Organization tools
Nothing will help you more with your wedding planning (and mental state while doing so) than staying organized! A bit of setting up at the beginning will go a long way. Here are a few essentials within this category to consider.
Checklist
Wedding planning requires keeping track of SO MANY moving parts. Before getting engaged, I had no idea, and thought that planning a wedding would be like planning any other event. Nope!
Having a checklist detailing each thing you will need to think through and plan out will save your life. You can find checklists online, or think through it yourself. What is important to you? What do you want to happen? Record each item and consolidate into a single list that you refer to often.
Pro-Tip: if you use someone else’s checklist, amend it! This should be viewed as a template, but not every item listed will apply to you.
Bonus pro-tip: In google sheets there is a template that allows you to make a checklist. If you transfer your list into there, or better yet, create the list within this template to begin with, you have an easy way to check off each item as you go. This is such a perk if you are a “cross items off list person” like me! 🙂
Google sheets
I mentioned this above, but WOW google sheets will become your best friend and is probably my #1 recommended essential item to use when wedding planning. This tool has such great functionality!
Use this tool to create a calendar for yourself with the calendar template. You can put in important dates (i.e. when to send save the dates, when engagement photos are being taken, your actual wedding date, etc).
You can also keep track of your guests lists, addresses, and registry/gift list within google sheets.
My favorite thing about this tool is that you can share the sheet with others to edit. I sent it to my fiance so that he was up to date, my mother and mother in law to put in guests, my wedding coordinator so she knew what I was planning, etc. SO HELPFUL!
Vendor tracker
I made this it’s own section even though you can have a page within your google sheets document with it included. You need to keep track of your vendors. Even vendors who you haven’t signed contracts with.
You will want to have a single space detailing the name, contact, and pricing of each vendor. Keep in mind, if you have a wedding coordinator or planner, they will absolutely need this information!
Timeline
One thing that will stress you out more than anything is procrastination. Laying out a timeline on when events occur and due dates of actions will simplify and organize the whole process of wedding planning.
Nothing would be worse than forgetting a detail that meant a lot to you. The calendar within your google sheets file will do wonders in helping you stay on top of your to-do list.
I am a very visual person, so if you can relate, let me just tell you how helpful it is to see everything mapped out. I didn’t have to wonder how or when things would get done, I could look at it and know.
The last section of this post dives deeper into the importance of the essential time aspect of your wedding planning.
Help from others
I am stubbornly independent. To a fault. This section relays the importance of including others in the process. The level of delegation will depend on your preference, but err on the side of doing less yourself while communicating your vision more.
Wedding planner/coordinator
There are probably two camps when it comes to deciding whether or not to use a wedding planner. One: Yes I am hiring someone to do EVERYTHING for me, I don’t know the first thing about planning a wedding.. It’s worth it. Two: Heck no, I’m not paying someone THAT MUCH to do something I can handle myself.
Ah yes. These are both very valid ways to feel! But there are a few things you may want to consider before making a decision: How organized are you? How do you work under pressure? Do you want to have to manage all details, or just share your vision? Who will coordinate day-of (it’s not going to be you)?
I decided to hire a coordinator for just the day-of, and trusted I could handle the rest. That was definitely stressful and lonely at times, but I am a bit of a control freak, so it worked out. Be creative and remember this is supposed to be an enjoyable process.
Maid of honor, bridesmaids, MOB/MOG
You may not have the luxury of a budget that allows for planners and coordinators, but that does not mean you don’t have lots of support to lean on! Get the people who love you and want to celebrate with you to help during your journey.
This will make the whole process more memorable and exciting as you share this experience with people who care about you. Lean on them, and don’t be afraid to share how you are feeling!
Youtube, Google, this blog
The internet provides amazing resources for you as you begin your wedding planning! Just ask google a question, you are almost guaranteed to get an answer. These online resources are also a great place for inspiration in case you need it.
Groom!
Don’t forget the person that you are sharing this special event with! Your soon to be spouse is a great resource for help and support. He/she may not care as much about the details as you, but they can be a great sounding board.
Adequate finances
Money is one of my favorite topics because if handled well, it can be a powerful tool. Your finances can make or break your experience in wedding planning. If you stay organized, realistic, and creative, you will be able to get the biggest bang from your buck!
