Every time someone asks me “how is the wedding planning going?” I never know what to say! So, my response is always “oh, it’s going!” I mean, it is and it has been however, I feel like I am done. I know, some of you reading this are probably like “huh, what?” but seriously, I feel like I’ve been at a standstill in the planning process for months now. I got engaged, booked my venue 3 weeks later, booked important vendors by Christmas, and now am just paying as the months go. To a lot of people, this is crazy and say that I am lucky because wedding planning is “supposed” to be stressful. So, today I just wanted to share my wedding planning timeline plus tips on how to make the process quick, easy, and fun because it has been and I don’t think planning needs to be a hassle!
Timeline
First things first, let’s start off with the timeline!
Engagement + Booking Venue
I got engaged on July 2nd, 2020 and it was an amazing moment. I was surprised, happy, and ready to start this new journey of my life. After the engagement party and festivities, we jumped right into planning. The first thing we did was set up a meeting to visit the venue that we were interested in. We both wanted to get married outdoors and possibly near a body of water. So, me -being the researcher that I am- had already had a few locations written down and our venue was high on the list.
We visited, got a tour, spoke with our (now) planner -who is amazing btw- and we fell in love with it! The location is perfect for both our families, it is on a lake, we are having both the ceremony and reception outside, and the entire aesthetic and vibe is going to be what we both want. This entire process literally took about a week.
Booking Vendors
After we had our venue secured, we began seriously planning, searching, and looking up what we needed and wanted. After Thanksgiving, we started to actually start looking more seriously. We knew that we needed a photographer, videographer, DJ, florist, bakery and so forth. The amazing part about all of this is that our venue has vendors who they work regularly with and have partnerships. So, this process was super easy to complete because we had a package full of businesses to look through. We looked through their websites, had phone consultations, spoke about their packages and voila! We found the perfect vendors for us all before Christmas!
Getting My Dress
After Christmas, I had set up an appointment at Alexandra’s Boutique, where I found my perfect dress. I had already had a dress in mind and the style that I wanted and was blessed with an amazing consultant who made the process smooth, fun, and easy. She brought out every dress that I liked, made me feel comfortable and in an hour or so, I decided on my dress!
Discussing Bridesmaid Dresses + Ordering Them
After I got my dress, my bridesmaids and I began talking more about their dresses and looks. This process wasn’t too hard because all I did was find a few pink dresses that I liked and thought they would like then sent them to the group chat for votes. Once everyone voted on a dress, I gave them a no rush deadline on when to get the dress and accessories. Easy peasy.
Catering + More Info From Wedding Venue Planner
In February, we finally had our tasting for our reception meals which was amazing. I am a foodie– I love food and being able to taste 10 different meals and desserts (for free) was wonderful. We decided on what we wanted and it’s another thing checked off our list.
Hair & Makeup Trials
A few weeks ago, around mid March, I met with a makeup artist to start doing some trials. Funny enough, the makeup artist was the same artist who did my best friend’s wedding two years prior! She remembered me and the session was comfortable and amazing. Definitely start doing trials early on so you can get a grasp on what you like.
Speaking With Decor Planner
About a week after the trials, we met with our decoration planner and gave her our vision and whatever ideas we were thinking about having. This process was the easiest because she is my cousin who knows what I like and dislike. I had also already had a few items saved to etsy and few ideas on Pinterest that I presented her with that made the meeting go smoothly.
So there you have it! Today is March 29th and that is our timeline as of now. The only things left to do is finalize our floral centerpieces and our wedding cake. Other than that, we are simply just paying due dates off and giving vendors whatever information they’re looking for.
Now, let me elaborate and share some tips on how everything was so smooth sailing.
Tips
- Research
Researching is your best friend in anything that you do but especially when it comes to weddings. Weddings are expensive and you want to make sure that your money is going towards something worthwhile. Don’t just cheap and easy going venues, vendors, or items. Thoroughly research what you want.
Also, create a mood board of how you want things to look. This will make researching on both yours and the planner’s end go much smoother.
- Inclusive Venues
When it comes to venue shopping, look for a great location that has a lot to offer. Our wedding package with our venue is amazing and has a lot of perks from having our wedding cake and floral centerpieces, discounts, and special perks to make our day wonderful. Take the time to look for a place that fits your standards, style and idea, and has a lot bang for their buck.
- Package Deals
Package deals are your best friend! Meaning, don’t just go with the first thing you see that sounds good. Look for deals that have a lot to offer, that also include multiple services. For example, our photo, video, and DJ are all coming from the same company and because we’re using more than one service, it’s cheaper and easier. Plus, they’re also a preferred vendor of our venue.
Once you slap the word “wedding” in front of a service, the price hikes up. That’s the honest truth. You’ll come across companies listing services like “$2000+ with only one photographer for about 4 hours” uh no thanks. That’s nothing for a whole day’s experience. Our package is a little under $4000 and we get two photographers; one for 8 hours, the second for 4, a videographer for 8 hours, and a DJ for 4.5 hours. How perfect is that? Do your research and don’t just go with the first offer.
- Book Appointments ASAP
It is never too early to book appointments early– especially in the middle of a pandemic. I know wedding planning timelines give you a list of when to get things done but if you feel like getting something taken care of,then do it! Things get booked quickly and you don’t want to end up missing out on something great.
- Communication
Communication is a word we see almost everyday. Why? Because it is one of the most important things you do in your life. When it comes to wedding planning, you need to communicate with everyone you’ve hired and are working with. Having no mistakes, miscommunication issues and so forth will happen if you’re speaking regularly with everyone involved. Make sure your questions are being answered, you’re answering questions, you’re providing information, ideas, and everything will go smoothly.
Alright! That is all the tips that I have for you lovely people and if you have any other tips that you think are important, leave a comment! And for those always asking about the planning, I hope this timeline gave you some insight.
Comment, Like, Share & Subscribe!
Xoxo,
Shay