Recently engaged? What to include in your first wedding to-do list

Once you have taken the time to really enjoy your engagement it’s time to start thinking about planning the big day.

Pick a date / and extras

First things first you need to pick a date. I suggest to my clients to choose a couple of days they would like should they have their hearts set on booking a particular venue they have a higher percent hit rate on the venues availability.

Set a Budget

Next is to set a budget. I know I know it’s super boring and tedious however without knowing how much you are willing to spend on certain aspects of your wedding as things can get quickly out of hand whilst court up in the moment.

Research / Book a venue

Lastly is to start researching where exactly you wish to hold your ceremony and reception. Once you both have decided and are happy with your decision it’s time to lock it in. Because without a venue booked in you can’t really start planning or hiring anything or anyone for that matter. Well you can but it can be disastrous if the available dates don’t line up and you just don’t need that sort of negativity in your life.

Inspiration

Get inspired by flicking through wedding magazines, going to bridal expos, creating a pinterest wedding board and stalking vendors socials for some inspiration.

Create a wedding planning binder

Get yourself an awesome planner or binder that you can work out of by writing down all your tasks and information. Super handy to keep all your ideas and paperwork in one spot!

If you’re not the stationery type I would recommend a wedding planning app or to-do list.

Wedding Happy is my favourite wedding planning app (Free) as it provides you will detailed checklists, reminders, budget tracker and much much more.

If you are wanting a simple to-do list that you can organise your wedding planning lists as well as your day to day tasks I would recommend Do! (Free) It has HEAPS of functions that you can add to your task such as: Colours, dates, times, set alarms, use ‘pins’ to prioritise your list and create groups.

Think about hiring a wedding planner or coordinator

Have a think about how much time you are prepared to spend on planning your wedding. If you’re like most people and have already full schedules look into hiring a wedding planner. They can plan as much or as little as you like! Also consider a coordinator (most wedding planners also provide this service) there’s nothing worse than stressing on your big day thinking whether the cake has arrived yet whilst you should be soaking in all the magic of the day.

Create a wedding savings account

This is a great way to keep track of savings as well as spendings. By doing this there’s no making errors when it comes to your day to day bills.

Start drafting up a guest list / bridal party

Start by writing down anyone that comes to mind. You can always refine the list later. This is just a draft so you can go a little crazy 😉

Find balance

Life is already pretty tough as it is between juggling work, relationships, ‘me’ time, diet, exercise, family and friends and then you throw in a wedding that completely throws out the balance which then results in a VERY stressed out bride to be!

*When starting out just create small achievable goals to get the ball rolling. No need to freak out at the thought of it all. Start small and see how you go.

*Get a good 8 hours sleep every night!!! This will allow your mind and body to recover from your super packed days of organising. Trust me you’ll feel HEAPS better about wedding planning after a good nights sleep.

*Set aside specific chunks of time to do just your wedding planning. This will focus your mind to get your tasks done with no hassles. Sundays are the perfect day to gather your thoughts and make something of them!

Written by Janette Newell I Olive Rose Weddings & Events