*Wedding dress designer Charlotte Balbier has been at the forefront of the British bridal industry for over a decade - and she's one of the youngest bridal entrepreneurs in the UK. *
*But, despite being a key figure in the industry, things are about to get even more exciting for Charlotte. Because, in less than two weeks time, the savvy designer will be saying ‘I do’ herself at her own wedding! *
Charlotte's spent the last 2 years planning the perfect wedding - and now she's shared her top 10 tips with Closer readers.
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Budget
Set a budget, sit down and set a budget and always have a ‘just in case’ money stash as in my experience weddings always go over budget!
2. Venue
Book your venue, this is the 1st thing you should do. All the best venue’s get booked up early in advance, as well as this the venue sets the tone and style of your wedding.
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Photography
Book the best photographer you can with your budget; allocate a good percentage to this as good photographers are expensive but worth every single penny. Your photographs are the one lasting memory you will have to keep forever.
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Wedding dress
The dress! Do this early in your wedding planning, as without the dress you can’t move onto all the other details of your wedding like flowers and cake and the general styling and overall look. Also keep in mind gowns are made to order so can take up to 6 months for production and alterations.
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Insurance
Get yourself the best wedding insurance. This way you are protected against the unexpected happening.
6. Expert opinions
Call in the experts. Do your research and find the best suppliers and book them as early as possible. A key florist/venue stylist is a must.
SEE: THE BEST CELEBRITY WEDDING DRESSES UNVEILED
7. Wedding planners
Get a wedding planner, I made the mistake of only having a wedding planner who will coordinate on the day, the amazing Charley London Bride. If I could have my time over I would have Charley on board right from the beginning of the wedding prep and planning. Learn from my mistakes and get one of your own, stat!
READ: 30 MONEY SAVING TIPS FOR A DREAM WEDDING ON A BUDGET
8. Special touches
Don’t forget all your special touches, all the finer details are what personalise your wedding to you, your partner, your personality’s and style. This can be from favours, stationary, décor, entertainment, accessories, the list is endless and you can personalise all this and make it really special.
9. Focus!
Keep focused and be organised. These are key to keeping calm and on all the planning on track.
10. Enjoy!
I know first-hand wedding planning is stressful and you can easily lose focus on why you are getting married when you start obsessing over favours, cakes, table plans etc. If you’re not careful you can go into bridal meltdown (I know I did) and it can all become a bit too much to handle. Take a deep breath, re-gain focus and enjoy as this is a special time for you, your partner, family and friends.
Which of Charlotte Balbier's tips do you think is the most important? Do you have any of your own to add?
Let us know via the Comments Box below or tweet us over at @CloserOnline now.