February is here my friends, and if you are anything like me, you are excited for February to be here because just around the corner is spring! This is so exciting to me, but I do remember that this was a scary time when I was planning my wedding because it meant that before I knew it, our date was just around the corner and I had so much to do!

So today’s tips for the planning process revolve around how to plan once the big decisions are made.

Now again, don’t feel you have to plan the rest of your wedding in one day! That is just not necessary or fun at all! Once you have the key things set, like the date, the venue, and your photographer, here is what I recommend for thinking through your planning.

1. After the date is set and the venue is set, start working on a timeline for your day. I would strongly recommend talking to your photographer about this as well, because they can help you think through the timing. There are lots of factors to consider when planning the timeline and you certainly don’t need every last piece set in stone right away, but start generally getting an idea together.  I’ll have another whole post dedicated to this soon!
2. Decide on your bridal party- this can be a bit time consuming depending on how obvious your party is, but don’t be afraid to be unconventional. For example, you may have three sisters, but your fiance may not have any brothers…so don’t worry if everyone matches up two by two! You aren’t walking onto Noah’s Ark, so don’t worry about mismatched numbers!
3. Finalize the guest list-this will be helpful as you continue to plan because you will need that final number (give or take a few) to make other choices like tables, flowers, decorations, food amount, etc.
4. Start thinking about generally what you want your theme to be. Again, you don’t need every last detail, but what is the overall look you are going for? Pinterest can be helpful for this, but if you find it to be like going down the rabbit hole, I would recommend looking at your photographer’s blog and other photographer’s blogs for inspiration. You can usually tell pretty quickly if the wedding you are about to look at would be of interest to you and you can find a lot of inspiration there!
5. Start researching your other vendors- such as the DJ or band, transportation, makeup/hair, etc. and make sure they have your date open! Prioritize any vendor that cannot be double booked for the day and if it is someone you really want, book them as soon as you can!
6. Start delegating- once you have a general list of what you need to do and how quickly you need it done, start recruiting help! Usually there are people who want to be involved, so give them a task to complete!
7. Start dress shopping- now I will post a whole separate post on this next week, but start this process sooner rather than later. In a perfect world, you will find a dress right away that fits like a dream, but in the event it takes a little longer and you need it altered, you want to leave plenty of time!
8. Start looking with your bridesmaids for their dresses for the same reason as above! Usually, it is much easier to find these, but again, in case it takes a lot longer than planned or you have members of your party from all over the country, then you definitely want to leave enough time!
9. Start looking into honeymoon options early as well! Especially, if you are going somewhere farther away or will be traveling during a prime time for that location!
10. Plan some time with your fiance that doesn’t involve wedding planning- this will be essential for keeping this process enjoyable and not make your months of engagement feel like you are just working. Enjoy this process together and talk about why you are getting married, not just about your wedding.

Catch up on the previous posts!

Week 1

Week 2

Next week will be all about the wedding dress!