Wedding Planning SOS

Make a budget and then start with a rough guest list and then email a bunch of venues that you like and check them out and get pricing and then decide if you will have ur cermony there as well! after ask teh venue for their preferred vendor list so you can check djs, music, decor, wedding planner, entertainment etc.

I'd say take your time. Really think about what is important to you and your FH. There are so many things you can do or leave out. It is totally up to you. The people who know you the best want you to be happy. They want to celebrate your happiness in the way that makes you comfortable. You could do anything from a backyard bbq to an elaborate dining experience. The possiblies are endless.

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YES! I love, love, love The Knot Ultimate Wedding Planner & Organizer. I found it helpful with lists, worksheets to bring to vendor meetings, suggestions, and so much more. It's been a really good tool to also keep all my recipts in place and everything tidy.

There's nothing wrong with a long engagement and taking a while to plan.
I got engaged in May last year and didn't have a date until September. And then from there didn't have anything actually planned or booked until January this year.
I was stressing over not having anything booked yet, but my style has already changed from what I thought I wanted (and that's definitely reflected on my Pinterest board) so I'm glad I didn't rush into booking a venue or other major planning.

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A wedding binder would not be a bad idea, I should look into getting one. I am a person who likes planners and writing things down over electronic stuff.

any suggestions on one? lol

My partner and I are having a very VERY small ceremony, and then a fun party at my parents place as a reception. What I did was pick out a few dates, venues, officiants, etc. and contact them to see which all lined up for a date. If you're doing things on a small budget, like me, you'll have to make some small compromises, but make sure you're not compromising anything really important to you. For example, the venue I had my heart set on for the ceremony was only available mid-day, and I wanted to have it later in the afternoon/evening, but now I've adjusted things and found the silver linings that come with it

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Hmmm well it's a shame that your venue fell through.

My best advice to you is to know your budget and plan accordingly. The first thing we did after getting engaged (and telling everyone) was purchase a wedding planning binder. It's really helped me since I've known where I should be in terms of planning, how much of my budget should go to what aspects of the wedding, and what kinds of questions to ask vendors. I've honestly found it to be my most helpful tool and kind of keep me grounded when planning everything.

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Honestly, like no more than 50 guests, and my budget is literally as small as I can possibly make it lol.

I don't want to spend a lot on one day, I would rather put the money towards a super kick ass honeymoon.

Thank you all for the kind and encouraging words!


Venue fell through ( the company is leaving the space at the end of this calendar year even tho they say they are booking 2020 weddings), so I'm back at square one lol.

How small of a wedding are you planning to have? What does your budget look like? If the planning is overwhelming you, you could look into wedding planners and see if they're a) affordable and b) able to bring your vision and expectations to life for you.

I totally get how it all becomes so overwhelming and I have so much respect for people to are able to execute their weddings (with ease) since it's just awful planning lol.

Congrats and Welcome to the site where we all are helpful to take you through all your planning process.

Now you have a venue booked to look at and then decide if its for you.

While waiting, start a guest list to have a certain amount of family and friends attending. Plus 1s will be considered into the count if you know there a few individuals personally in a serious relationship.

Take one step at a time and get it done before you move onto another task.

Some of the major vendors once booked with the venue to consider:

Photographer

Videographer (optional)

DJ

Officiant (later on during the planning)

One step at a time is all it takes!

You've already found a venue you would really like - so make sure you let your sister know so that she doesn't accidentally get any of the same things as you. I know that my FH's cousin got engaged about 6 months or more after us and her wedding is this weekend (ours is Oct. 5). I made sure she knew which venue we had chosen, what my dress looked like, and when my Wedding Social was so that they didn't end up the same.

Of course, at her wedding shower they had teal and purple everywhere and those are our wedding colours... so that might end up being the same somehow.... but our wedding will be better of course!! lol

Communication is key!

Don't worry - I think most brides get a little overwhelmed! The list on WW is super daunting at first but if you just take it step by step, it makes things so much easier! Start with your venue for sure and maybe tour a couple others just in case - it's kind of fun! You can turn the tours into dates for you and your fiance and get lunch or ice cream or something afterwards I found it took a lot of the stress out of our tours. Then choose a few date options to run by your preferred venue as well as your families (we almost had a date conflict with FH's family).

Then you have your date and, from there, most of your other vendors will just fall into place! Ask your venue for a list of their preferred vendors - they will always have a good working relationship, the vendors will know where everything is already (saves a lot of hassle for a DJ for example!), and some might even offer discounts for weddings at that venue or at least not have travel fees since they're generally local. And don't stress! They may be a little trickier to find, but affordable vendors are out there. Try joining the Facebook Ontario Wedding Buy & Sell - there are always vendors posting on there with deals trying to fill their remaining dates. Good luck and try to enjoy yourself a little

Take it Day by day. Wedding planning is very over whelming, but rewarding. There is a lot to get done, but don’t think you need to accomplish everything super quick!
Start with your venue. Once you have a date picked, you can worry about other vendors.
Give yourself time to plan so you don’t feel rushed. And do whatever to make yourself organized, whether it be a planner, a huge calendar, or a million lists!

I understand how you feel! Wedding planning is overwhelming!

I found once i booked my venue everything else sort of fell into place. Have a meeting at your potential venue and see how you feel about it! Ask lots of questions and see if it fits your budget, theme, etc!

The best thing to do it talk to vendors in your area. The more info you can gather the better. It is totally normal to feel overwhelmed. Just take it one day at a time and know that you dont have to commit to anything you aren't okay with.