Wedding Planning: Where to Begin
Dear Wedding Women,
I'm engaged to be married in August, but I have no clue where to start or even how to start. I don't know anyone that can help me. So if anyone as ANY advice, please, I would be most thankful if you could help me out.
Jamiehar
Dear Jaimehar:
We understand why you may be feeling rather stressed right now. August is not that far away, and you have a lot to do. But although the idea of planning an entire wedding can be overwhelming, if you plan in a logical, organized way you can make the process much easier and more enjoyable. Here's how to get started:
1. Sit down with your fiance and figure out what type of wedding you would like to have -- traditional, non-traditional, formal, casual, large, small, and so on. Also discuss where you would like to have it. If you disagree, compromise based on your priorities (in other words, consider what is most important to both of you, and try to come up with a plan based on those things). What you come up with is your "wedding vision."
2. Discuss your financial situation and how much you two can afford to spend on your wedding. Next, discuss what you think your parents would like to contribute, if anything. (Have a hard time talking about money with your fiance? Get help from MoneyLife's Couples & Kids area.)
3. Sit down with your parents (not all together; one family at a time) and discuss your ideas for your wedding, be open to their ideas, and politely and without any expectations ask them whether they would like to help pay for the wedding.
4. Add up all the money you now have to spend on the wedding, and revise your wedding vision, if necessary, based on your budget. (Keep in mind that, since your wedding is only six months away, you may have to make a few, hopefully small, revisions again later, should you run into trouble booking a site or professional with such limited time. Then again, you may luck out and find a pro or a site that has had a cancellation and be able to negotiate prices because they're nervous about not booking that date with so little time left.)
5. Begin to inquire about wedding venues and wedding professionals (always keeping your budget in mind, of course) that may be right for your wedding. Check with friends, family, the chamber of commerce, the tourist bureau and regional magazines, and do research on the Internet.
6. Start interviewing pros over the phone. If they offer what you're looking for at the right price and are available on your wedding day, set up a face-to-face interview.
7. Once you hire your wedding pro (make sure you have a contract, signed by both parties), don't second-guess yourself. Instead, move on to the next wedding-planning task.
8. Speaking of tasks, definitely accept any offers of help. Choose the areas that are most important to you, and handle those decisions yourself, then assign out other duties, if you can. If your best friend knows her flowers, maybe she could be in charge of centerpieces or bouquets. If your future brother-in-law is into music, let him help with the band research.
Hope this helps!
The Wedding Women
