Well, hello! Are you in the middle of planning one of the biggest days of your life? I hope I can help you! I remember when I started planning my wedding… It’ll be easy! I love planning parties, how hard could it be? I thought.
And then, things like Pinterest fairy tales/family opinions/ traditions/expectations/”too cheap”/”too expensive” and more starting coming on the scene. Good grief, it was overwhelming!
I realized that I needed a plan to stay sane. So, I pulled out a notebook and started a list.
Not going to lie, my family told me I got a bit obsessed. I tend to do that while planning sometimes… but what they did not realize is how quickly vendors and venues get taken (they are usually booked a year in advance) and I had to wait to start planning because I had overnight camp counseling and two semesters of college to go through that were stealing precious planning time for something I really knew nothing about.
I needed lists, I needed email folders, I needed to talk to people, I needed goals, and I needed practically everything in one place.
The following points will help you stay on track if you are planning by yourself. Just remember, never ever ever book without budgeting first! Budget as much as you can before making final decisions!
So, looking back at the scramble, here’s what worked for me in the end:
- One big binder that I could organize
I used section dividers and organized them by importance/priority:- Location – Some venues have more amenities than others, know what you need to bring. I put notes about tent/table/chair rental companies, lodging nearby, and parking availability in this section. Have inventory lists in this section, too.
- People – This is where I put info about the who groom and bridal parties were, who would be our flower girls and ring bearer, the procession order (figure this out before the rehearsal – Pinterest is loaded with charts), and who was on the guest list with contact info (which I checked off as I sent invites). I also needed to keep a list of people who were willing to help as set-up/clean-up crews.
- Food – This is where I kept meal ideas, tableware options and prices, and notes about preparing (freeze the frosting roses for the cupcakes ahead of time for easier transportation, etc.)
- Clothing – I decided that I wanted to cover my girls’ dresses and jewelry (and no, I did not pay a fortune, I will explain more in a future post) and the reason I had my binder was to keep track of expenses and keep them as low as possible, so I recorded how much they cost here. I kept information on color ideas in here as well.
- Decor – It killed me to have this one at the end and not first, but it had to be this way. It is much better to skimp on decor or learn more diy’s than to skimp on food or location, for example. But when I finally got to this point it was like frosting on a wedding cake! Or the cake topper, to be more precise. If you’re making your own photobooth (not with photography), this is a good place to keep that info.
- Documents – After you have chosen who you will hire, you need a place to hold onto a physical copy of your contracts – in addition to any digital copies you might have in your email. It’s just nice to have everything in one place. Also a good place to put a sleeve for your license! You do not want to forget that!
- A notebook I could quickly grab and brainstorm in
I took it everywhere! - A new gmail account
I did this WAY too late in the game, do this first and give it to everyone you contact, and organize it with gmail labels like “photography,” “venue,” “food,” etc., that way you’ll have everything for the wedding in one place! I used my school email because I was checking it everyday, but I don’t recommend it if you’re going to be sending as many feelers out there as I did. - Wedding Website
I made a free website and registry through Zola, but used WeddingWire to contact vendors to get pricing and eventually use their forums to get advice – I did not realize that they had forums for a long time, that was a great resource! (by the way, I’m not being sponsored, I just really liked using these two and wanted to share so) - Pinterest
Be super careful with this one. I love it, but sometimes our natural tendency is to believe that we deserve and are entitled to the absolute best of the best – this causes us to be discontent and forget what our wedding is actually all about! So go ahead, find those perfect color combos and theme ideas and alternative cakes (I picked cupcakes with rose shaped frosting, but it looks like donuts are in right now!) because you need inspiration and help if you are not used to visualizing what you want. Put together an ideas board, but be flexible and be ready to (cringe) compromise when it’s needed. It will still be wonderful, and at least one thing will still go wrong, so don’t sweat it.
If you are planning your wedding without a coordinator, you will at least need to appoint a “point person” who will be able to run around during the wedding and talk to your vendors for you. Having a binder is so helpful for your point person in case they have to answer questions or need to check inventory lists, etc.
I hope this will be helpful to you! I will share more lists on what to look for when talking to rental companies, caterers, photographers, etc. in future posts.
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