If you’re reading this, you might have just gotten engaged and have no idea where to start. It can be overwhelming when you don’t know how to get the ball rolling on your planning. There are so many options when it comes to the details, and you don’t want to just aimlessly look at all that’s available. To give you some insight on how to get your wedding planning started, follow these steps!
Set up a budget
The very first thing you need to do when you get engaged is set up a financial plan. Before you look at venues, dresses, or decorations, you have to establish your budget. Evaluate your savings and take out a personal loan with low interest to set aside the amount you want to spend on your wedding. Once you have a limit set, it will keep you from going overboard when looking at options.
Go to a bridal show
When you’re unsure of what you’d like for your wedding, it can be difficult to choose between all of the vendors and locations that are in your local area. Attend a bridal show so you can explore the options and get a feel for what your desired style is. You’ll be able to compare prices and methods between photographers, florists, and caterers. Use a wedding planning binder to keep all of the pamphlets and business cards of vendors you’re interested in organized so you can reference them when you go to book them later. Make notes of which professionals you liked and why, so you can easily differentiate between them.
Decide on a wedding party
When you get engaged, your closest friends and family will be on the edge of their seats waiting to hear who gets to stand by your side! Consider who you want helping you through the planning process, and don’t feel the need to go overboard. Just because someone had you in their wedding party doesn’t mean you have to have them in yours. You don’t want to look back on your wedding pictures in twenty years and wonder why you had that one friend you only grabbed lunch with once in a while as one of your bridesmaids. Once you’ve decided on who to ask, use one of these unique bridesmaid proposal ideas to pop the question!
Finalize your guest list
An important component in the early stages of planning should be to figure out who gets an invite to the big day. The bigger the guest list, the larger the bill for your reception, so take that fact into consideration when deciding. Invite the people who mean the most to you as a couple, and be sure to only talk about the particulars of your wedding to the people who make the cut. The last thing you want to do is run into your neighbor at the grocery store and spill the beans on every last detail, leaving them with the impression they’re invited.
Pick a venue
To really get the process started, your first big step should be to find a wedding venue. Search for wedding venues near you online to get a jump start. Once you narrow down a few of your favorites, set up tours so you can compare each location in person. To get an even better idea of where you want to get married, look at galleries on their websites to see examples of other weddings to see them in action. Once you’ve selected a place, see which dates they have available and book it!
Book your suppliers
Now that you’ve saved the date, you’ll want to book those suppliers you really loved when you visited the bridal show. Call or email your favorite suppliers and see if they have your date available. Popular suppliers like wedding photographers can book up as early as two years in advance for certain dates, so set them up as soon as you can to lock down who you really want to work with!