Newly Engaged... How to tackle wedding planning?

Hey Kimberly, congratulations on your engagement! It's definitely not too early to start planning, and you're in the right place!

I don't think anyone has mentioned this yet, but I think the first thing you should do is decide on a budget and guestlist. Once you have those two things nailed down, you can start dividing up your budget and get a clearer picture of how much you're working with and what areas you can cut back on. I like the budget took provided on here, but I also purchased a wedding planning binder (The Knot's) and it helped a lot with keeping me on track and not going over (or if I went over with something, I scaled back on something else).

ALSO, you don't have to "propose" to any member of your bridal party, just ask them however you'd like. And you don't need to pay for their outfits unless you can afford/want to.

Best of luck!

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Omg your bouquet is really pretty!!!

April is cheaper so thats good. dont book a date in wedding season its crazy expensive. honestly the best thing you can do is price shop and make a budget and stick to it. ive been ordering my decor on a website called aliexpress. i ordered my bouquet which was $20 and i spent $5 on my bridesmaids bouquets. i also ordered flower girl baskets for $3, ring pillows for $2 etc. i ordered a fake cake im going to make for $25. etc.

my bouquet looks something like this: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33019056855.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.63d96b8ecdJAqY&algo_pvid=2387b0dc-c3aa-4cc3-bf77-9299e4bb1b97&algo_expid=2387b0dc-c3aa-4cc3-bf77-9299e4bb1b97-49&btsid=14e9f035-04b1-46e8-83e9-0d71045f0ecb&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_5,searchweb201603_52

Congrats on the engagement and welcome to Wedding Wire!

First off, it's never too early to start planning! We got engaged October 2017 and started the planning process December 2017 for our October 2019 wedding (which is now under a month away)!

First things to book: Venue - get a "where" for your wedding. Now is the time to look since most will have 2021 dates. We booked our venue 20 months before our wedding. Next, look at photographers, DJs/Bands, Officiants, Catering & bar (if not included with venue), cake baker.

How to avoid being a bridezilla: r/bridezillas have some good horror stories about brides being absolute nightmares. There will be times you'll need to vent - and that's what this community is great for! We offer non-judgmental advice and everyone here knows what it's like.

Staying under budget: DIY can definitely be your friend! I did all my invitations/stationary, table centerpieces, and decor. However there is a trade off with money spent and time spent with DIY - you save money, but then have to put in the time Doing the DIY. If flowers aren't important to you - don't have them!

Wedding party: I feel like I'm in the minority, but I didn't do proposals for our people. I simply asked them, but I made a point to do it in person, and offer to take them for dinner. You don't need to pay for their outfits (we aren't) but make sure it's clear to people what you expect of them (tasks and money to spend) when you ask them - this will help eliminate problems down the road!!

Also check out Jamie Wolfer on youtube - she's a wedding planner/coordinator based out of California but has videos dealing with lots of wedding planning aspects. She also launched the Master Plan recently: The Master Plan it's an online course that talks to all aspects of planning a wedding (more detailed version of her youtube videos)

Congratulations!! I would say it's never too early to start planning. It also helps you to be less stressed as you get closer to the wedding. I would say book a venue first. We tried to get our engagement photos done right away but our photographer wouldn't book with us until we had a venue. Then once you have a venue, book your photographer/s, some of them book up really fast.

I created my own save the dates on photoshop and just went to London Drugs and got them printed. I think it was around $50. Then for our wedding invites I just picked a simple template on Vista Print. I think it was around another $50.

I am doing a couple of DIY signs but I also found some cute signs at Dollarama (they actually have some nice decorations if you haven't checked them out). We are just doing a BBQ for food so that'll help save money. I would say try to see if friends and family will help as much as they can. My mom is making our cupcakes which will also help with our budget.

I made cards to ask my friends to be bridesmaids but I don't think they're needed. My bridesmaids and the groomsmen are paying for their own outfits.

Congratulations and welcome to the WW community. I am not getting married till 2021 as well and I have already started with things I can start on. You'll find that you will find a lot of fun and creative ideas here that can save you money and help keep you on budget. You can have any kind of wedding you like. Spend what you want to make your day perfect for you. First thing I would do is look on your marketplace for any decorations people are done with. It may save you time and money to buy used decorations. Good luck in planning and feel free to ask any questions usually someone has been there and there is lots of advice to smooth things out.

Congrats!

Planning is never too early to start. Consider your biggest vendors to book once the venue is chosen.
Venue
Photograph
Videographer
DJ
Baker (6 months beforehand)

Options to rent may save you the energy to store the items after the event. As for bridal party, saving on the cost of giving the asking box adds up easily. Just ask them personally. Let them pay for their outfits and suits, unless they don't want to use the dress again and decide to rent for the day.

The idea of DIY projects is smart and making time with your BMs and groomsmen.

Budget is the biggest challenge that will get you to compare pricing of retail vs. rental putting the amount way less than anticipated. I had set a budget of 20K and came out 2,500 less for 72 guests. Your vendors will need to be paid for their meals part of their contracts.

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;-; Tori, thank you so much for answering my questions.

Well congrats on the engagement and welcome to the wedding wire community!!

Never too early! Especially since some venues book over a year in advance!

First thing since you have already picked a budget would be to figure out which is more important - guest list or venue. If it's venue then find one, if it's guest list - just make a rough one to see what ballpark you are going to be in for numbers.

To save money I would skip Save the Dates unless you have people from out of province attending - unless you do evites.

For proposals - you don't have to, just like you don't have to propose or be proposed to in order to get married. It's just fluff - fun fluff... but fluff.

For outfits - nope! They agree to be in your wedding party means they are aware of the costs and time they will need to put into it. (Just make sure they are aware of this when you ask them to be in the wedding party.)