First and foremost CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now that you are on the way to wedding bliss please don’t start by being overwhelmed. Below I am listing tips to help you cope and ENJOY this process thoroughly!

1. What kind of wedding do you want?

Do you see yourself as a more laid back couple or formal? Think about the feeling or vibe you want your guests to feel. Do you want a church wedding, non-religious, or to be married by an independent officiant?

<MOST IMPORTANT ….remember do not be affected by what you think your families will want, friends, or otherwise;this is your wedding day and needs to be reflection of your love!

 

2. Who to Invite?

Make a guest list first as there is no point in looking at any venues until you know the guest size you are expecting. Please remember to make your list so that you can share this special day with people that are most important to you. Do not feel the need to invite everyone you know! While you are making your lists you can star each name of those most important to help you narrow down your wedding party.

3.When and Where to Marry?

I feel that these two items go hand in hand because you may already have the perfect venue in mind and be flexible on the date or vice versa. If you prefer a destination wedding you may consider a major holiday which can make it easier for guests to attend. This can also be effected by your budget so if you want to try for an all outside wedding pick the right temperature month so guests don’t burn up or freeze to death.

4. Decide what is more important to you….

This list varies for every bride, groom, and couple as we all have different things that we are willing to weaver on but others we will not budge. Whether this is your food, caterer, photographer, florist, or even hiring a planner. Decide what is of utmost importance to help make your day go smoothly. For a larger wedding I say you need a year to plan but I have had great success with smaller weddings being planned in 6 months depending on location availability, vendors, etc. Decide what items you are willing to pay top notch for and what ones aren’t as important. This will thoroughly help.

5. Know your budget!

Sit down and decide what your budget will be for the entire wedding and then divide everything out per item of what you want to spend and be able to fill in with what you actually spend. This will help you stay on target and not go over budget. (Feel free to contact me at Courtney@pthreeplanning.com as I have a great budget I will be willing to share for a minimal fee of $10.00 . Budget allows you to set items at priority levels, tallies it up automatically and more. )

6. Hire a planner or Day of Coordinator!!!! A MOST!!!!!!!

I will stand by the statement most as you need someone outside of your family to help keep things in check and running smoothly. Maybe you don’t have the money for a full planner but at least spend the money on a day of coordinator so that you can honestly sit back and enjoy your day and know that your planner has everything in order!!