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As you prominently display the 3rd finger on your left hand … the news hits your mother, your best friend, your sister … and the screams begin. YOU'RE ENGAGED! You are on cloud nine. Everyone is so happy for you. And EVERYONE has planning advice, tips and referrals for you. Usually starting with, "my neighbor had ABC Company do her flowers", "my sister-in-law had invitations done by XYX", "and your 5th cousin Hilda's wedding was beautiful in the highlands of Scotland."
Just a moment ago, there was excitement and happiness thinking about this stone and your impending future. Now, there is nothing but lists, lists, lists. To-do, To-call, To Buy, To Decide. Pretty soon your head will be swimming and your own vision for your wedding may begin to fade. So, how do you get your vision and your happiness back? Follow these 5 tips to help you get started planning your wedding:
1. Calm Down & Get Organized – A little bit of measured breathing never hurt anyone. Breathe. Now purchase a Wedding Planner Binder. There are 2 types of wedding binders, pre-made or self-made.
Pre-made Wedding Planner Binders can be purchased at stationary stores such as Hallmark or book stores such as Barnes & Noble. Some big retail discount stores such as Target and Wal-Mart may have some as well.
A self-made binder will take a little work and a little time. Here are the supplies:
* (1) 3-4 inch 3 ring binder
* (20-30) Tab Dividers. Advice: buy the most tabs per set (ex. 8 tabs are better than 5); look for printable labels
* (50-100) 3-hole punched clear page protectors
* (1) Heavy Duty 3-Hole Punch
Instructions for assembling a self-made wedding planner binder are as follows:
* Locate wedding planner pages or software online. Some will be free, yet un-customizable and others will need to be purchased
* Print all pages associated with the wedding planner
* 3-Hole punch all pages. Tip: Buy 3-hole punched paper to save you time
* Label each tab according to each section of the planning pages
* Assemble your binder
* The first 2 sections in your binder should be, phone numbers / contacts and any variation of a checklist, preferably counting down to the wedding
* Each section should contain2-4 empty page protectors for information, brochures, swatches, proposals, or contracts
Now that you've either bought or made a Wedding Planner Binder … DUPLICATE IT! That's right, you will need 2 binders. The reason for 2 binders is backup. Just like your computer, your wedding planner binder needs a backup. One binder will be kept at your home or in a safe place with all of your valuable and final information. The other binder will be carry along with you to meetings, fittings and tastings.
2. Make a Preliminary Guest List – A preliminary guest list will give you a rough idea of the size and cost of your pending nuptials. You may not think you have a big family and everyone fit a grandma's dining room table during your childhood Thanksgivings but how many people have had children, gotten married? On your own and in private … start jotting down names and numbers. This can be as simple as one name, "Jane plus 3." Do the same for your fiancé's family & guests. You do not have to know their full names and addresses. Just "Uncle # 1 plus 2" or "Grandma 1 & 2" will do.
3. Research – The most expensive aspect of any wedding is the food / catering, topping out at 45-50% of overall budget. With your rough guest count, you will need to find out what the average cost per person for catering is in your area. To accomplish this, you can call various caterers on your own, solicitor referrals from friends and family if they are willing to divulge their expenses, or you can call a Wedding Consultant. Simply Beautiful Concepts and some other consultants offers its potential clients a proposal for their services. These proposals can include a preliminary vendor list and quoted pricing for services. If you have your heart set on certain aspects of your wedding, location, accessories, décor etc. research costs associated with those items as well.
4. Finalize Budget – Now you know what a realistic budget may look like. Sit down with your family and / or fiancé and decide on a budget. My advice to brides is to build in 10-15% variance on their set budget. Until you start looking at all the proposals and finalizing contracts, there is the potential for any one service to be more or less than anticipated based on the market, time of year and location.
5. Plan – Now you've got your wedding planning well on its way. Grab your wedding planner binder and start with the basics, ceremony location, reception venue and wedding consultant. Follow the checklist provided. Happy Planning.
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Source by Letetia Evans
