Where do i start?

Congratulations!

I would start by setting a comfortable budget and thinking about your guest list. These will be very important when moving forward and booking vendors. The first vendor to book will be your venue. Without a venue, you don't have an actual wedding date. Research several and schedule tours. Once you select your venue and wedding date, you can move on to things like photographer/videographer, caterer, etc.

They recommend ordering your dress at least 10 months out to allow time for it to arrive and get altered.

Happy planning!

Congratulations on setting your date!! I recommend starting with your budget. Figure out how much you can save up between now and your wedding and/or are willing to spend on your wedding, then put together an estimated guest list to get an idea of how many people you would like to invite. From there, look for venues in your budget that can hold at least the number of people you plan to invite, and schedule some venue tours. Once you book your venue, look for other vendors (photographer, DJ, etc). Another thing I recommend is using a checklist to keep track of planning! Wedding Wire has one, and The Knot does too. Those will help guide you through wedding planning. Also, always feel free to ask questions on these forums! Happy wedding planning!

Sit down with fiance and decide what elements are important to you (usually guest experience ..good food, guests don't pay for drinks, good dj. And photos) and toss out the rest. Work on a ballpark guest list and decide what you can spend without asking for help. Search venues on eventective.com ..blank slate bring your own caterers are cheapest because they don't have food/beverage minimums that very few can afford. They also include tables and chairs so you just have to find a photographer and dj, etc.

View Quoted Comment Thanks! Great advice

View Quoted Comment ❤ Thank you so much

Congratulations! You will want to start by creating a budget then your guest list. Both of these will help you when it comes to finding your venue. A lot of venues provide in-house catering and therefore charge per person so you will need to know roughly how many people you plan on inviting to make sure that the venue you select will fit within your budget. You will also want to make sure that the venue can accommodate the number of people you plan on inviting. I've seen numerous posts on here where the couple realized the venue was too small after the fact so they had to pray enough people wouldn't attend which definitely isn't ideal.

I would recommend getting a wedding planning book or using the checklist on here or The Knot (another wedding planning site similar to this). My mom bought me the The Knot wedding planner which I loved having because I could take it with me to meetings with venues and other vendors. It was also great to have all of the information in one place rather than papers and things in several different places. I have linked The Knot planner below.

I would also check out Jamie Wolfer's YouTube channel. She is a wedding planner who makes weekly videos providing advice to couples getting married. Just this week she released a where to start video for couples that just got engaged. It included a ton of useful information. She also had a free timeline that you can download. As well a 6 or 12 month program that you can buy if you choose that she created to walk you through the wedding planning process like she would if you were one of her clients. I have also linked her channel below.

If you are looking for ideas, I would recommend Pinterest. I created a Pinterest board for all things wedding related. I also broke it down into sections so I had a section for wedding dresses, bridesmaids, flowers, hair and makeup, etc. It not only helped me when it came to deciding what I liked, but it also helped my vendors see what I liked because some of them asked me to send them my link so they could really get a feel of what I wanted for my wedding day.

I would also either create a separate email or folder within your existing email for all things wedding related. That way you can stay organized. I also created a folder on my desktop for all things wedding where I saved all of my contracts and any other forms I received such as the form my DJ sent us to fill about about what songs we wanted for special moments like the first dance.

The Knot Planner: https://www.walmart.com/ip/The-Knot-Ultimate-Wedding-Planner-Organizer-binder-Edition-Hardcover-9780770433369/20664188?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&&adid=22222222227000000000&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=42423897272&wl4=aud-1025747331336:pla-51320962143&wl5=9007869&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=20664188&veh=sem&gclid=CjwKCAiAouD_BRBIEiwALhJH6DAKWwfTZrNPX1AXkXDhuvLVWBJTgUPVs9L4VtOfGt2D3hDCVYDyHhoCz3AQAvD_BwE

Jamie Wolfer (wedding planner) YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdAcY6YGgF-RgGYXTsOENbA

Congratulations! That’s so exciting. I would start by deciding on a budget. That’ll help with guest list as well. I would suggest the next step to be having a rough estimate on the guest list. & next pick a place/venue.

