You got engaged, now what?
First off, congrats!
Now, before you set a date or think about venues or think about who you want to invite, take some time and really think about what you'd want your wedding to look like.
Ignore every website or blog, including this one.
Go to dinner together, have a cozy night at home, go for a hike, a bike ride.
Ask yourself the questions
Start with your non negotiables.
What traditions do you value and would like to incorporate?
What are your top priorities?
do you want more time with family? a weekend trip? a destination getaway? an elopement?
a small intimate wedding day? A huge extravagant day?
What aspects of other weddings you've been to stand out?
Remember
Nothing is wrong, there are no set rules
Go plan a wedding that is a direct reflection of yourselves! :D
Okay,
you've taken some time to think.
you've done it organically and not under the influence of social media or current wedding trends.
You know what you want, and now you just have to put it into action.
Hopefully this will help clear up the process.
Now set yourself a budget
Both an overall budget as well as an allocated budget on a per vendor basis.
you should also include the budget for your honeymoon within this, just so you have all bases covered.
Having fully envisioned your wedding day, you probably were able to notice what parts were most important, that's obviously where your budget should be focused.
How important is dancing for you at your wedding? a good dJ makes all the difference, more than just music, a good MC helps people feel comfortable getting up to dance and just overall makes the night better.
Do you want the story of your marriage to be accurately conveyed during your ceremony in a fun way that keep your family and guests engaged? shell out for an experienced officiant. (or if you have a fun friend that you know would do a great job, even better in my opinion.)
Do you want an experienced photographer that can both make the day run smooth and capture amazing images? Cutting costs with a photographer is something you won't realize was a mistake until after your wedding day. (it makes me sad whenever people tell me photographer horror stories)
You have your budget.
Now decide on a venue and a date (if your heart is very set on a certain venue, you may have to be flexible on the date. venues sometimes book out up to 2 years in advance for peak season Fridays and Saturdays)
general order of booking
should you choose to use a wedding planner, they would be your first step as they will be your guide for all remaining steps. otherwise, this is the order of how you should book your vendors.
VENUE
PHOTOGRAPHER
CATERERS
(if not included with venue)
OFFICIANT
DJ/BAND
FLORISTS
CAKE/BAKER
HAIR/MAKEUP
TRANSPORTATION
STATIONARY
(save the dates/invitations)
ATTIRE
(dress + suit + bridesmaids and groomsmen attire if applicable)
after you've done all this and maybe drifted off budget or not. Then you can think about additional fully optional vendors such as videography, photo booth, specialty entertainment, a live painter, a haiku person, unique favors, etc
So much stuff, I know.
Keep in mind, if you have a good vendor, each individual vendor will help to make your life easier in their own way.
Like any machine with so many moving parts, the sum of all parts decide the outcome.
I have vendors I've worked with multiple times and have never let me down. If you're looking for some guidance on choosing, feel free to peak.