I’m Engaged, Now What?

5 Things You Can Do to Start Planning Your Wedding

First and Foremost, Congratulations!! Your partner popped the question and I’m assuming you said “Yes!”. After the celebrations and telling your closest tribe and the world – now what? Wedding planning is no light task. Did you know that the average hours put in to plan a wedding, based on a year long engagement, is 250 HOURS! That’s an average of 4.8 hours a week up until the wedding. More if you are planning on a shorter engagement. So where do you start? What should be first on your checklist?

KEEP READING TO FIND THE TOP 5 THINGS I RECOMMEND TO START PLANNING YOUR DREAM WEDDING AND TURNING YOUR VISION TO REALITY

1. VISION BOARDS

I am an incredibly visual person when it comes to my ideas. I need to see it, draw, it, pin it – whatever that looks like at the time. My go-to is creating a Pinterest Board with images, color palettes, and tips that will help me plan. Especially if you are hiring a planner, you can collaborate with them on this board to really nail down what look and feel you want for your wedding day. If digital isn’t your thing, I have brides that will go high school with it and create a poster board or folder with inspiration and imagery of their visions. Whatever your style, getting a clear image of what you like will help exponentially in hiring vendors and finding a venue. Our Pinterest page offers different styles we love and pins to help you achieve that.

Go To Pinterest Board >>

2. MAKE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR FIANCÉ

Most brides head up the planning and decisions for the wedding day. My husband truly did not care what happened as long as his people, whiskey, and I was there. Probably in that order too :). All jokes aside, it is important to speak with your partner and find out what is important to them. What do they like, what do they not like, and if their family has traditions among other things. Remember, although they may not care – it is still a day they get to live and remember for years to come. Getting their input will help steer you in a good planning direction.

3. DECIDE ON A DATE

Speaking of consulting your fiancé, get together and find the perfect date to host your wedding. I would suggest listing your top 5 dates. This will help in securing your venue and vendors more effectively. Definitely take into consideration other things that may be happening around that time as well – birthdays, vacations, and yes, even sports games. In the south, those SEC games are important and I constantly hear “SHE PLANNED THIS WEDDING ON A BIG GAME DAY!”. Those things may be important to your guests too and believe me, I have seen people watching games on their phones during the ceremony – ugh! However, your date is ultimately your decision and at the end of the day do what makes you most happy. Everyone else can fall in line.

4. HIRE A PLANNER

This may not be for everyone. I’ve worked with brides who are highly organized – spreadsheets, floor plans, etc. and I just pick up their details and run with them day of. However, if you feel like you are going to need a helping hand during the planning process, definitely research planners and their package inclusions.

More on why you should hire a planner can be found in my earlier post >>

5. BUDGET, BUDGET, BUDGET

The key to keep your vision on track and your expectations realistic is to come up with a dollar amount of how much you can reasonably spend on your wedding. If you hire a full planner, most will assist you in developing your budget into what you can spend on each vendor/sector of your wedding so that you meet your budget goals. If you are taking on this task solo, write down everything you think you may need and research average costs for them. Cake, Floral, DJ, Officiant, etc. This will help when you begin to look for vendors in your area.

Looking at all you have to do can be overwhelming. However, if you compartmentalize, create a checklist, and do your research, the process can be much less daunting. I like to keep separate binders of all my clients and every detail and checklist goes into that thing. Create your own and feel free to comment on what you are doing for your wedding, always love hearing new ideas!

YOU CAN GET MY FREE WEDDING PLANNING CHECKLIST –
JUST CLICK THE LINK BELOW

Click Here for Your FREE Wedding Checklist