Weddingbee Blog

Poring over wedding-inspiration blogs was a hobby of mine long before I got engaged. OK, don’t get creeped out! I just really liked looking at the pretty pictures, I swear. I’ll prove it to you because when the time came that we were actually engaged, I had NO idea where to start, and I had nothing picked out.

Now that we’re on the way to getting this here shindig planned out, I thought I’d back up a bit and give you a few gentle suggestions (that will make your life a lot easier) on where you should start when it comes time to really plan out the details of your actual, specific wedding.

There’s three big main to-dos when starting to plan.

1. Decide on Your Guest List

Image by South House Boutique / Available on Etsy

Did you always imagine a huge party with all of your family and friends (200+ guests)? Or do you want something a little more intimate with only close friends and family (75–100 guests)? Maybe you only want to invite immediate family and best friends (25–50 guests).

Your guest list is a place where there can be lots of flexibility. Some people opt to have an evening, black-tie affair for adults only (no children on the guest list). Other couples want a big party atmosphere where they can invite all of their loved ones and cherished friends. If you have your heart set on a really luxurious, fancy event, then trimming the guest list down to fit in your budget is a way to achieve this style of event if you have budget constraints.

2. Set Your Budget

It sounds really daunting to do this, but you really can’t move forward with planning without it. You don’t have to get a super-specific overall number, but a ballpark area within a few thousand dollars is advisable.

First, to develop your budget, you have to know who is paying! Are you and your fiancé footing the bill all on your own? Are your parents contributing? Are his parents contributing? Generally, people will usually step forward and offer if they are going to help with your wedding. For those people, it is perfectly fair to sit down with them at the beginning of planning and start talking about specific numbers. It is a little awkward (we did it), but it is best to get the conversation over with and then you can move on to other, less awkward things. Count me in on the less awkward activities!

There’s a wealth of sites out there that can help you devise a detailed budget, once you know who is contributing. These will help give you a dollar range that you can use when talking to specific vendors. When shopping around, it’s important to know how much you have available to spend on, say, photography, for example. Vendors will ask your budget, so be prepared for that!

3. Choose a Venue

Image by Ronnie Brandenburg via Picasa

If you have a sizeable guest list (maybe you come from a HUGE family and want to invite every single one of them), then it is time to start thinking about what kind of venue can hold a lot of people. Or, perhaps you are a really laid-back bride and want an all-inclusive venue (provides space, catering, alcohol, DJ, etc.) so you have less details to fuss over. Either way, once your guest list and budget have been a little more fleshed out, it is time to start thinking about your venue!

The budget and guest list will really help to narrow down your venue choices, which can be daunting ’cause there are, you know, like a thousand wedding venues out there to choose from.

Also, venues book up crazy fast sometimes (like a year or more in advance), so you want to get a contract signed and deposits paid ASAP if you find a place you fall in love with.

Obviously, there’ll be a little overlap in these three categories. But working on them in this order will make your life easier, even if it is just really general, ballpark ideas. That’s OK!

Once these guys are nailed down pretty solidly, you can start prioritizing the rest of your vendors!

What are your tips for brides who are just starting to plan?