Congratulations on deciding that this is the year to plan a wedding, now it is time to get down to business meaning planning.
Whether you are hiring a wedding planner or doing it on your own, have multiple checklists, ideally to narrow down tasks throughout the year leading up to the wedding. Know when you need to send out save the dates, picking a venue is one of the first things to do and did you know it can take up to 9 months to have your dress fitted?
The timelines are all over the place. Consider these 10 items your first checklist to get started with wedding planning, but expect to make some adjustments as the big day gets closer.
10 Pick A Date
Picking a date is one of the first things to do after getting engaged. It ends up creating your wedding planning timeline. There is a lot to consider with the date, you might have a general idea that you want to get married in June, but you have to find a venue within your budget and location goals on your date.
June is one of the most popular months to get married, but surprisingly it can still be difficult to snag your dream venue even in the wedding off-season. Picking a date and a venue might be simultaneous decisions, but they are the first steps to planning the wedding.
9 Make A Realistic Budget
Before beginning to plan the wedding, do some calculations. Just like making a purchase, you want to be very intentional with your wedding planning in terms of the budget.
Do some research to see what the average costs for venues, flowers, invitations, caterers before setting a budget. You have to be realistic about what it costs to throw a medium to large-scale event. After doing the math, consider what number you are comfortable with and where that puts you in terms of setting the stage for the wedding.
Finding you are falling way behind on the costs of an average budget? No problem, go casual and find ways to be budget-friendly.
8 Find A Venue
As previously mentioned, finding a venue goes hand in hand with your date, and also your budget. Once you established a budget and have an idea of what kind of venue you dream of, start looking.
There are many different kinds of venues from beach weddings to national parks and even city hall. Once you secure a venue within your budget, you can go to town on all the planning details.
7 Hire Catering
You want to hire your caterers at least 6 months in advance since it is a big event and a menu needs to be established. These days, modern couples are trying out fun ways to have food at their wedding without a sit-down dinner, such as having good trucks.
Think outside the box if you want to mix things up and have a fun menu at your wedding. Think tacos trucks or gourmet mac and cheese.
6 Find A Cake
Cake tasting is fun, but finding the right baker is difficult. Do your research as always, and find a cake within your budget.
Some alternatives to cake include cupcakes or gourmet brownies if you want to go outside of tradition. It is your wedding, serve your favorite dessert.
5 Save The Dates & Invitations
Save the dates need to be sent at least 6 months in advance, but if you can get them out earlier, the better.
Once you have the RSVPs you can send out the fancy invitations at any time before the wedding, but not too soon to your date. Aim for three months.
Many couples are choosing the sustainable option of e-vites, which can be managed through our wedding website.
4 Dress Shopping
The part that most brides dream of, is dress shopping. While it is fun and glamorous, it is harder than you think. It is a lot of work trying on different dresses for an entire day or multiple days.
At least most dress shops offer free champagne, make the most out of it and invite your friends and close family to help you out. Don't be afraid to pick a non-tradition dress such as something colorful, vintage or non-bridal at all.
3 Colors & Flowers
When considering decorations, it is good to have a color palette in mind. This is heavily dictated by the flowers and will also influence the color of the bridesmaid's dresses.
Other than what kind of flowers, decide if you will be arranging them yourself or hiring a florist to do it for you. Flowers are actually much more complex than they seem but don't fret when in doubt watch some Youtube videos.
2 Pick Your Bridal Party
Amongst the craziness of planning a wedding, don't forget to enjoy the engagement with your fiancee, and especially with your friends.
Picking a bridal party is difficult because no matter how much you love your friends and family, you need to pick people you can rely on to lend you a hand throughout the process.
1 Make A Wedding Website
This one may come as a surprise if you haven't had many friends start to get married, but wedding websites are now all the rage. You can publish information about the wedding, your bridal party, and any announcements that you want to communicate to the guests.
The point is to have a way of communicating with your guests that makes it easy for staying up to date. Pick a website template or look for a friend who has skills in tech.
