6 Tips to Kickstart Your Wedding Planning

​You’ve just received a sparkler on your left ring finger and have happily shared with your family and friends that you’re engaged! Congratulations! And like the good BFF’s, your friends have bombarded you with excitement over picking dresses, samplings cakes, and tackling that overwhelming to-do lists! Wedding planning can seem like a daunting task, but don’t worry, today we have six tips to help you kick start the planning process!

1. Determine Your Budget

​Setting your budget in the beginning will allow you and any other planning partners to know what type and style of venues and services to look for. Be realistic with yourself and your fiancé. You may have always dreamed of having wedding on the rolling hillsides in a Californian vineyard, however, your budget may not agree with your vision. But don’t let that get you down and don’t think you have to completely forgo all of your wedding ideas. You can easily incorporate your style and personality into your wedding regardless of what your budget is. You just have to be creative. If you’re worried about staying on budget while still having your dream wedding, hiring a professional planner would be your best bet. Not only do they have a long list of resources for different styles and budgets, they can help you decide where to add and tack away from budget categories to help you get that perfect vendor or aspect you can’t live without.

2. Set A Date

​While most people assume setting a date is one of the easiest parts of planning your wedding, it can actually be quite difficult. There are many different aspects to consider when choosing a perfect wedding date: work or school schedules, family availability, finances, and most importantly seasons! You can have a winter inspired wedding in the Summer… it will just take a lot of creativity! When you’re selecting your date, pick out a “just in case” backup date. You can find the perfect venue, but it’s booked on the date of your first choice. But, it’s open on your back up date that you and your fiancé have decided and agreed on. 

3. Start Compiling Your Guest List

​How many guests you have at your wedding has a trickle effect on many different aspects of your big day. How big or small a venue do you need? How many chairs needs to be rented at your ceremony? How many tables do you need to decorate…aka linens, centerpieces, table settings, etc.? Adding people to your guests list is not the hard part, trimming the guest list to a reasonable amount that fits your budget and possibly your venue can be frustrating. Who do you have to invite and who should you invite according to proper wedding etiquette? Separating your list into 3 categories (must invite, should invite, and want to invite) will help you know who to take off until you reach your golden number. 

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4. Research Venues

​Now that you have your perfect date (and a back up), your guest count, and you know how much you want to spend, you’re all set to get the planning party started and find where your special day will be held. Before you commit to a venue, visit a few potential sites, meet with the venue coordinator, and really get a feel for how your wedding will look at this venue. If you can’t picture your vision coming to life here, don’t settle. You’ll know the perfect venue when you find it. 

5. Get Inspiration

​If you’re like most brides to be, you’ve been dreaming of your wedding day since you were in grade school! Your wedding day vision should be a reflection of your styles and personalities. The best way to easily communicate your design style to your vendors will be with images. Pinterest boards are a great way to gather inspiration and ideas for ways to take your vision to real life. Bit before you start pinning your life away, take some time and think about the style of wedding you want. It’s more than just selecting the perfect colors. Think about your personality, what things do you like to do as a couple, where you met, what makes you two uniquely you! Then use these tidbits as inspiration to create a day that is creatively unique to your love story. 

6. Set Up A System

Having a system in place that will keep everything organized will become your best friend during your planning process! Regardless if you use a binder system or keep everything digital there are multiple systems available to help keep you organized, and sane! You’ll want to keep track of your spending, contact and payment information for your vendors, receipts, as well as a place to keep your design inspiration and ideas. On top of all of that. You’ll need an amazing wedding check list for your to-do’s to make sure that your planning process is staying on track.
 
Our clients use Aisle Planner and it allows us to collaborate with one another as well as all of their vendors, keep track of their invoices, follow a detailed checklist, as well as share our own customized Pinterest inspiration board. It's the ultimate tool to keep every detail in one place so that no task goes unplanned!

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​Once you have these six biggies ticked off your list, you’re well on your way to planning your perfect wedding day. We’d love to hear if you’re newly engaged and how the planning is going so far, so leave us a comment below!

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Be Merry Events provides Affordable Wedding Planning and Event Design services. We are located in the West Virginia, and specialize in creating modern, stylish, design-led and affordable events, for clients who want a luxury feel to their wedding, without the added costs. Each event is personalized to you! Want to know more? Get in touch now for a complimentary consultation over here.