Idk where to start

The first place to start is to figure out a budget for your wedding. That will determine the rest of the planning.

Congratulations on your engagement! The first place to start is to talk with your fiance about budget, estimated guest count, and overall vision. Once you figure out those three things, start looking for venues within your budget that can hold at least the number of people you plan to invite, and schedule tours at your favorite ones. Once you book your venue, start looking for any other vendors that you may want (photographer, florist, DJ, etc), and schedule meetings with your top choices to see if they'd be a good fit for you. From there, look at attire, decor, Save The Dates and/or invitations, etc. WeddingWire has a checklist under Planning Tools that is helpful for keeping your planning on track. These forums are also a great resource. Happy wedding planning!!

The first things to talk about are the general feel you want for the event (formal, casual, beach, theme, etc), the general size (under 50, 150, 600?), and your overall budget. These are the most important things to figure out, and you need to work it out with your fiance.


I think the biggest thing after that is finding your venue. That lets you set a definite date and may affect what other vendors you can use.

- Choose a date 1st because this gives you a timeline to complete tasks & or save money. In addition, every vendor is going to need to know that piece of info in order to give you quotes & to tell you if they're available that day.
- Make a budget. Try to stick to that. Costs can be controlled if you're mapping out who's charging what & what can you do on your own.
- Choose a venue. Do you need space for parking? We chose an Air BnB on 15 acres. There is room for our all stages of our event & parking.
- Do you need rental equipment for the venue? Tables, chairs, linens, audio?
- Find an officiant to suit your needs & don't say yes right away. Meet with them & tell them you'll reach out with an answer.
- Choose a photographer.
- Choose a dress/veil/acessories
- Choose your flowers & arrangements. Wedding & or bridesmaid bouquets? Boutonnieres? Corsage? Table arrangements? How many? We opted to forgo table arrangements & are instead using olive branches in the center of long banquet tables. We are only doing a bridal bouquet & the maid of honor wants a wrist corsage instead of her own bouquet because she'll hold mine during the ceremony & doesn't want to hold her own bouquet all day.
- Plan the meal. What do you want plus what works with the budget.
- Invitations. We skipped Save the dates because we'd talked in person to the few we invited. We invited 25 people.
- Favors. Do you even want to do them? We didn't & I was thankful to hear less brides splurging on goodies many guests get rid of. Your day is for your to remember. It's odd looking a shot glass from James & Kathy's wedding in 2010. I'd rather have my name in my house
- Wedding registry. Do you want one? Do you prefer a honeymoon fund?