Best Wedding Planning Tips For A Bride-To-Be
Hi hi ladies!!
First off, I'm engaged!! Chris proposed to me on December 29th and I haven't stopped smiling since! 💕 I'm sooo excited because this is my FIRST wedding planning post! I plan to document just about the entire process of planning our wedding, starting with this post! Right after getting engaged, I started getting tonnnsss of questions asking when we were getting married and it made me realize, "oh geez, I have to start planning a wedding!". So! I decided to look to you all for advice because I know so many of you are already experts!
I asked y'all for wedding planning advice for a Bride-to-Be via my Instagram and got back sooo much great advice. Thank you all for taking the time to give me some amazing tips, I appreciate it so much! Below I compiled all the tips I received - I hope this helps out all you future brides out there! This is such an exciting time and I am beyond thankful to have the support and help from you guys! Love you all so much! XO Heather
p.s. Stay tuned for our proposal video that will be on my YouTube tomorrow!
Best Wedding Planning Tips
Budget, budget, budget!! Always over budget and try to stick to it.
Book your venue as soon as possible! Venues, photographers and caterers book up fast, so that should be your main priority in the beginning.
Prioritize what really matters to you for your wedding. Splurge on things you really care about and don't stress on the other things.
Get a wedding planner!
If you don't get a wedding planner, at least have a day of planner! It will alleviate a ton of stress and help ensure things run smoothly.
Know that something WILL go wrong and remember that the day is about your marriage more than your wedding.
Let others help you! It's okay to accept help from others and will save you a lot of time and stress.
You're only engaged once, make sure to take the time to enjoy this season and say fiancé as much as you can!
Have the hard conversations with your soon-to-be husband again because you aren't trying to impress anymore, it's now a life long decision.
Repurpose your flowers from your ceremony in your reception. You can also put your bridesmaid's bouquets in vases for table decor!
Make the day exactly how YOU want it! If you were to sit down and plan a “party” that represented both of your personalities and both of your styles.. what would that look like?!
You can NEVER book any vendors too early!! Make sure you get a well written contract and someone who will keep in contact with you but start booking people as soon as you know your date!
Don't spend your money on a big cake. Have a pretty, smaller cake for the cake cutting ceremony and opt for cup cakes or even serve from a sheet cake hidden away in the back!
Friday or Sunday dates for venues are cheaper.
You can always negotiate with your vendors.
Ask your wedding planner to recommend vendors.
Take the electronic checklists from theknot.com and the Wedding Wire, and create your own to do list either on paper or digitally. That way you can tailor it to your needs, specifying what you need to specify for your venue and decor, prioritizing what you personally need to do next, and deleting the tasks you don’t need.
Plan your flowers ahead of time for all your photos and the venue!
Add personal touches! You want your special night be a reflection of you and your fiancé!
Consider your budget before selecting your amount of bridesmaids! Bridesmaid gifts get pricey.
Check the availability of your preferred photographer before setting your date!
A bigger wedding doesn't always mean better. Smaller, intimate weddings are often more appreciated by your guests and you won't spend your whole night greeting people!
By limiting the amount of plus ones given, you can really cut down on food and beverage costs! Caterers often charge by the plate, so simply eliminating 50 guests could save a ton of money!
Go with your gut on the dress! Choose which one makes YOU feel beautiful.
Save on the wedding and splurge on your Honeymoon!
Start a private Pinterest board dedicated to your wedding.
Buy a planner to organize your timeline.
Keep a journal and document the process. Someday, you and your fiancé will look back and feel so grateful to have every little memory jotted down!
Soak in every minute of the process. From the planning to driving off with your fiancé, you will miss it.
Book your calligrapher or stationery designer pretty quick as their spots for the year go fast.
Consider pre-marital counseling!
Whether it's booking the venue, vendors, or choosing your theme, do what makes YOU happy because it is YOUR day. Don't aim to please too many people, do what you and your fiancé love.
Main Takeaways
Book your venue as soon as possible.
Once your date is set, start contacting and booking all your vendors.
Don't stress. This is such an exciting time that will fly by and you're going to miss it once it's over! Soak up every minute of the process.
Don't aim to please others, do what makes YOU happy and reflects your personality.
Get a wedding planner/coordinator! (We are definitely going to have a day-of coordinator!)
Prioritize what's most important for you to have and splurge on those things! Then save on the others.
Again, thank you all SO much for the incredible and beyond helpful advice! And for all you fiancés out there, CONGRATS!! I'm so excited for you all 💕☺️ I hope this post and my future Wedding Planning posts help you babes out!
