Now that you are engaged, fireworks go off in your head and you can’t wait to tell everyone you know and even those you don’t know! You’re so excited that you want to start planning right away. But should you?
You may be inclined to begin right this moment, but this can be a huge mistake. So before you get ahead of yourself, there are a few things that you should consider. To make it easy on you, they are outlined for you below.
1) Setting Your budget
One of the most important things to decide upon is your budget. From the very beginning, before planning or booking any of your vendors, it is crucial to discuss with your partner how much you can afford to allocate to your dream wedding.
Come up with a savings plan and determine if any of your loved ones will be contributing towards your wedding fund piggy bank. Determine what savings you already have and what can be put towards your day.
Be true to yourself and set some realistic expectations. Money can be a topic that causes arguments, so as long as you are up front and make a decision right away, this should ease the process for you.
When you know what your total budget is you can then decide how much money will be allocated to the various aspects of your wedding. This will make booking your vendors and buying supplies so much easier for you! Once you know how much you can afford, you can decide when you will actually get married.
2) The time of year to get married
After choosing your budget you can now decide when your special day will be. So before you even plan a thing, it’s best for you to decide what time of year you want to get married. By choosing this, you can then begin to think of other fun things, such as theme, type of dresses and attire and what venue would be best for that time of year.
You would not want to get your heart set on an outdoor wedding if you ultimately choose the coldest time of the year. Heartbreak and planning a wedding don’t go well together.
3) Choosing your guest list
Now that you know your budget and when you will get married, the final thing to consider before the planning extravaganza begins is who you will invite to your shindig. The biggest factor in determining the number of guests to invite is how much money you have to pay for your wedding.
Because you already decided upon your budget, you can now make a list of everyone that you and your beau want to invite. If too many guests appear on your list, review and discuss who you can live without. Perhaps you may decide to have an intimate wedding or want a lavish one with tons of guests.
Now is the time to make your list. And to make life easier for you in the long run, you may want to jot down their mailing addresses now too. Trust me – you will thank me when your Wedding Planning To-Do List is a mile long.
Now that you have tackled the above three items, you are ready to begin an exciting chapter in your life. Remember to make it memorable and to enjoy the process. It should be fun and exciting for you! Happy planning, busy brides!
Rayna is a founder of Wedding Crowd, a social wedding planning site that can help you bring your dream wedding to life. She also is a founder of Wed Weekly that outlines the best of the best in Weddings! Sign up now to be part of both sites. Also check out her blog where she posts about weddings.
Feature picture by Squeezyboy.