BUDGET- Stay organized here!
You are getting married! The amount of money each bride has to spend varies, but no matter what, you will want to budget.
Keep track of all of your expenses. I recommend that you have a budget breakdown of what you want to spend, pricing, and then actuals.
Your initial budget will go through each category and break down where your money will be spent. Once you get quotes from vendors, add those next to it.
Remember that your actual spend will usually not match what you were expecting, so keep track of actual expenses, and keep a miscellaneous category that can cover any bleedover between categories!
Do homework to find out how much things cost near you
You may be surprised to find out how much each element of your event costs. Go through each expense and get an idea of how much you can expect to spend in each category. This will help you as you make decisions going forward, and will help you to reduce stressors that often come with finances.
Decide beforehand how much you are willing to spend
If you don’t determine how much you are willing to spend before going out and spending, you WILL overspend. Being strict to your budget and decisions will help you to feel great about your wedding overall, and you’ll be surprised how far the money can go if you take this approach.
Determine what is most important and work from there
Have you heard of the analogy of putting the big rocks in the jar first, then pebbles, then sand allows you to fit everything in? This applies well to how you spend your money or budget for your wedding planning.
Decide first what is the MOST important to you and allocate more funds to those. Then move down the list in importance. This will let you save on things that are not as important to you.
Positive attitude
This is an exciting time! Don’t forget to enjoy it while you run around making your plans.
The more positive you stay throughout the process, the better things will turn out. Positive affirmation can help you to feel excited and increase the likelihood that things will indeed work out. The most stressful times of my wedding planning were when I started worrying, crazy huh? lol
A game that can help you to get the negativity out of your system is to ask yourself what the worst thing is that could happen? This can help lighten the mood and make things seem much less of a big deal than they did before.
There is nothing better than getting yourself pumped by having little cute things to spice things up! Maybe it’s a yummy snack to eat while you call vendors. I love these t-shirts that would be fun and comfy to wear!
Creative Mindset
Just because something has been done a certain way does not mean that it has to keep being done that way! Get creative, make this your own!
Would you prefer a destination wedding? How about serving brownies instead of wedding cake? Maybe you have your best guy friends be part of your wedding party? These types of things add your own flare to a wedding and are fun to plan.
Being creative with your finances can bring much more flexibility into your wedding planning. Negotiating with vendors based on the price you have already established you are willing to pay (and being willing to walk away if they won’t adjust their pricing) will help you to save money and get what you truly want for your day.
Self-care
Think of the basics we as humans need. You may feel tempted to throw those things out the window when you start wedding planning, after all you are in the zone! One of the most essential things for you to remember and do during this process is self-care.
Are you hungry? Lonely? Tired? Feeling Irritated? Grab some yummy food with a friend! Take a nap or sleep in! Stop and meditate for 5 minutes. Step away from it all occasionally.
Pinterest provides an incredible platform to turn to for various activities as you begin your wedding planning journey. Because of the visual nature of Pinterest, your wedding design will likely be helped the most.
Vision boards can help you as you pin different things that interest you. This could be dress inspiration, cakes you love, color schemes you want to use. By consolidating these into a board you can start to piece together what you are hoping to create for your day
Blog posts are also super helpful in the process, and certain pins will link you to articles similar to this that can help you plan.
Phone
Wow that’s original haha! I know it seems like DUH, but you’ll be surprised just how handy your phone will be during the wedding planning process. Basically 100% of your communication with vendors will be done either through phone calls or email, which can both be done through your phone.
You can use the google sheets app and view your calendar, checklist, etc. right there!
If your memory is as bad as mine, you may benefit from setting reminders that will send notifications of things needing to get done.
Another few fun ideas in how your phone can help include setting a countdown on your phone for your wedding date to keep you excited and on track. Also, a sweet picture of you and your honey can really ground you during the process.
Time
You may be the most efficient person in the world, but you will still need time to accomplish all that needs to get done over the next few months. Remember to give yourself enough time to do all that you need to.
Your timeline will really help you to target the right wedding date and give yourself enough time to prepare. This will also help keep your stress at bay- YAY!
When you are running low on time (or energy for that matter), delegation will be your best friend! Remember the whole thing about letting others help you? DO IT! It’ll maximize your time.
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