Weddings can get complicated, fast. If you’re planning to do much of the organising and planning yourself, it pays to start putting together vital items as soon as possible. Labelling, boxing, storing and sorting all make lighter work of what can seem like a logistical tangle.

Start Early, Get Organised

Decide on a holding place for all the things on your list, and figure out how much space you’ll need. If you only want somewhere to store tablecloths, for instance, you won’t need as much space as you will if you’re also storing tables and chairs or disco equipment and lighting.

Once you have a rough idea how much storage space you want, decide on the location. Self storage units can help, either to keep wedding accessories and furnishings safe, or alternatively to store furnishings and items from home if you want to temporarily clear a room you can use for wedding preparations.

You can cut down on the amount of space needed for certain items such as tables and chairs (if you’re providing these yourself) by choosing folding items if those would fit into the look you want.

Another consideration when storing larger items is transport. Wherever you keep them, bear in mind you’ll likely need easy access for larger vehicles.

Wedding and Bridesmaid Dress Storage

Finding the perfect dress may be quite a long process, and one that starts months in advance of the ceremony. Once you find the perfect dress, you’ll want to snap it up straight away rather than wait and risk missing it. Make sure it’s as fresh and gorgeous as the day you carried it home with these tips:

• Use an acid-free or PH-neutral box or garment cover to protect it from dust and sunlight. Sunlight can fade garments (or make whites look yellow) in a very short space of time and you may not notice until you open out any folds.
• Take care not to crush or store the dress in any way that will crease the fabric.
• Add a couple of silica gel packets to however you’re storing the dress to protect it from mildew.

After the big day, you might want to store your wedding dress for years to come, and these same tips will help protect it for future enjoyment. Get the dress professionally cleaned before putting it into long-term storage, then take special care when packing to avoid creasing as this can weaken the fabric over time. Check on it occasionally to make sure it’s staying in good condition.

Marquees and Pop-Up Bars

You can take two different approaches to outdoor weddings. The first is to hire everything you need and rely on the hire company getting everything right on the day. The second is to take control of some aspects yourself, and this is a popular option especially if you want to customise or personalise some features.

Furnishings, linens (both functional and decorative) or bunting and artificial floral arrangements can all be chosen and stored ahead of time.

Store smaller items in sturdy, transparent boxes. Not only can you see what’s inside at a glance, they’re easy to stack and transport to the venue. Include:

• Artificial flowers you’ll be using, or finished table centre-pieces.
• Glasses, separated into various types for different drinks, individually wrapped or packed to avoid breakages.
• Bunting, streamers or other marquee decorations.
• Lights, candles and holders, flatware and plates or platters.

If you’re using a sound system for speeches or music, make sure you have all the cables and equipment you’ll need. It helps to wrap differently coloured tape around cables and the device they fit to make assembling the system quicker (and to help you avoid forgetting a cable).

Having a designated storage area for wedding accessories and furnishings helps with the planning, as you have a visual picture of progress and can see what still needs doing. Keeping everything together in one place reduces stress, and makes forgetting something less likely.