Basic Steps to Planning A Wedding
You're engaged! The thrill of finally being engaged may be tinged with apprehension about all the work you need to do when planning a wedding. While you will discover a thousand decisions that need to be made, this is a list of the basic steps that go with planning a wedding.
The first thing to do when planning a wedding is to personally tell all of your closest family and friends. This is really not the sort of news you want them to hear from anyone else. Once they know your big news, you can check with them on the timeframe you are considering and see if any of them know of potential problems with the date.
After talking it over, setting the official date is the first big step in planning a wedding. Once you do that, you have an idea of what your planning timeline is going to be, and you can start talking specifics with wedding professionals.
Once you have a date set, you need to start thinking about what type of wedding you want. Planning a wedding in the park is much different than planning a wedding in the biggest church in town. You need to know as soon as possible what theme you are going with, and how formal your wedding will be, since that will guide all of your other decisions. This is the first hurdle when planning a wedding.
The second hurdle is to set a budget. Talk with your family members and write out a realistic budget. Budget doesn't mean that you are going to shortcut and pinch every penny, but it does mean that you are going to make some choices about what is important to you and spend your money wisely. Planning a wedding doesn't have to require a second mortgage.
Once you have the date set, an idea of what type of wedding you want, and a good budget set, it's time to look for the locations for your rehearsal, dinner, wedding, and reception. If you already know what you want, talk to the person responsible for scheduling and see if you can make reservations. A deposit may be required for some wedding venues, so keep that in mind.
The next step in planning a wedding is to choose your wedding party. Keep your budget in mind when you are thinking about how many attendants you want. Ask each person to be a part of your special day, and give them information about the dates so they can begin making plans as well.
These are the basic decisions that are required when planning a wedding. Once you have this foundation laid, you can begin working on the details such as selecting a dress, planning the reception menu, and choosing flowers. Planning a wedding can be a lot of fun as long as you stay organized.
We know that every wedding is different. These are the basic steps to planning a wedding and can help you start thinking about the tasks that may be specific to your wedding. To get more specific help check out the resources below and throughout this website.
And please be sure to check out our pages about Wedding Planning Software, Wedding Planning List, Wedding Planning Guide, and Wedding Planning Checklist elsewhere on this site.
