Did you plan your wedding without hiring a wedding planner?

I just used this app and what ever services the venue offered and researched the rest for myself its been pretty good so far but im only having a small wedding of 46 people

We have been planning our own wedding. It can be stressful at times but it is manageable

The best advice I can give my past self (or anyone else) is develop a vision, create an inspiration board, do a bit of research (explore DIY options for things like stationary), set a budget, and then begin planning.

Wedding Wire has been a great source of organization for our wedding planning as well! The check-list is useful and the community boards are so helpful

For sure!! and with so many planning websites/ apps out there you'll have no issues. On the day, your venue coordinator should be able to help with vendors telling them where to go and I've been recruited many times by my friends to help out on the day of with setup and take down something you can definitely ask your bridal party/ family/ to do. Our friend is our MC and he's going to be the liaison for a few vendors that me and the Mr can't do help ourselves.

Just don't leave it to the last minute. The more you plan in advance the less stressful it will be and he more you can enjoy the process

I hired a 6 week out planner but ive done everything myself! but look on kijiji for cheaper ones but you can totally do everything yourself

I did it all on my own. My venue had a coordinator, so all the vendors coming in were directed to their locations, and she basically managed them coming in.

Once we came into the reception the DJ dealt directly with me for the flow of the rest of the night.

Some people do a day of coordinator, or use family members to help with the planning.

I am a super organized person, so for me it was easier to plan it all, and be the organized one to let people know what was going on. Plus I had a timeline for everyone to follow throughout the day and the whole day went really smooth.

With the prices - ya, you can plan it all on your own. I had originally hired a day of/ month of coordinator and tbh I'm glad they had to back out because I don't think it was all that needed. It's not like they plan the wedding anyway, they're just there to make sure the actual day goes according to plan as well as to be a inbetween for the vendors.

If you are looking into a wedding planner who does EVERYTHING then that's going to cost THOUSANDS of dollars and I really can't say it sounds worth it.

Get a friend as an MC, they will have a schefule and get things rolling..
The cheapest day of ive found was 1700, like. What?

Yes you can plan the wedding on your own. Wedding planners charge so much for their services.
Getting organized and keeping track of your purchases and vendors information helps to know what your spending as to your budget set.

Yes... you can. Wedding wire definitely helps keep you on track but I’d also buy a book if you can/are interested to keep better track of things.


With that being said, maybe look at hiring a day off wedding planner? They are significantly cheaper and help quiet a bit on the day of.

View quoted message Wonderful suggestion! I've been watching on YouTube for a bit and she is awesome. I'm loving her "guests don't GAF" about list!

View quoted message I will check out that YouTuber for sure! Thank you so much for the advice.

View quoted message Thank you so much for the response! I hope so. Now that he has picked his Best Man and has someone else to talk aboit it with he seems to be opening up more. Looks like i just need to keep beimg positive and patient!

View quoted message Thank You very much! These were all great questions to ask myself! Im think i am going to be okay if I don't get a wedding planner then. I enjoy planning these sorts of things.

Not a silly questions at all.... I think that you are able to do a lot yourself, there are a ton of online resources to help you out! Favourite Youtube: Jamie Wolfer (Wedding planner in the US) and Podcast: Wedding planning podcast, I got a ton of info from them. Personally, I hired a wedding planning company but mostly for the day/month of coordination, although they have been great throughout! If its not in your budget maybe ask a close friend (not part of your wedding party) to help out with day of logistics.

View quoted message Since you have given yourself so much time, you should be able to be your own wedding planner. One thing that is important is once you've decided on something and am feel confident in that decision, stick with it and cross it off your list. As you get closer to the day you will find your FH giving more insight into your big day.

Not a silly question at all

First, I think you need to ask yourself two main questions: are you planning to DIY a lot and how are you with project planning?

A wedding planner will come in super-handy if you're not doing a lot of diy or are looking to hire a fair number of outside vendors. For example, if your venue is an all-in-one, then you won't have to worry about any dishware/glassware/flatware/dinnerware rentals, linen rentals, chair & table rentals, and some decor rentals, not to mention catering. This can cut between 2-6 different vendors from your list. That's 2-6 different companies/people that you don't have to worry about coordinating, which is a big deal.

If your venue is more DIY where you have to rent all those things, do you really want to be the one doing all that research and calling around? Some answer emails right away and some don't. Some have prices on their websites and some require you either submit a quote request or call them directly. Do you have time for all that? Or is that something that feels overwhelming to you?

The other option is to go for a Month-of or day-of coordinator instead. They're a bit cheaper, but their services are not as extensive. You'll still be responsible for sourcing all your vendors, but they'll be able to coordinate everything in the last weeks, leaving you free of the last-minute details.

Good luck!

View quoted message It can be hard to get them excited. Is there a part of the wedding he's opinionated or excited for, like the food, the bar, the music? If he is I would put him in charge or keep him really involved. If nothing else it will show h how much work it is to plan a wedding!

View quoted message That is excellent advice! Thank you! I already started separating things by momths so im glad im on the right track there! And Im giving myself a year and a half to plan the wedding. I just wish my Fiancée was willing to be more involved.

First off, there are no silly wedding planning questions! Always feel free to ask, this group has been a wealth of knowledge and wedding insight.


I'm doing everything without a wedding planner. There are a few diys to tackle that I'll ask for help from my mom and my besties. On the day of I'll be leaning on my future in-laws and my parents for setting up and tearing down. My plan is to keep decor simple so it's easy to install ourselves or with minimal help from the venue staff. Asking for help isn't always easy, but if you need it reach out to your people and be clear about what you need, how long it might take, and when you need their help.
To keep myself from getting overwhelmed I've taken the to do list (my own with pieces from WW app) and broken it into chunks with reasonable due dates. This has made it feel less stressful as I look at my list and think "ok, this month is about cake and invitation inspiration. Next month is invite design and accessories"

You definitely can if you're comfortable with that! I hired a day of coordinator though just so I can enjoy my wedding day and not have to worry about everything getting taken care of. But since I hired her, she's offered help when/if I need it and just advice about other things, and they can help with sourcing vendors if you're having trouble, which usually is another fee though. But having a professional at your disposal never hurts if you have the funds for a day-of coordinator since those prices are drastically smaller than having a full out planner. But like I said, if you're that kind of person that can take it all on then there's absolutely nothing wrong with that!