So, you popped the question, and she said “Yes”. That is fantastic. Now all you have to do is to plan your wedding.
When we say “all you have to do” that is a bit of an understatement because planning a wedding is a major undertaking. After all, it is going to be the most important day of your life, so everything has to be perfect, including mandap decoration, your wedding stage, the Mendhi stage for the bride, the wedding venue décor, your wedding table centrepieces, and more. There is a lot to do.
There is also the guest list, and that, on its’ own can be a real problem because unless you are going to invite everyone you know, you have to decide who to invite, and possibly more important, who not to invite. After all, with most venues there is a limit to the number of people that they can cater for, and for most couples there is a limit to the budget as well.
Another big consideration is the wedding photographer. You only get one chance to have photographs of your special day, so you need a photographer upon whom you can rely and who will produce those special memories that you will be able to look back on for years to come. So, while uncle Bakhshi may be a dab hand with taking snapshots, you really do need a professional.
In fact, many people would argue that you really need two wedding photographers, and that is actually the best option. The simple fact is that a wedding photographer cannot be in two places at once. So, if your photographer is taking formal pictures of bride and groom and their families in the garden, he cannot be taking candid shots, and will miss out on your sister Maryam when she tripped and spilled her drink all over your brother’s best suit.
When booking your photographer/s the first question to ask is if they have your date available. You might think that is obvious, but the fact is that wedding photographers can get booked up as much as 18 months in advance, and it could be just your luck that your wedding date is already booked by someone else.
You also need a professional with at least a couple of years’ experience and who understands how to capture all the important shots such as speeches, first dance, cake cutting, and so on, and not someone who just does the odd weddings at the weekend.