Newlyweds

Make a budget, decide how much time you’ll need to save the amount of money you’ve budgeted, then set a date and pick a venue

Hi Austin! Congratulations! I think a lot of people will say set a date and then a budget, but I think getting a general timeframe (Spring 2020) is fine for now. Before anything, it's important to figure out how much you and your FW (future wife) can save and how long you want to take to do that. Next, talk to parents and anyone else who may be willing to help to figure out how much they are willing to contribute. Once you have a rough budget in mind, I'd start talking with your FW about theme and vibe. Do you want a rustic barn wedding on a farm, or maybe an outdoor ceremony tent and a reception at a local hall? Going to a wedding expo is great because you get to meet lots of vendors in one place, you can see their work, usually the bride and groom get in for free and there's free food to sample. My biggest piece of advice is to communicate with each other as much as possible and be flexible. Everyone has their own needs and expectations. They usually don't match your partner's perfectly, so conflict is natural to this process. Be open to finding win-win solutions and tell your FW how much you love and appreciate her as often as you can! Best of luck to you!

We set a date first so we can figure out our budget. Then we determined what we wanted in the wedding and crossed out things we didn't want. It is so, so important to talk about what you both want and expect from the wedding. Figuring out the kind of wedding you want to have will be the most helpful in determining budget too. Then research and visit venues, which was the first thing we did so we had a place set in. Research other vendors after booking a venue to make sure the venue doesn't have any restrictions or whether they provide any of these services. After that, everything falls into place. I'd recommend a wedding planning book so you have a more detailed checklist and better information about weddings. I have two and they have been the key to wedding planning for me.

After I got engaged the first thing we did was pick a season and the year we wanted to have the wedding in, and then we made a rough version of our guest list. How many people you have informs everything from the venue you book to the cost of the catering, so it has a big impact on everything else. Just get a rough estimate or a range so you can rule out really huge places if your party is small, or really small places if you have a big guest list. Some places have guest minimums too, so it's important.

Next, do some research. I had no idea how much anything was supposed to cost, so look at several vendors of each type in your area. It all feels crazy expensive, so figure out what the range for things tends to be, and then figure out if you can afford to set a budget around those things (or if you need to get creative, what you know you don't need or want that can be cut, what you want to make or do yourself, that sort of thing.)

Next you have to figure out your actual budget, and who else is contributing to it (parents, grandparents, other relatives, ect.), so you can start planning and booking with numbers in mind.