The idea of planning a wedding is exciting, yet it can be a bit over whelming....especially when you start to actually decide on a "look", sort through the hundreds of vendors, work out travel arrangements, clean-up crews, budget every penny spent and realize there are more details than expected.
Creating the wedding of your dreams will take more than just a beautiful dress and fancy flowers (which cost a fortune). For the same amount of money you would spend on those fancy flowers, help from a planner who can offer industry expertise and a little thought you can create an extraordinary wedding ceremony and reception that will not only leave a lasting impression on you, but your guests.
Here are a few tips to help keep you sane in the planning process!
1. Decide on a date. Even if you can't nail down a specific day in a month - at least have an idea of the time of year. This will have an effect on your decor and where your ceremony and reception site will be.
2. Your Style. Are you trendy, a romantic or artistic? Your wedding can reflect your personality and style. Sticking to a theme really helps keep you focused in the tons of choices out there. It is often tempting to pick a hodgepodge of things you like, but in the end they do not go well together.
3. Stay focused. Keep a master list of things you need to do and complete one task at the time. If you are anything like me, you may tend to want to do everything, or at least get started in everything at one time - especially in the beginning becasue it is such an exciting event. FOCUS! If you complete one thing at a time, you know it is done and you can feel confident you don't have one more thing to juggle in your schedule!
4. Stay organized...all the way until the wedding day! There are online resources, such as http://www.weddingwire.com/ or http://www.marthastewart.com/ (weddings) or you can use a journal, etc. Whatever method works best for you, stay organized so you don't get overwhelmed.
5. Get Help. Whether you get a planner or have a crew of friends and family who are REALLY up to the task, know you will need help to make the big day go smoothly. I have seen time and time again people trying to plan an event this size on their own only to be stressed out and leaving details undone.
Congrats on your engagement and happy planning!
