Certainly, a wedding doesn’t need to be a big affair between both families in a venue and location of your choice; including decoration and entertainment matching what you’ve always dreamed. You could just go get a license at the county courthouse and be done with it. But who really wants to do that? Isn’t marriage a time to celebrate?

That was a rhetorical question: of course, it is. Marriage represents the beginning of a new chapter in the life of you, your spouse, and even your extended family—though certainly, the change in their lives is a lot less penultimate than the change in yours. Accordingly, it makes sense to bring a little pomp and circumstance to the occasion, and that takes planning.

You’re going to want to book things out at least nine months in advance—a year would be better. There are a lot of things to take into consideration, and this is especially true with larger events where there are many groomsmen, junior groomsmen, bridesmaids, junior bridesmaids, flower girls, and ring bearers.

What sort of dress code are you bringing to the table? What sort of style are you and your spouse looking for? If you’ve got a large wedding party, you’ll need to take these things into account, and it’s a lot easier when all the things you need are in one location. If you’re sourcing wardrobe from multiple providers, that gets complicated fast

Dresses, Desserts, And Entertainment

After you figure out the theme of your wedding, you’ll need to find junior bridesmaids dresses, flower girl’s dresses, traditional dresses for bridesmaids, and much more. The best services are online, so you can get the fitting just right and figure everything out from the convenience of your own home. Also, you can order everything in advance and make sure it all looks right, fits right, and is right.

Once you’ve got wardrobe style figured out, you’ll have décor to consider, catering, drinks, desserts, and entertainment. Especially if your wedding party is going to be omnigenerational, you want a little something for everyone. It’s a party—and not just a party, an occasion that’s exceptionally special for multiple attendees.

If you’ve got young ones, give them something to enjoy. Maybe you’ve got a “candy buffet” on one side of the reception area and an open bar on the other. When it comes to music and entertainment, finding a good DJ is key, and this is one of those parts of a ceremony that benefits best from booking in advance. The further out you book, the cheaper the DJ.

Activity preparation also makes sense. Junior bridesmaids are generally between the ages of eight and sixteen. They’re in an awkward age too old to be a flower girl and too young to be a bridesmaid. But you know what kids that age love? Massive inflatable bouncy equipment. These can be rented and set up right near outdoor reception areas, and in many indoor areas.

Getting The “Mix” Right

Certainly, the ceremony isn’t about your younger attendees, but you don’t want to ignore them, either. They’re another generation coming up. You want them to have a good memory of the wedding. Children have shorter attention spans and greater energy. They want to run around and explore, you need to give them outlets for this exuberance.

Weddings are important to you, and everyone around you. They’re a maturity-establishing event that turns individuals into productive members of a given community. A marriage can be the starting point of an entire people group, in the fullness of time. So take your time to plan it out fully, carefully considering everyone that’s involved.

For more great wedding tips, check out the other blogs on Cyber Parent.