How to start planning

Hi Kristen - I would order a wedding planning book to help. I found one by the knot on Amazon and love it. We did this order:


1. Date2. Rough idea of # if guests3. Venue 4. Photographer 5. Dress
My venue is all inclusive so the decor, caterer, cake, etc. will all come from their partners which makes things a lot easier.

Congratulations! The first two things you and your fiancé will want to do are discuss budget and create a guest list then you can start looking for venues. Venues/caterers generally charge per person hence why I recommend knowing how many people you will be inviting so that you don't go over budget. It is also a good idea to create a guest list in advance to make sure that your venue is large enough to accommodate the number of people you plan on inviting. Some venues also have guest list minimums or food/beverage limits. I would also recommend purchasing a wedding planning book. When we got engaged my mom got me The Knot wedding planning book. I found it very helpful. I also watched YouTube videos that were created by a wedding planner by the name of Jamie Wolfer. Since we got married she has released a wedding planning program you can purchase where she will walk you through the wedding planning process. If you don't want to purchase that program she has tons of free videos that are very helpful. Below I've linked The Knot wedding planning book my mom gave me and Jamie Wolfer's YouTube channel.

The Knot Planning Book: https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Wedding-Planner-Organizer-binder/dp/0770433367/ref=asc_df_0770433367/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312132076760&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15935818405644321305&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007869&hvtargid=pla-434335069873&psc=1

Jamie Wolfer's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/JamieWolfer/videos

Congrats! Well after planning my wedding three times (thanks covid), I feel like I should start a business 🤣.


1. Budget and guest list2. Venue/ceremony location. Many venues have a minimum and maximum capacity. You’ll want to insure the space works for your guest list and budget! (My venue package is all inclusive i.e tables/chairs, catering and bar package)- after selecting your venue and calculating remaining budget list out what’s the most important to least important. That helped me decide on how to divide out the remaining budget.3. DJ/Band 4.photography/videography 5. Dress6. Makeup 7. Florist 8. Extra

I would like to add that when searching for venues, it is good to be flexible with the date. If your preferred venue does not have your first date available, then it is good to be open to other potential dates.

Budget, guest list and priorities (most go for guest experience-good food, free drinks, good dj-and photos) are the first things to tackle. You can’t look for a venue without those things.


Eventective.com lists venues in your area. If you are on a budget, steer clear of all inclusive venues that may have a very small rental fee because they hit you with 5figure food/beverage minimums. A blank slate venue that allows you to bring in an outside caterer will be less expensive, plus they already have tables, chairs and a kitchen. Parks department venues are usually nice and are flexible with time so you aren’t required to wait until 6pm to start the reception.

My number one thought was - WHERE do we want to get married? I wanted Maine, my husband wanted something closer because we live in VA (military family). We settled on a beach wedding in OBX. From there, we both agreed on a very small, intimate wedding with about 20 guests or so. We looked at venues, found one we loved, and talked about our budget and if we could make it work. I will say, weddings are EXPENSIVE!!! We paid 24K for a 20 guest wedding which is a lot. Looking back, I wish I had researched other options that were less costly.