8 Steps to Start Wedding Planning

They proposed and you said yes - congratulations, you’re officially engaged! Amongst all the excitement, emotions and celebrations surrounding your engagement, you may find yourself feeling something else too – stressed out about where to even begin with Wedding planning. Planning a Wedding can feel overwhelming at first, but if you start with a clear plan and vision for your day, it can help cut down on any unnecessary stress in the process. Here are our tips on where to begin!

1. Take a Breather and Enjoy Being Engaged!

Before diving headfirst into the world of Wedding Planning, take some time to just enjoy being engaged! This is a special time for you and your partner, so spend some quality time together doing the things you love and soak it all in.

2. Talk to Your Partner and Your Families

Communication is key in the early stages of Wedding Planning! Talk to your partner about each of your priorities for the big day and what you are each most excited about. Knowing what your “Must Haves” are early on can help you determine where to begin and allocate your budget to the things that are most important. If your families are going to be involved in the planning process, this is a great time to get their input and find out what is most important to them too!

3. Set A Budget

Your budget is going to be one of the biggest pieces of Wedding Planning – it will play a role in almost every decision you make, so setting a clear budget from the start can help make sure that you are planning a celebration that is both what you envisioned, but also makes sense for you financially.

4. Narrow Down When You Want to Get Married

Talk to your partner and figure out what time of year you want to get married. Whether you have been dreaming of a snowy Winter Wedding somewhere up in the mountains or saying “I Do” on a sunny beach overlooking the ocean, the time of year you want to get married will have a huge impact on location, types of venues that will work and what other vendors you need to hire for your Wedding Day. Time of year can also play a huge role in pricing and availability for your vendors – peak times will likely come with higher price tags and less open availability. The more flexible you are with your date, the more likely you are to have all your dream vendors available!

5. Find Your Wedding Style

Start researching Weddings and figuring out what styles you are most attracted to – looking at sites like Pinterest, Party Slate and Wedding Blogs (Wedding Chicks, Bustld and Dancing With Her are a few of our favs!) can help give you some inspiration and narrow down what you love and what you don't. This is the time to start a Mood Board of all the things you love and would like to incorporate into your Wedding Day. You don’t need to have a completely solid Design at this point, but you will want to have a general vision so you can start to find the venue and vendors that are a good match with your vision.

6. Draft Your Guest List

The number of guests you anticipate inviting will be a big factor in finding the perfect venue and allocating your budget appropriately, so start at draft Guest List early on! You will want to make sure the venue you select is large enough to accommodate your Guest Count and the number of guests can greatly affect the costs of things like Food + Beverage, Décor and Rentals. You don’t need to have a final list yet, but at least a good general idea of how many people you want to invite.

7. Find Your Perfect Venue

Securing your Venue (and Wedding Date) is a huge step in the planning process, as it plays a role in almost every other decision you will make! Take your time and do your research until you find the venue that feels like a perfect fit for your Wedding Day. If you’re looking at local venues its always a great idea to go visit in person!

8. Research Vendors and Ask the Right Questions

Once you secure your Venue and Date, its time to start looking into your big-ticket vendors – Photography and Catering are typically where we recommend starting, but depending on what is most important to you, you will want to include those vendors in your early searches as well. If having an amazing band is high on your priority list, you will want to get them secured early on to make sure you can find a band that is both the perfect fit and available for your date. When securing vendors be sure to do your research – check out their websites and set up consultations to get to know them. Make sure you are asking the right questions as this will help ensure you are hiring the folks who align with your Wedding Vision. You can download our Vendor Guides to help you navigate the process of interviewing vendors, asking the right questions and finding the perfect match!