Planning

PlanningPlanning For Real! What better way to explore the world of wedding planning than with a couple who are doing it right now? Meet Olympic swimmer Hannah Miley who'll marry husband-to-be Euan Duff in Aberdeenshire in August. After meeting at a university sporting event, Euan surprised Hannah with an expertly arranged Edinburgh Zoo proposal where an unsuspecting panda was their only audience!

“We’ve had quite a long engagement (it’ll be five years before we get married) as my career in sport took priority and we wanted to save up as much as we could. Our priority was to buy our first house together and whatever money was left would be our wedding budget. By new year 2021/22 we had our house and I’d officially retired as an elite athlete, so we had the time to dedicate to wedding planning. The first thing we did was set a budget and prioritise. And top of the list was the venue. We knew this would probably be the most expensive part of the wedding so we wanted to find the perfect place. We spotted Schivas Steading in Grampian Wedding Directory, went to have a look and fell in love – not just with the venue, but with the event manager, Nicola, too!

Another key priority was having our dog, Poppy, as the ring bearer and thankfully, Schivas Steading is very dog-friendly! Poppy won Scotland’s Best Dog competition on BBC last year and has been a huge part of keeping us sane through the pandemic. She brings so much joy to our lives and having her come down the aisle will bring our little family together. We’ve already chosen our theme and it’s based around the pretty, versatile and costeffective eucalyptus plant. Colour-wise, we’ll tie in soft sage green and blush pink with splashes of navy. We didn’t want a heavy sporting theme but as it’s what brought us together and it’s still an important part of our lives, there’ll be a very subtle sporting hint within the invitations and table names.

Our gift list will be a bit different from the norm. We have the essential house things already but would love to renovate and put our own stamp on the property.

Handy Cut-out Planning Guide

12 months (or more):

Decide date, budget & guest list Decide & book ceremony/celebrant Choose & book venue Get wedding insurance

9-12 months

Send out Save the Date cards Choose bridesmaids, best man, ushers Book photographer & videographer Book caterers & decide menu Organise transport Book DJ/band Start looking at wedding dresses

6-9 months

Shop for & order wedding dress Buy shoes, underwear, accessories Book hair & make-up Choose & book florist/cake Book extra entertainment Order/make wedding favours

3-6 months:

Buy wedding rings Groomswear & bridesmaids dresses Book wedding night accommodation Book honeymoon Agree order of service, readings & hymns with vicar/registrar Write vows Set up gift list

0-3 months:

Send out invitations Have dress fittings & wear in shoes Buy gifts for bridal party Write speeches and thank yous Have a hair & make-up trial

Final week:

Confirm numbers with venue & caterers Confirm all timings with suppliers Brief bridesmaids, ushers & best man Pay final balances Collect groomswear & wedding dress Have a manicure & pedicure So, we’ve set up a house improvement fund – instead of buying a gift, guests can contribute towards making our house a home. The best part about wedding planning has been going to exhibitions to see all the options available. I love looking to see what ideas there are and what local businesses do.

The hardest part has been the guest list because although we wanted as many people celebrating with us as possible, we had to limit it to stick to our budget. Figuring out who would be day guests and who’d be evening-only has been tricky as we didn’t want anyone to feel downgraded. So, we decided family-only for day guests. Evening guests can still come to the ceremony, but the wedding breakfast will be just for our family. It seems to have gone down well with our friends – they’ll see us say: “I do” and celebrate with us, head off to check into accommodation then return to dance the night away! On that note, my main piece of advice would be not to feel pressured into pleasing everyone – do what makes the two of you happy. We found talking about our priorities for the day helped us manage the planning. Also, you can still have the perfect day while keeping to a budget – by using Pinterest and ‘borrowing’ skills from friends, you can personalise your day without it costing a small fortune.” ♥

A little fun while you plan

Take a break from planning and indulge yourself with a hen or stag party – or a joint get-together. A ‘sten do’ is a combined stag and hen do – and it’s a phrase that’s seen a 9900% rise in Google searches! Whether bride and bride, groom and groom or bride and groom, couples are choosing to celebrate together to cater for shared friendship groups, keep budgets down and introduce friends who’d never have met before the big day. Top tip: Murder mystery events are super-popular right now!