Since you were a little girl, you’ve had a vision of your perfect wedding day. Now you’re engaged and well on you way making your dream wedding a reality. If only it were that easy! Planning the perfect wedding in Williamsburg, Virginia requires a great deal of time, patience, organization, and money. With the help of our guidelines below, you’ll be able to plan and make your Williamsburg wedding a once-in-a-lifetime experience!
Planning the Perfect Williamsburg Wedding
Getting Started
When you start planning your wedding, you have to decide on the basics up front. What type of weeding have you dreamed about?
- Wedding Size: Are you thinking about a large celebration with well over 200 people including family, friends, co-workers, and a large party? Or are you perhaps wanting a more intimate ceremony with just immediate family and a few close friends?
- Wedding Style: Choose between traditional, Victorian, or modern wedding styles. The style of wedding you choose will help you decide if you want an indoor, church, or outdoor wedding.
- Wedding Ceremony: Will your ceremony be a civil ceremony or a religious ceremony?
- Wedding Cost: At the outset of planning your wedding, you and your fiance need to set a budget and stick to it! Wedding costs can quickly skyrocket, so it is important to have a budget in place.
As you are planning these initial steps, be sure to also talk with family and friends to determine how involved they will be with the planning process. During this time it is also a good idea to plan visits to different churches, chapels, and Williamsburg wedding venues to help determine what it may cost to have you wedding hosted at your preferred location.
Choosing a Wedding Style
This is truly where the fun begins in planning your Williamsburg wedding! Your wedding style or theme is only limited by your dreams and imagination, meaning the possibilities are endless! Let’s say you’ve chosen The Maine of Williamsburg as your wedding venue. Our venue is versatile enough that you can choose to have an indoor wedding, an outdoor wedding, an extravagant or casual wedding.
Theme weddings are en vogue these days. Many theme weddings range from holidays to locations to even historical time periods. As you’ve chosen Williamsburg, VA as your wedding destination, you’re likely familiar with the history associated with our city, making your wedding the perfect opportunity for a Colonial themed wedding!
Williamsburg also makes for the perfect destination wedding location! If you have friends and family all over the country, a destination wedding is the perfect solution to turn a wedding day into a wedding week that everybody will remember!
Determining a Wedding Budget
Arguably the most important step in wedding planning, setting (and sticking to!) a budget will help you decide on what you can do with your wedding. Once you have an idea on what the costs are for the type of wedding you plan to have, you can determine a budget. Here is a typical budget guideline outlining wedding costs, sit-down dinner buffet and reception:
- 50% Reception
- 15% Photography
- 10% Flowers
- 10% Wedding Attire
- 5% Music/Band/DJ
- 4% Stationary/Save-the-Dates/Invitations/Thank-Yous
- 6% Miscellaneous (rings, rehearsal dinner, limo, etc.)
Obviously, depending upon the type of wedding you plan on having will see the budget breakdown change. A helpful tip when deciding on a budget is to determine which items are of most important to you; i.e. photography and videography will memorialize your special day forever, so don’t be afraid to splurge on that!
Picking a Williamsburg Wedding Venue
After you determine you wedding style, theme, and budget, you’re not on the road to picking out your Williamsburg wedding venue. Some factors to consider when choosing the perfect wedding venue in Williamsburg include:
- Cost
- Ease of Access
- Guest Capacity
- Availability
- Amenities
Prior to choosing where you’ll be saying your “I do’s” you need to set a date to ensure that when you find the best Williamsburg wedding venue, you’ll be able to reserve it right away. Many wedding venues in Williamsburg and surrounding areas do require a deposit, so be prepared to have cash on hand or in your checking account to be able to put that deposit down and reserve your spot!
Catering and Selecting a Menu
Another important choice in planning your wedding day is deciding upon what you will serve you guests. The choices are seemingly endless! Obviously, some choices can be narrowed down based on the number of guests, how many your location can accommodate, the caterer, and what type of dinner you choose to serve. From a formal, sit-down dinner to a buffet style, you’ll be inundated with possibilities.
Fortunately for you, The Maine of Williamsburg has an expansive list of preferred wedding caterers and vendors in Williamsburg with whom we’ve partnered to provide you the best quality and price. Our caterers can handle any size dinner and are experts in preparing whatever kind of food you prefer!
Let Us Plan Your Dream Williamsburg Wedding Together
Our guide above only scratches the surface on some of the decisions to be made when planning your wedding in Williamsburg. Luckily for you, we at The Maine of Williamsburg have over 60 years experience in wedding and even planning. We will partner with you and help reduce the stress and difficult decisions along the way.
The Maine of Williamsburg can host your wedding or event. Contact us today to schedule an appointment to see how we can assist you in creating the perfect event for you and your guests. We look forward to making your wedding day one for the ages!