He proposed. You’ve posted the on-one-knee photos to Facebook and changed your status to engaged. You’re thrilled, but now the dust has settled. There’s an entire wedding to plan.
In the middle of everything else in life, planning a wedding can be overwhelming. There are countless tasks and preparations. But the process can be broken into bite sized chunks.
As you take the first small steps forward, use these tips as your guide to the critical first steps in planning a wedding.
Take time to dream
Maybe you’ve been planning your ideal wedding for years, or maybe not. Either way, there are endless styles to choose from. Before making any decisions, step back and start dreaming.
Pinterest will be your best friend for inspiration. But don’t stop there. Scroll wedding blogs, romantic movie scenes, love songs, even creative wallpaper. Keep an open mind and start picturing the wedding you want.
Do you see candles in a mansion or a sunset at a lighthouse? Glamorous or simple? Where do you picture yourself, and how intimate would you like it to be?
At this stage, everything can change. So dream big before tailoring it to your budget. Decide on the most important and satisfying elements of the wedding, and move forward from there.
Set a timeline
Now that you’ve started dreaming, what season are you picturing? Does that season make sense for the location you have in mind? How much time will you need to plan everything? Do you want a long engagement or a short one?
With a big picture view of the ideal wedding, design your timeline. Once you tell people you’re engaged, their first question will be “So, when’s the big day?” There are many things to settle before committing to a date, but it’s best to work them out early.
Think about holidays and big family events you’ll want to avoid. Think about how much time the level of celebration you want will take to create. And think about where you’d like to go for your honeymoon, and the ideal weather or tourist season there.
Start budgeting
This is the time to have the awkward conversations and get them out of the way. Find out how much different family members are willing and able to contribute. Take a bird’s eye view of the money available to you. Then start calculating.
Once you have a rough total, many other decisions get easier. You can decide where the dollars go. That especially helps with the size of venues and guest lists.
Remember to decide what matters most. Would you rather throw a big party to remember, or pay for an intimate wedding somewhere far away?
Work backwards from the dream
The idea is to get ahead of the game with a big picture perspective. These are your first steps. Once you’ve dreamed up the ideal scenario, you can work backwards and take informed steps toward a magical day. When you’re ready to see a room, schedule a tour of the depot.