Also there are many articles under the "planning tools' link and via Google so you don't have to spend money on a planner book. Go to Target, get a 3 ring binder and pocket protectors to carry receipts, paint chips of your colors, fabric swatches, contracts, etc.


Instead of the WW tools, utilize Google Sheets/Docs which can easily be shared as needed without losing vital info

Browse the past threads of the forums via the search box.
WW for a website to share with guests has countless glitches. Many have suggested Withjoy.com and Wix.com coupled with rsvpify.com
Vendors can be located via Yelp and thumbtack.com. Many do not put stock in the WW listings because negative reviews are regularly removed so nothing is subjective.

Congratulations on your engagement. First determine the budget, then guest count and venue.

In addition to what everyone else said, I would come up with 2 or 3 back-up dates in case you fall in love with a venue that doesn't have April 30 available.

That’s so great to hear! I’d recommend starting with setting your budget, deciding what’s most important to you (dream venue, flowers, photographer?), and finding venues, as the other posters suggested!


Also as someone else said, you may need to be flexible with the date if you end up liking a specific venue. Not sure what area you’re looking in or what type of venues you have your eye on, but 4/30/22 was my preferred date, and all but one of the venues I was looking at were already booked for that date. (This is may just be my area/preferred venue vibe). But many venues had the week before open, so we were still able to grab our top venue choice

I’m getting married on April 22nd I would set a budget pick a venue choose colors
Officiant photography caterer book up quickly so I’d book those asap

Congrats now that you have a date look at venues & start looking for your bridal party then go dress shopping for you to get an ideal of what you want for your big day...

View Quoted Comment Do not pick your bridal party before 6 months before the wedding. Countless threads here tell of brides having regrets, friendships ending, etc because they were picked way too early.

Set a budget

Book a venue

Set a budget

Do NOT ask people to be in wedding, it is WAAAAY too soon

Set a budget

Don't talk about it on any social media platform, when doing so people think they are invited

Set a budget

When you DO ask people to be in your wedding, six months before the day, please remember their only duty is to show up sober and dressed. They are not your hired help, you can not "fire" them, they do not need to "step up" - this site is LITTERED with people who wanted to fire their Maid of Honor as she did not "step up" and get as excited as the bride.

Set a budget

Do NOT accept a promise to pay for anything. This sounds cold, but this site is also littered with people who said "My dad offered to pay for the photographer and now he can't" and it puts everyone in a bad place. Before accepting any gift of cash, ensure it is truly a gift. Mom wants to pay for invites? Great! Does this mean she gets to pick them out?

Set a budget

Doe anyone have divorced parents? Tell them, via a third party if needed, that they have to put their crap away for ten hours and smile. This is not about them.

Set a budget

Sit down with your fiance and get a CLEAR vision of what you want your wedding to be: civil? religious? Indoor/outdoor? Dance no dance? Bar? Limited or open?

Best wishes! XOXOXO

View Quoted Comment

My bridal party was picked 3months after I got engaged & we r still cool every last person... You pick ppl who will get along and will be perfect for you on that special day... With that being said they always wont be ur bestfriends you pic nor family but dependable, caring, outgoing, fun ppl

Congratulations! First and foremost is the budget. If you have it sufficiently then everything will go smoothly!

Congratulations on getting engaged! So I guess first is the budget. I am very fortunate that my parents are helping pay for my wedding and we have divided up what all of us are responsible for. After my parents and I worked out what we will each be paying for we selected the venue. I actually just officially booked mine today!

The venue will set the tone for the rest of the wedding. That way when you start picking out a theme, colors, and how you want the flow of the big day to be you will be able to have a vision in your mind of what the venue will look like with your ideas.

A fun thing I recommend brides do to celebrate their engagement is to get their engagement photos taken!