Oh my goodness, you’re engaged! You’ve been dreaming of this moment since you were just a little girl and now it’s finally happening. After you read everyone’s congratulations and can’t stop staring at the new ring on your finger, it hits you… Where do you start when wedding planning? Don’t worry girl, I’ve got you!

1. Choose a Venue and Date

You can’t really start securing any other vendor without first choosing your venue and nailing down a date. I’ve had several brides reach out before they have a date and even though it’s exciting, we can’t officially book without first securing the day of the wedding. My advice is always to be flexible with your date. If you want a really beautiful venue, but they don’t have your date open, look at all of your options! Several venues have Friday and Sunday availability too. Stay tuned for some new blog posts featuring my favorite vendors coming soon!

2. Planner and Photographer

This may be obvious to some, but once you get your venue and date secured, I highly recommend booking your planner and photographer right after. Your planner will relieve SO MUCH STRESS and allow you to just enjoy the entire wedding planning process. I have an entire list of amazing planners that I send to all of my brides!

3. Secure Other Vendors

Your planner will help you choose the best and most trusted vendors. Hiring all of the other important vendors like florist, catering, entertainment, stationary and décor rentals should come next! This should be the fun part. Now you get to start dreaming up your colors, décor style and what you envision the day looking like! 

4. Plan Your Engagement Session

Planning engagement sessions are so fun for me! I love helping my couples choose outfits and locations that represent them best. I’ve photographed engagement sessions on family farms, in the city, on a beach or in a field. We can make magic anywhere! 

4. Pop some bubbly and Celebrate!

While wedding planning can seem overwhelming at first, I always tell me couples to never lose sight of what matters most. You’re getting married! You are going to spend the rest of your life with your favorite person. That’s a reason to celebrate. Invest in the things that outlive your wedding day, invest in each other and your amazing love story.

See you next week for another post in this series educating couples who are wedding planning! Never miss a blog post, sign up for my email list here. Enjoy this post? See another one here.

xoxo,
Zoe