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So you have just become engaged – congratulations! Now it is time to start planning your wedding. It is a big job, but can also be a lot of fun if you know what you are doing. Get off to a great start with this guide to wedding planners for beginners.

Step one is to set a date for your wedding. You can not do anything else until you know when you wish to tie the knot. Pick a two or three week span of acceptable dates if possible, then start visiting wedding venues. Once you have found a venue that you like for your wedding, you can find out which of your preferred dates that they have available and finalize your wedding date. As soon as you decide on a venue, sign a contract! Lock in not only the date of the reception, but the hours, the price, payment schedule, and the cancellation fees (in case you wake up one morning and decide to elope!). For a marriage ceremony in a house of worship, contact your clergyman as soon as you become engaged to find out what the steps are to prepare for marriage; it is not just about reserving the church – some religions also have a lengthy period of preparation.

Once your wedding date is official, you can move on to finding the vendors who will put your wedding together. If you want a wedding coordinator, pick one right away. After that, the caterer (if not provided by the reception venue), the florist, and the photographer should be your first priorities. When it comes to the caterer in particular, you can not book too early, so start looking as soon as you sign the contract with the reception site. Expect to put down deposits and sign contracts with all wedding vendors along they way; This is as much for your protection as their. Make sure to specify in the contract the name of who will provide the service, so you do not get to your wedding and find the photographer's assistant waiting for you instead of the photographer you met with.

The next batch of wedding professionals to seek are the baker, musicians, stationer, and transportation. The reason you can wait a little longer on these is that bakeries and stationers can handle more jobs than the other vendors can, and there are lots of great musicians available. Nonetheless, once you get through booking the first wave of wedding professionals, there is no reason to delay on the next batch. The earlier you look, the more choices you will have.

Choosing the attire for the wedding is often one of the most fun parts of the planning process. As soon as you have signed with your venue, you can start shopping for your wedding gown and accessories. A year in advance is not too early, and anything less than six months in advance is actually cutting it a little close, believe it or not. Some bridal gowns can take five or more months just to arrive at the salon after being ordered, and then you need time for alterations as well. Also, not every bride finds her dream gown her first time out shopping, so that can add some time to the process as well. When it comes to the bridesmaid dresses, ordering them at least six months in advance is ideal, although you can probably get away with a shorter time frame if you are willing to buy off the rack or pay rush fees. The smaller accessories like the bridesmaid gifts (jewelry tend to be the most popular bridesmaid gifts), veil, bridal jewelry, and shoes can wait longer than the bridal gown and bridesmaid dresses. Do not forget to pick out attire for the men in the wedding too!

With the basics under control, you will be able to give some attention to the smaller details of your wedding, like favors, seating charts, and so on. A good planning book with a checklist will help to make sure that no details are overlooked. When the wedding planning is on track, you can really relax and enjoy your engagement.

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Source by Guy Antonelli