Congratulations! You just got engaged, or maybe you’ve been engaged for a hot minute and are ready to start finally planning your dream wedding day! You might be asking yourself, “Where do I even start?!” when it comes to planning your wedding. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!
Today we’re talking about those first steps in planning a wedding that will have you ready to hit the ground running.
WHERE TO START WHEN PLANNING YOUR WEDDING
- Start with planning your wedding budget
Let’s address the elephant in the room! Before you can plan anything, you need to figure out your budget. Think about who will be contributing, or will anyone be pitching in? Getting your budget in order will dictate your entire wedding plan and is a very important discussion to have to get the planning rolling. It might not be the most fun to do but it is a necessity to kick off your wedding planning.
- Plan Your Guest List
Now that you have your budget in order, you can figure out how many people you can invite. It’s time to put together your guest list and the backup guest list if necessary. This may require a talk with parents if they are contributing or if you just value their input with the guest selection. Another thing to consider is if single people are going to get a plus-one option and if kids will be invited or not.
- Planning Your Wedding Date & Venue Selection
You can’t nail down a venue without first having a projected guest count in mind. Now that you’ve decided on whether to have 50 or 500 guests it’s time to start researching wedding venues. This is the fun part and where the vision starts to come to life! Do you want an outdoor ceremony, is religion an important factor for the day, is there a location you’ve always dreamed of for your Big Day? Time to start inquiring.
Venue availability will dictate your wedding date so if you have a specific date in mind that you cannot waiver from, be sure to let each venue know that upfront so that you’re not wasting any time or setting yourselves up for disappointment.
- Hire A Wedding Professional
It’s time to hire a professional wedding planner. A full or partial planner will jump right in and start helping you put together your wedding vendor team including your DJ, Catering, Photographer, Videographer, Florist, Décor and Design assistance, and even help you find the perfect venue for your custom wedding day vision if needed.
If you are super organized and have the time to do this all on your own, or maybe your budget won’t allow for full planning, then now is the time to get your Month-Of Wedding Coordinator solidified. We wedding planners book up fast! Be sure to check reviews and do some online research before setting up consultations.
It’s important that you find someone you trust and that you have a connection with.
Happy Planning!
The EBL Team