Newly Engaged!

I have only been engaged since July but have found planning super fun and not too stressful yet. I have a couple of pieces of advice based on my experience.

For the venue:

Look at as many as you can, don't restrict yourself to ones on here, I looked a lot on reddit as well. Start a spreadsheet and be honest with yourself (rule it out early if you don't like it)

For food:

This will be expensive (no matter what-haha) but remember that there are many ways of doing it! We ended up booking one vendor for the mains and meat and another for sides and salads. It was cheaper and it made the menu exactly what we wanted.

Hair and makeup:

This is something you may not think of too early but it made it easier for me to have the time to shop around and really understand this. I booked hair and makeup for the day of recently but no matter what you are quoted, if you tell them your budget, they are often able to work within it! Also, many makeup artists will offer a trial, DO IT.

Other, random pieces of advice:

-If you order little things like napkin holders, balloons, etc. from Wish/ Aliexpress early and do it sort of spread it out (one thing at a time), it will add up a nice collection of fun, decor items. It also is a great way to have some fun and do some of the more fun and creative stuff while you are also dealing with the bigger, more overwhelming stuff (i.e. booking vendors).

-Join as many Facebook groups (buy and sell, planning, etc.)

-The minute you mention the word wedding (for anything- decor, flowers,etc. ), things seem to be more expensive. Try looking on kiiji, etc. for things like jars and ladders (instead of wedding related groups).

Shop around for prices if someone tells you a price dont be like ok ill pay that. i emailed 40+ decorators and finally got someone in my price range that is giving me so much extra! do monthly payments for vendors as well that way when your wedding comes youll have most of it paid off

View quoted message All of this!!! I wish I would have found Jamie Wolfer on YouTube sooner in my planning! She has so many great things to say and advice.
Having a wedding party that doesn’t create drama and will be a huge help to you is really important to help keep your stress levels down!

Welcome to wedding wire! Using this community as a tool for planning has been really helpful for me. I would also say make sure that you choose a wedding party that is likely to be helpful and supportive throughout the planning process. The last thing you need is added drama because a life long friend is jealous or absent something. Also look in to Jamie Wolfer on YouTube. Best of luck with your planning!

Congratulations and welcome to wedding wire. Budget and guest list are biggest parts I think. Using the checklist is a big help too. Happy planning.

Congrats!!

Big thing is budget - completely agree with Kelsie!!

She basically said everything that I would have actually But here's a link to the planning articles on wedding wire that might help out - Planning Basics

Hi Cait! Welcome to WeddingWire and congratulations on your engagement!

Definitely set a budget now! This will help you narrow down venues and vendors that you hope to book. Once you have a budget down, try to start thinking about how many people you want to invite, again this will affect which venue you choose.

I think finding your venue will be a helpful first step, once you have the venue locked in you can start looking at other things to compliment the venue, i.e. florals, decor, etc.

All the best in wedding planning!