5 Wedding Planning Tips You Need to Know
Congratulations! You and your best friend are engaged and it’s time to start planning the celebration!
You may have been dreaming about this for years and you’re ready to hit the ground running. Maybe this is a whole new thing for you and you aren't quite sure where to start. Whichever camp you fall into, keep reading for 5 wedding planning tips you need to know!
1. Establish the Priorities
First things first: there is no “right way” to plan a wedding or to celebrate the love you and your partner share. A wedding should be a reflection of the two of you and that fact should stay at the forefront of the planning process! Set it as your phone background. Post post-it notes on your laptop. Do whatever you need to do to keep that in mind!
To start off the *actual* planning, think about the bigger picture. What time of year do you want to get married? Are you interested in a larger, more traditional celebration or an intimate party in a cool destination? Do you want to prioritize having a gourmet meal or are you obsessed with floral design? Making these types of decisions together early on in the process will help give you direction in choices you have to make later.
2. Set Your Budget
Go into the vendor search with an idea of what you’re able to spend. A budget will help inform major decisions like guest count, venue size, bar/food. Decide what you want to spend and then find out if anyone is planning on contributing financially. It can be uncomfortable at first, but keeping everyone on the same financial page from the get-go will be so much less stressful in the long run. A solid budget will give you confidence in your vendor search!
3. Get Inspired
Start the Pinterest board! Find your aesthetic, build a mood board, make a note when you’re inspired by something you see while you’re out and about. Narrow down that big-picture planning to what you actually want your day to look like. Is it on a mountaintop with 15 people or a rooftop in the city filled to the brim with friends and family? At an elegant mansion or a cozy rustic venue? You might be surprised to see what you’re actually drawn to once you start diving into this part of the process (and that’s okay)! It’s important to get an idea of what exactly you’re going for before you start to hire vendors.
4. Build Your Team
This is one of the most exciting parts. You get to put together the team professionals who are going to do everything in their power to make your vision come to life! You really won’t be planning this whole thing alone if you have solid, professional vendors. How cool is that? If you have any must-have vendors, meet with and hire them as soon as you can. The rest will come together.
*Consider hiring a (professional) planner or a coordinator. The experience a planner brings to the table can truly be a game-changer. While you can absolutely plan your own day, a planner does this for a living and can take so much stress off your shoulders! We think of the little things because we’ve done it hundreds of times. We have vendor connections we can vouch for to help narrow down the search. Most importantly, our job is to keep everyone (you, your vendors, your well-meaning family) aligned in your vision and focused on the important things!
5. Remember to Enjoy This Process
It’s really easy to get wrapped up in the details of planning a wedding. It’s a lot to think about! Remember what you’re doing all this for in the first place! At the end of the day, it’s a beautiful party to celebrate a beautiful milestone in your relationship. Take it all in and enjoy every minute!
