’ve also put together an ultimate step-by-step wedding planning guide you can follow, complete with a list of vendors you need at every step of the way.

1. Shopping For An Engagement Ring or Wedding Band

Every wedding planning begins with a ring, and whether you are shopping for your engagement ring together with your groom-to-be or on the search for your wedding bands, our list of jewellers, from commercial to bespoke to high-end brands, will show you the right way to the ring of your dreams.

Now, choosing an engagement ring or a pair of wedding bands is no easy feat, not even for the bride herself. Arm yourself with the know-hows of how to shop and choose a diamond for the perfect engagement ring and what you need to consider when selecting your wedding bands before making an appointment with your shortlisted jeweller.

2. Selecting An Auspicious Wedding Date

Once you’ve got the ring (and the girl), it’s time to set a date for the happiest day of your lives. Couples who are not too particular about choosing an auspicious date based on their Ba Zi (八字) – birthdays and birth times – can refer to our regularly updated auspicious wedding dates calendar to pick out a date for their wedding. For those who prefer to calculate an auspicious date based on their Ba Zi, an appointment with qualified fengshui masters is needed.

3. Getting Your Solemnisation Details Right

Now that you have a wedding date, it’s time to apply for the notice of marriage at the Registry of Marriages or online at their website. Do take note that you can only apply for the notice of marriage up to three months in advance or at least 21 days before your chosen date of solemnisation, so don’t get too excited and try to file a notice for a wedding that is more than three months down the road.

While you’re waiting for your turn, read up on everything you need to know about registering your marriage and if you are having your solemnisation outside of ROM, look through our yearly updated list of solemnisers who are still officiating weddings to find the one who will marry you.

4. Search For a Solemniser If You Are Getting Married Outside of The ROM

If you are getting married outside of the Registry of Marriage, then you’ll need to look for an officiant for your wedding. To save you the hassle of going through the long list of solemnisers on the ROM’s website or searching through forums for the most recommended solemnisers, we’ve put together a convenient and helpful list of solemnisers recommended by real-life brides so you can find the solemniser to marry you and the love of your life.

5. Select Your Wedding and Solemnisation Venues

Now that you’ve secured your wedding date and solemniser, it’s time to search for a venue for your once-in-a-lifetime celebration. Whether you prefer a grand celebration or an intimate wedding depends on your wedding vision and budget.

If you’re planning to wow your guests with an unforgettable view of the city, consider venues that offer breathtaking views of either the beautiful Singapore skyline or mesmerising waterfront. For a truly memorable wedding that withstands the passing of time, look at heritage venues in Singapore if you’re looking to wed in a place full of our sunny island’s history.

For couples who are hosting their solemnisation separately from their wedding banquet, we’ve got a list of venues perfect for every rooftop, waterfront, garden or city solemnisation that you can dream of right at your fingertips.

6. Keep Within Your Wedding Budget With Our Wedding Banquet Price List

After you’ve shortlisted your preferred wedding venues, don’t rush to make an appointment with them first. Before you meet them, check against our wedding banquet price list to see if they fall within your wedding budget. You can cross out the ones who exceed your budget to help narrow down your options. If you’re looking for more intimate venues, we’ve got an alternative wedding venues price list you can refer to as well.

Do note that these prices are accurate at the timing of publication and are updated regularly. However, it is best to check with the venue that you’ve shortlisted on their most current and updated rates for your wedding date.

7. Search For Your Dream Wedding Dress

For most brides, shopping for the perfect outfit for your wedding day is possibly the most exciting and stressful item on your wedding to-do list. You’ve dreamt of the perfect wedding dress for the longest time, and it’s finally time to get out there and get your hands on it. But before that, browse through this list of amazing bridal boutiques, complete with photos of the gowns they carry, to speed up your search by shortlisting the boutiques you’d like to visit from the comfort of your home. Check out our Lookbook of wedding dresses to see more selections of gowns from selected boutiques before you make an appointment with any of them.

