Planning a wedding on your own

I am planning everything myself, hosting the wedding on a private piece of property for 100+ guests.I will admit that I have event planning experience from work, but not wedding specific.

Like everyone else, I highly recommend a check list and notebook or whiteboard.

But I am living by two very important rules right now:

• This day is about you and your future husband, first and foremost. Make decisions for you first.

• It only has to happen all at once in your head! My mother used to tell me this growing up. Take bite sized pieces. Focus on one thing as a time. If your brain is buzzing around a zillion topics, jot down notes and then go from there. I hake a page in a notebook for every topic that pops into my head. Some pages remain mostly empty, others I revisit a hundred times. just breathe.

Personally, the only stress I am experiencing is in the guest list and COVID restrictions, but I am trying my hardest not to consider it too much until I get closer to my date (6.26.2021). Currently we have two guest lists, 1 "covid compliant" list (under 100 people) which aligns with the state restrictions from last summer, and 1 "dream" list, which has everyone we would like to invite. Our under 100 list received save-the-dates, the remaining people did not (just in case). I am planning to mail my invitations May 1, and I am not going to consider the lists again until mid-April. If I feel confident in how things have evolved, I will send the whole list. if not, I will send only the covid list. So much will change between now and then, I can't loose sleep over something out of my control.

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If I can make a suggestion, grocery stores mark up the cost of flowers BIG time, 2 and 3x what they buy them for. two other options

• If you can manage to find a florist supply company local to you, all you need is a Tax ID to make an account, even if the business has nothing to do with flowers! I managed to use a family members tax ID for there business to make an account at my local florist supply and am able to get specific flowers to DIY with at a fraction of the florist or grocery store. plus they also have vases, ribbon and other decor at cost!

•Also, if you are not so worried about the type of flowers, lots of local farms and flower growers offer DIY buckets at major reduced prices. You can give them a color guidance and they will give you whatever is in season. This is a great way to stay seasonal and support a local business!

I'm planning mine as well. October 3rd, 2021 is my date. Stressful is an understatement, but we can do this! My savior so far has been my bridesmaids and all my married friends! And google but it's not really that helpful. FIND A CHECKLIST!! Find a to-do/ checklist with your timeline and just start from the top! We're all here if you need help

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Wow, I love this!!! This is the route I'm going to take! Also there is a website called somethingborrowedblooms.com where you cant rent bouquets and center pieces at a fraction of the cost! And nothing goes to waste! I'm probably going to do that but buy my bouquet so i can preserve it, and extras from a local greenhouse!

View Quoted Comment Okay thanks. Not sure where you live but grocery store flowers are much cheaper in my area compared to a florist. The nesrest farm in my area is over an hour away....

I've been planning mine on my own for about 9 months now. I got all of the hardest stuff done first like vendors and such, then saved the funner stuff for now so it really doesn't seem as bad anymore. I use the timeline on here and in a planner book that way I literally have to double check my work. Keep notes of everything. My biggest piece of advice is to always do your research. Before I booked anything I did an entire day or 2 or even 3 of research so I felt like a pro going into everything. There is a lot of things you may not know that can help you either save money or just have a smoother time all together. Definitely don't rush and try to be ahead of yourself. I've done this a few times and it only led to errors that I ended up having to fix. But overall, you got this! Every overwhelming part will pass, trust me.

View Quoted Comment It's the braidsmaid dresses and the color I picked

View Quoted Comment Yea that sound about right... I did order swatches though the color is a little off than wat I wanted

View Quoted Comment Yea that's about right...mines in Nov...I too got the idea of what I want everything to look like...but I have to breath at times because I'll tend to get very overwhelmed

View Quoted Comment My wedding is August 14th 2021

View Quoted Comment Yea that's so true...I'm hoping all this covid stuff be done and over with

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Oh okay, well you still have some time before your wedding so try to relax and knock things off one at a time.

View Quoted Comment I see. Well, I always say... wedding planning is only as hard as you make it. If you have the overall vision solidified for each segment of the wedding (ceremony, cocktail hour, reception), then the details easily fall into in place. However, what I usually see is that most brides are piecing ideas/plans together as they go along and have no real direction. So that is usually a quick route to stress. But don’t overthink or constantly second-guess everything or you’ll get nowhere. Best wishes and happy planning!

View Quoted Comment So u r about 8 months away

View Quoted Comment Yes 8 months away

I planned my own and there def is a lot of components. So you gotta stay organized, make yourself some lists, take breaks every now and then.

I definitely understand. My fiancé and I don’t have contact with our parents so no “adults” to help us out. My MOH is my 19 year old sister. She’s wonderful, but young . My fiancé and I have found scheduling time for us to go over wedding stuff very helpful. He doesn’t care as much about details, but having allotted time for him to talk through things with me helped me feel less overwhelmed. Also, we planned “mini dates” to walk around wedding sections of stores to look at things for fun.

I planned two (thanks covid) weddings by myself and never once felt stressed. Try to stay organized and enjoy the process. I guess it depends on what aspect is stressing you out, but you have a long time still to plan! Just remember to do exactly what you and your fiancé want!

Yeah, I wanted Vegas and my fiancé wanted a big wedding. Yet here I am planning alone. I don't really know what I'm doing just following the checklist on here. Both our parents aren't much help either. So im a tad annoyed.

View Quoted Comment Ty so much I'm trying