Planning Your Wedding Yourself, From Budget to Location to Rehearsal Dinner
Congratulations on your engagement! It is an exciting time. You probably want to run out and plan all the details right now, but slow down.
You have chosen to forego using a coordinator for your wedding and that can be a tough decision, however, it is probably one that you have made in order to save some money somewhere. Is it possible to plan your own wedding beginning to end? Yes, it absolutely is. Here is a look how.
The first thing after you get married is to pick a date. It may be a special day, or just a random day, but usually weekends are the best days to pick because more people can go. Because this is a widely known fact, vendors and wedding ceremony/reception venues will take advantage of that. So try choosing a Sunday for your big day. Most places prices are considerably lower on Sundays. Also, make sure you give yourself at least a year to make all the plans. You will love yourself for giving enough time to keep your sanity.
Now that you have a date, the toughest step stares you in the face. Decide where the budget will come from and what it will be. Her parents, his parents, self financed, $5,000, $10,000, $50,000? ALL of your planning will revolve around this unless you have an unlimited budget. And in that case, you will not be planning your own wedding.
After you pick the date and set the budget, begin scouting out locations that you would want to have your ceremony and reception. Some places do both and some places only do one or the other, so figure out what your preferences are regarding your wedding. Do you want one location or two? When you narrow it down to a few places, do some research on the internet to make sure they fit in your budget. There are websites on the internet like theknot.com that will help you budget things out. When you get some locations you like, make appointments to go see them and interview the appropriate person. Make sure your date is available!
When you have your locations set, it is vendor searching time! This can be fun but extremely overwhelming. There are different bridal showcases/shows that you can go to which have vendors at booths so you can get information from Dj’s, Photographers, Videographers, Bands, Florists, Bakeries, etc. An example is San Diego’s Bridal Bizarre. The absolute best thing you can do, however, is research. Check Yahoo! and Google for keywords, or for Californians www.bridalinsider.com. These are brides and future brides all exchanging info on message boards.
When you find vendors you like and they fit your budget, interview them! Ask questions like: Are you familiar with our location(s)? What type of style do you shoot? (for photographers) What will you wear to our wedding? Do you need any breaks? Get every question on record in hopes of avoiding any conflict or confusion on your big day.
Here is a list of vendors to consider:
DJ or band
Ceremony musicians
Florist
Baker
Photographer
Videographer
Officiant/Minister (who will marry you)
Limo
Going into all your interviews, keep in mind that is ok, and expected that you negotiate the price. If you email to get quotes first, do not mention that it is a wedding. That is a key term that tells vendors that they can give you the shaft when it comes to price. So negotiate, negotiate! Get the price you want.
Somewhere in this mess of meetings you will want to register! Go to Macys, Target, Bed, Bath, and Beyond, anywhere you want to get gifts from. This list will be helpful for engagement party, showers, and of course the wedding. When choosing what you want, pick a lot of stuff!!! Cheap and expensive, scan everything you want because it will give people a chance of all incomes to partake in the gift-giving activities.
When you have a date, locations, and vendors, then you are probably getting closer to the wedding date. Now a bunch of tedious tasks have to be done. Find rehearsal dinner locations, get gifts for bridesmaids/groomsmen, find tuxedos and wedding gown, make ceremony programs and favors, etc.
Rehearsal dinners should be close to your ceremony location. This makes it easy for people get there after rehearsal. Gifts for the bridal party can come in the form of jewelry for the ladies, and mugs for the guys, or get fancier from there. It is just a nice gesture for the people that are close to you. If you are making your favors and ceremony programs, start on them and get them done. A nice wrapped candle can make for an easy favor.
Who is coming to your wedding? That’s right! Create a list of people you want to have at your wedding! Get a list from your parents as well if they are paying for it. Chances are they will just give you a list of people you’ve already included on your own list. Make sure you send out the invites 6-8 weeks before your wedding date.
So that is pretty much the bulk of what you will encounter when planning your own wedding. Just remember to keep an open mind and a positive optimistic attitude because you are planning what should be one of the greatest days of your life.