If you’re unsure of what type of wedding gown you’d like to wear down the aisle, sneak a peek at our wedding gown trend report for the year to help you decide on the trendiest wedding gown for your happily-ever-after.

8. Suit Up With These Bespoke and Made-to-Measure Men’s Suit Tailors

Don’t forget about your man! Help him suit up for the most important day of his life with these list of men’s tailors in Singapore who offer bespoke and made-to-measure outfits to complement your dream wedding gown for a gorgeous happily-ever-after. Need some men’s outfit inspiration? Learn how to suit your man up with our simple and easy-to-follow guide.

9. Find The Right Wedding Photographer For Your Needs

Your wedding only happens once in a lifetime, so make sure you capture all the beautiful, heart-warming moments of your happy day so you can relive it whenever you want to through your wedding photographs!

Before you hurry off and make any appointments, it’s best to figure out what kind of style and mood you want for your pre-wedding session or wedding day photography. Then, look through this comprehensive list of wedding photographers to see their works, rates and contact details. If someone’s creative work speaks to you, contact the photographer and have a chat to see if you click and if they are available on your wedding date.

10. Capture The Beautiful Moments With A Wedding Videographer

Like your wedding photographs, your wedding video serves as a great way for you to relive each and every happy, beautiful and heart-warming moment from the best day of your life. In fact, some intimate moments and emotions are best replayed on video than captured in photographs.

Like choosing a wedding photographer, choosing a videographer is all about what style of video you are looking for, your budget, and whether you can click with the videographer or not. Go through our helpful list of wedding videographers, complete with links to their portfolio, rates and contact details, and shortlist the ones you’d like to meet up with to help you narrow down on the videographer for your big day.

11. Leave Your Wedding In The Hands of Professional Wedding Planners and Stylists

With brides-to-be leading busy lives today, planning and styling a wedding is no easy feat. Between countless wedding tasks and your job, you are barely left with any time to relax and enjoy the process of being a bride-to-be and your actual wedding day. If you have the budget for it, why not leave the planning, styling and coordinating to professional wedding planners and stylists, so you can take some load off you and enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime journey of being a bride.

Whether you need help designing your wedding or full wedding planning services that include styling and the coordination of your wedding day, you’ll find what you need from our list of wedding planners and stylists, complete with photos of their works, the services they provide, their rates and contact details.

12. Look Your Best With These Wedding Makeup and Hair Artists

Complete your bridal look with a soft, romantic updo and a sweet, natural makeover or sexy, tousled hair and a bold eye and lip look with our list of some of the most sought after wedding makeup and hair artists in Singapore. To make it easier for you, this list includes their most updated starting rates for the services they offer, including solemnisation, pre-wedding photography and wedding day makeup and hair, their works and contact details.

13. Search For The Perfect Blooms With These Wedding Florists

Whether you are planning a minimalist, green wedding or an English, summer garden party, flowers are a must. Once you’ve settled the top 10 items on your to-do list, finding a florist for your floral needs should be next on your list. From wild, organic arrangements to bright, summery blooms, our list of Singapore’s most creative and modern wedding florists is what you’ll need to find the one who’ll craft the most beautiful arrangements and pick the sweetest blooms for your wedding. You’ll also find their starting rates for a variety of products, such as bridal bouquets, bridesmaids posies and other wedding must-haves, but do speak to them about what you’re looking for so they can give you an accurate quote!

14. Personalise Your Wedding With Bespoke Wedding Stationery

With the trend of personalised weddings on the rise, more couples are looking to customise their wedding paper goods instead of opting for run-of-the-mill designs for their wedding invitations and the like. As your guests’ first impression of your wedding, your wedding invitations offer a glimpse of what your big day would be like. So, browse through our list of wedding stationers and shortlist the ones you feel represent the style and mood you’re going for before you contact them to discuss their work, rates and availability.

