Fancy clothes, lots of dances, friends and family—wedding season is in full swing. During the late spring and early summer months it can seem like every weekend is full of another wedding. A lot of planning went into each of those weddings and if you’re newly engaged you might be a bit overwhelmed on how to start planning your wedding. Here are five tips to help you get started.
Start Your Guest List Right Away: After you have a tentative guest list everything else will be easier. You’ll have a better idea of how big a space you need, which will help you narrow down your site options, come up with a budget, and ultimately settle on a date.
Set Aside a Day: Pick a day to commit to wedding plan and make sure you stick to it. By picking one a day a week to do some planning you can ensure that you are both available to go over details and that you don’t end up stressed out at the last minute.
Figure Out Your Finances: Not just your wedding budget, although that is important and you should discuss it as soon as possible. But figure out all your finances, such as if you will have a joint checking account after you get married or keep your individual accounts, or some combination of the two. Discuss how you will pay for shared household expenses and who will contribute what, chances are one of you makes more than the other.
Be Flexible: Maybe you’ve had your whole wedding planned out since you were five, but things change and you need to consider the wants and wishes of another person now. Or maybe your dream site isn’t available on the date you wanted. Things are going to come up. Not everything is going to go exactly as you want. Be flexible.
Buy a Calendar: Either buy a calendar or set up a shared Google or other calendar of your choice. Then grab some wedding planning checklists from sites such as The Knot and Real Simple and add in important deadlines.
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