I'm overwhelmed

The first thing to do is decide how much money you have to spend, whether you are paying for everything or if any family members are pitching in. Create an overall budget of how much you'll have leading up to the wedding. Vendors and your venue will require a deposit and then the rest will be due around a month before the wedding date. So you'll need to budget for those payments.
Then decide on how many guests you want. Writing it out is helpful. The number of guests you have really impacts the budget. The more guests, the more it costs for food, alcohol, etc.
The Wedding Wire app has a checklist and a "vendor manager" that were really helpful when I first started. And the forum on here has a ton of info. It's easy to get overwhelmed, but try not to get stressed!

Also start making list of venues and vendors you like to narrow down what you really want. Make a top 3 of what's more important to you, mine were photos, food and attire. I also use Instagram to find more affordable vendors that were in my budget. Yes Candace is right about the forum, I have found so much help from the WW community. Whatever question I have I search it on the forum and most of the time I find that others have had the same question, and if not I make a discussion and everyone here is willing to help and give advice.

Budget is always first. Decide what your budget is. There are budget calculators online that helps distribute the money so you know how much you have to spend in each area.

Here is an article that I found really helpful. It breaks down what you can expect to spend on your wedding in percentages. There's such a vast difference in the cost of some things, and it just depends on how much you're willing to spend. For example, some photographers charge up to $5,000! I want good photos, but I'm not going to pay more for the photographer than the venue. Realistically, my budget can afford to pay $1,500 for photography. It's all relative to your available funds and what's important to you, but this breakdown is a good guide.
https://www.brides.com/story/wedding-budget-guide-allocating-funds-staying-on-track

Budge HAS to come first. Decide what you want to spend on different aspects of the wedding. This will set you up to look for vendors. If they are over budget, move on. If they’re in budget then you can inquire more. The first thing you’ll book is your venue so you can set your date. Once that’s done I’d recommend booking a ceremony site (if not at the reception venue), caterer, photographer, and maybe DJ. Depending on how far out your wedding is you may need to look into others but I’d definitely start with these. Good luck!

For me, budget and dos and don'ts for what I wanted in a venue reaaaaally narrowed things down. Venues can be hella expensive, and I also really didn't want any "hall" or "ballroom" reception, I didn't want only one option of caterer, didn't want to be on a golf course, I preferred the ceremony to be outside, I wanted the venue reachable by airports... that already narrowed it down so far. I'd get a good plan on what you do and do not want. From the venue, there's sometimes lists of approved caterers/vendors and you need to check if they're in your price range or not as well. In the end we only visited 2 venues because I had sorted through so many already. 😅 It really helped to not get too overwhelmed, although I did find this the most challenging part in planning. Good luck!

I know how you feel! Wedding planning can go from fun and exciting to tears in less than five seconds!

1) I would sit down with your fiance and talk what you really want in a wedding. Do you want indoor or outdoors or some combination? Is a nice photographer/videographer a must have, or would you rather have a killer dj and an unlimited bar? Figure out your vision and what YOU BOTH want!

2) Budget budget budget. Who's paying and how much?? If it's just you and your FH, figure out the MAXIMUM of what you two can afford, then what you would really like to pay. (EX. you won't pay anymore than 20k, but would like to keep it at 15k). If you have a good relationship with parents or other relatives and they are paying talk with them about your expectations. You can have other people pay and still have it be your wedding, you just have to have clear boundaries and expectations.

3) Guest list. I would think of everyone you could possibly want there on your big day and have that be a rough estimate. If you are having a big wedding, that number is important. You will especially want it for venues, because some can only hold a certain amount and some charge more per guest if you are over a certain number. While doing this, talk about bridal party. Ask them, and find out if they have any dates they cannot do.

4) Find your venue. Nothing can really get planned unless you have a venue secured. Wedding wire has a lot of great places, but look for a local brides Facebook group and you might be able to find somewhere that isn't listed here. Keep in mind any dates that are off limits!!! Don't fall in love with a venue that isn't available!

5) We booked our photographer next and I would recommend that. My fiance and I have differing tastes in photography so it took us a while to find one we could agree on. Plus they are getting booked quick! I would also book videographer here if that's an essential for you.

6) Find that dress!!! David's bridal is a popular option, but look and see if there are any local bridal shops that have samples or consigned dresses. If you are on a budget, you can get designer gowns that look brand new for a fraction of the price! A plus side to that is you can take your dress home and you don't have to worry about waiting for it to arrive. Keep in mind that wedding dresses can take 6-9 months to arrive if you buy it brand new.

7) Talk about what food you want and look for a good caterer! A lot of places include bartenders as well if you are having alcohol. Some places offer complimentary tastings, so take your fiance along for some yummy food!

8) Hire a DJ and any of those other vendors you and your fiance want!

9) Breathe. Take it one step at a time. Those are the big steps and that order was helpful for me as I was planning my wedding. The wedding wire checklist is helpful too, but don't be stressed about getting behind!

10) The most important thing is that you and the love of your life get married. All the other things at the end of the day aren't as important. YOU GOT THIS!!! If you are here, this is the best place to start! SO many lovely people are here with great tips, ideas, and positivity!