how to plan a wedding in 6 months flat: week 2

Alright, guys. It’s week 2. It’s getting real. I feel I must start this post off with a warning…

Warning: do not read wedding “to do” / timeline lists! 

They’re going to tell you you’re six months to a year behind… Right when you get engaged! How dare they! If you’re anything like me that’s going to make you a little crazy – which, in turn, might make your fiancé crazy. And ain’t nobody got time for that :) You should be basking in pre-marital bliss, not bumming yourselves out.

Okay, you’re a week in. You’ve started some research, started some conversations, and scouted some venues. Now you’re ready for how to plan a wedding in six months flat: week 2!

• choose a venue; lock it down; sign a contract; boom
• schedule some appointments to try on dresses
• continue searching through Pinterest and bridal magazines for inspiration for dresses, ceremony, and reception (just make sure you ignore those timelines!) I got these cute zig-zag cork boards from the Container Store to create some vision boards :)
• research wedding coordinators; ask for price ranges/packages; schedule a meeting with one you are interested in
• find a rental company; schedule a walk-through at the venue to discuss your ceremony and reception needs in more detail
• set up some meetings with DJs (we had one coffee meeting this week and scheduled a Skype meeting for next week)
• keep workin’ on that guest list!

As you can see, this week is a lot of scheduling appointments. The main things to do are to book a venue and decide if you want a wedding planner or a wedding coordinator.

In my opinion – and most others I’ve heard and read – even if you are planning your wedding yourself – as my fiancé and I are – you will likely want a coordinator for the day of. There are so many moving parts, it will be a lot to try to manage it all yourself. It’s your day to enjoy! Set yourself up to present and peaceful, not planning and panicked.

From my research here in LA, most wedding coordinators you hire for “day of” actually include “month-of” service. That way when you pass off all the info you have on vendors – and a million other details – they can familiarize themselves with it all, make sure nothing falls through the cracks, help set up timelines for the day of to keep it all running smoothly, and so much more!

Of course, you can hire a partial or full service wedding planner if you are too busy to put in the time to plan your wedding yourself and have the financial means to do so. My recommendation is to discuss with your fiancé what your value is in it. For Clay and me, we decided we wanted a more hands-on approach to planning and creating our wedding atmosphere. Also, we realized we could save some money if we put in a little more work on the front end, and could then spend a little more on other things that are important to us – can we say honeymoon?!

Whatever you choose, my advice is choose it together. You are a team after all. What better way to start planning your marriage while planning your wedding than to practice working together in this season.

Happy planning, y’all!