So you’ve just gotten engaged and now you have lots of planning to do. First off – congratulations! Secondly, don’t get too overwhelmed too quickly. Planning your wedding doesn’t have to be overly complicated. Yes, there can be lots to do, but we will break it down for you. Here are 6 early Wedding Planning To-Dos that will make getting started easy!
Timing is Everything
The first step after your engagement is deciding on when you want to get married. Discuss an ideal time for your wedding to take place. Do you want to get married sooner rather than later or will you need a long engagement so you can figure things out? Decide what season you prefer your wedding to take place. From here figure out a handful of dates that would work for you. This way, when you are venue shopping, you will be able to narrow down your choices right off the bat by already having some ideas in mind.
Determine Your Big Picture
When you imagine your wedding day, what do you see? You need to take some time to envision what your ideal wedding day looks like including the details. Do you see:
Indoors or outdoors?
A church or a garden?
Large or intimate?
Your hometown or a destination wedding?
Fancy or casual?
Taking the time to determine your big picture will keep you from going down paths that don’t connect. Identifying your big picture can also help you determine the style as well as an idea of number of guests. Knowing these factors will then help you determine the venue.
Get Real About the Budget
While not the most exciting part of your wedding, planning a budget is necessary. You’ve got to sit down and figure out how much you want to spend. If you are getting help from family, then the conversations about who is contributing to what and how much need to start early. Every decision you make about your wedding day will impact your budget, so make sure you know upfront what you have to work with.
Start Thinking Guests
Now you can start drafting your guest list. Going through this exercise will help further narrow down a venue. Or if you already have a venue in mind, then you’ll need to make sure your guest list can be accommodated. If not, time to pare down the list or look for a different venue.
Pick Your Party
Now is the time to choose your bridesmaids and groomsmen. The earlier in the process you can do this, the better for everyone. You’ll be able to enlist their help earlier and get some of the planning done as a group instead of it all falling on your shoulders. They will also want to know as soon as possible so they can set aside the appropriate amount of time needed to devote to your wedding day. They will also have to incur some expense, so getting them involved from the beginning helps them plan accordingly.
Lock up the Venue
Make it official by booking your venue. This booking solidifies two of the biggest details of your wedding with one swift move of your pen: the when and the where. Breathe a sigh of relief once you’ve signed that contract and know that some of the biggest details can now be checked off that “to-do” list.