15. Celebrate Your Once-in-a-Lifetime With a Customised Wedding Cake

What is a celebration without a cake? And for such a momentous celebration like your wedding, a cake – a special one, is a must! Even better yet, sweeten the day with a gorgeous and yummy dessert table so your guests can enjoy as well. Whether you are looking for a minimalist one-tier cake or a lavish three-tier confection decked out in elegant fondant flowers, these bespoke wedding bakers will bring your dream wedding cake to life.

16. Dress Your Bridal Party Up

Make sure the girls in your bridal party are as dressed up for the celebration as you are without burning a hole in your pocket with these online shops for affordable bridesmaids’ dresses. Not sure how to dress your man’s groomsmen up? Let our guide on trendy groomsmen’s dress trends help you suit the guys up in a fashionable manner.

17. Look No Further Than These Wedding Caterers For Your Dining Needs

Whether you are looking for a simple catering service for your tea ceremony reception or a one-stop wedding caterer for an off-site wedding banquet, you’ll find what you need from our list of wedding caterers in Singapore, including Halal and non-Halal operators.

18. Bless Your Wedding With These Traditions

Chinese weddings are rife with meaningful traditions meant to bless the newlyweds and their marriage with happiness, longevity, abundance and offsprings, and many couples choose to include them into their weddings as a form of blessing for their union. Some of the traditions that are still commonly carried out are the Guo Da Li, hair combing and tea ceremonies.

19. Choose Between A Local or Overseas Location For Your Pre-Wedding Shoot

Now that you’ve gotten most of your wedding day essentials settled, it’s time to think about your pre-wedding photoshoot. Usually done about two to three months, or more, before the wedding day, your pre-wedding photoshoot is a great opportunity for you to make memories with your beloved and relax amidst the wedding planning stress. You can return to a place that means a lot to you as a couple, or you can take your pick from our list of popular overseas and local pre-wedding photoshoot locations.

20. Bid Farewell to Singlehood With These Fun Activities

If late-night partying and a whole lot of alcohol isn’t your idea of bidding farewell to your days of being a single, then check out our list of fun and girly hen’s night ideas that doesn’t involve aching feet and a hangover!

21. Dress The Little Ones Up For The Walk Down The Aisle

Bridesmaids’ outfits, check. Groomsmen’s outfits, check. Flowergirl and pageboy outfits? Uh-oh. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

To help you dress the little cuties who will walk down the aisle with you on your big day, we’ve compiled some outfit inspirations and a list of shops where you can find these outfits in Singapore, so all you have to do is zoom in on your favourite or preferred shop to source for the outfits.

22. Wedding Entertainment That Your Guests Will Enjoy

Photobooths are a great way to keep your guests entertained before and during your wedding celebration as they have fun navigating through different props and backgrounds to create photos that they’ll treasure for life. Or, if you want something more interactive and pro-active, you can consider engaging a live photographer who’ll go round capturing photos of your guests during your celebration, projects the shots on screen and print out instant momentos for them to take home. Whichever you prefer, you can find what you need from our list of instant print providers.

23. Complete Your Wedding With A Sweet Ride From These Car Rentals

While most couples tend to borrow a car from a relative or friend as their wedding ride, more couples are starting to be selective of the type of car used for their big day as they see it as an opportunity to let their personalities or wedding theme shine. If that describes you, then our list of places you can rent a car for your wedding, be it sporty, vintage or a luxurious car, will come in handy.

24. Let The After Party Begin

The after-party is when you can finally let your hair down and continue the joyous celebrations with your gang as your party late into the night. Whether you’re looking for a dance floor or a place with a more relaxing vibe, these hip wedding after-party venues in Singapore have got you covered.

Feature Image from Janice and Glenn’s Stunning Pre-Wedding Shoot in Cappadocia, Turkey by The White Grandeur.

All content from this article, including images, cannot be reproduced without credits or written permission from SingaporeBrides.

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