If you’re newly engaged and wondering how to get started with the actual planning of a wedding, you’ve come to the right place.
Wedding planning can feel like overwhelming territory, but that’s likely just because you have never done it before. Even if you’ve attended several weddings in the past, planning yours has its own intricacies and stressful aspects. In this blog post, I’ll show you the importance of starting the planning process early. I’ll also provide tips on organization, creativity, and how attention to detail really matters.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN, I highly recommend this wedding planning book/organizer. I’ve tried many different types of books through the years, and it’s my go-to and the only one I recommend to our couples. It’ll keep you on track and organized.
Okay, let’s get started:
First up, budget. I know, I know, not the most exciting thing in the world – but it’s better to get it tackled first! :)
1. Setting a Budget
Since the amount of money you’re able to spend will determine everything about your wedding, it’s important to determine a budget early on. It will also dictate how many guests you invite, where, and how the entire day will unfold.
Your budget will help you identify:
• Who is invited
• What kind of wedding you’ll plan
• When it will be held: peak season or off-season?
• Where to host the event
► BUDGET PLANNER: Use this budget breakdown calculator to figure out exactly how to allocate the budget.
CLICK HERE to start planning your budget.
2. Guest List.
Next, you’ll need to figure out the guest list.
Don’t wait on this one: it is a crucial place to start planning your wedding immediately after the budget is set. You’ll want an estimate of how many guests you’d like to reasonably have at the wedding, based on how much is in your budget and how large your families are — as well as what you envision. Do you picture a big celebration or a low-key wedding? Discuss this together and make a guest list you can stick to.
Don’t forget the plus-ones, as well as guests your parents wish to include, if your budget allows some wiggle room.
► REQUIRED READING: How to Make a Guest List
3. Choosing a Date and Venue
Next, you’re going to pick one priority item. This is where you need to compromise a bit: what is most important to you? What is most important to your partner? Discuss the factors to consider when selecting a date, such as the season you prefer or the time of year that works best with your work schedules.
In a perfect world, you’ll pick a date that works and the venue will be available and it won’t cost as much as you thought. :) That’s a perfect world, and sometimes planning doesn’t go quite as smoothly. This is why you’ll need to identify ONE of the most important aspects to you both.
Pick one option below as your top choice, then label the other two as “2” and “3”.
Is your #1 thing…
• The Date
Do you find importance in the date of the wedding? Is there a particular date that is especially meaningful to you both? Maybe you want to get married on the anniversary of when you began dating, or you dream of a New Years Eve’ bash, or you want to plan a May The 4th Star Wars wedding. Whatev! If it’s the #1 thing on your list, choose date as your priority.
• The Ceremony Space
Is there a certain ceremony space you want to get married at, whether religious or non-secular? If it has to be at a certain church, synagogue, other place of worship, beachy area, woodland space, etc., and that means the most to you, this is your priority item.
or
• The Reception Venue
Or is the reception venue your most important item on the list? If you have a dream ballroom in mind, a special reception space, a banquet hall, or other area that you absolutely love — with good food as a plus! — make it the first thing you do when planning your wedding.
It is important to book as early as possible, so it’s best to visit some venues to tour them as soon as you can.
► MUST-READ: When you tour venues, have this checklist of questions handy: 30 Questions You *Need* to Ask Your Wedding Venue
Here’s why this is an important part of starting the wedding planning process. You can’t have it all: I want you to, but most couples have to compromise on one of these aspects. If you dream of getting married on a specific date, then that is your priority. You’ll need to find the venues that are available on that date — not already booked — and that you can afford.
If the ceremony space is very specific, book it first. Don’t try to book the reception venue and then come back to the ceremony venue, only to find it’s not available on that date. Major bummer.
If you find the ceremony venue and reception site, then realize neither are available on New Years’ Eve for your epic NYE wedding, then dang! You’ll be out of luck.
Okay, now you have the tips: go onward and plan that awesome wedding of yours! You’ll want to look for local venues near you, start hiring vendors, and set the date.
► NEXT: Get this FREE one-year checklist when you’re ready for the next steps! It covers everything you need to know to plan your wedding from start to finish.
And be sure to subscribe to our FREE newsletter for daily updates to your inbox.
You got this! And I’m here to help!
xo
Emma
