Now that you have the engagement ring on your finger, it is time to start getting organized and planning your day! Your wedding is one of the most fun and exciting days in your life! Having a plan in place can help keep you on track and eliminate the stress of scrambling at the 11th hour. 

1. Give yourself enough time to plan

The more time you give yourself to plan, the easier your wedding day will be! We have photographed a few weddings that were planned under 6 months- while it is possible to plan under short notice, it does add a lot of extra stress. If you have the option, start your planning at least 10 months ahead of time. Earlier planning will allow you more time to figure out which vendors you will want to use. It will give you more flexibility on booking your dream venue and not have to go with plan B or C.  You will also be able to figure out a budget well ahead of time and better able to handle paying your vendors in smaller chunks instead of paying for everything all at the same time. Set up a time with your fiance to sit down and plan every few weeks. This will help keep you both on task and make sure you are on the same page for your wedding planning.

2. Create a budget

Creating a realistic budget and knowing what you are willing to spend on your wedding is one of the most important first steps you will take! It is no surprise that a wedding is a pretty hefty investment and knowing this will help eliminate some sticker shock while shopping around. The average wedding cost close to $30,000 (higher on average in NYC and NJ), but that doesn’t necessarily mean that is how much you will spend and that number can fluctuate. If you have family pitching in, make sure to know what they are contributing so you can plan and budget for all your vendors, favors etc. 

3. Know how many guests you would like to invite

Sit down with your fiance and figure out how many friends and family you’d like to invite to your wedding. Will it be a smaller and more intimate wedding? Or will you have a huge blowout wedding party with 250+ guests?  Knowing the size of your guest list will help dictate not only your budget needs, but also which venues you will want to look at to accommodate the proper amount of guests.

4. Pick your venue

This is your real first step in committing to a vendor. Once you have your guest list or a rough estimate of how many people you want to invite- you can start researching venues. You and your fiance will likely have a venue type in mind (examples: Churches, Country Club, Rustic/barn, mansion, hotel in the city etc.). Now that you have researched some venues- you can reach out and make phone calls to tour some places. Let the venue know what budget you allocated, so that way they can be up front whether they can accommodate your needs or not.

5. Pick vendors that will make your lives EASIER

As everyone knows, a wedding is NOT cheap to plan. It can become tempting to skimp on your vendors and want to hire them based on price point alone. The old saying “you get what you pay for” could not be more true! If it is within your budget hiring an excellent planner will take a huge weight off your shoulders. But if you are planning everything yourself- do carefully research your vendors- especially your photographer, videographer and DJ. A great wedding photographer is not only there to document your wedding day as it unfolds, they should be helping keep your event running smoothly on a time schedule. We recommend finding a photographer who can print your images and create story-telling albums instead of just handing you a USB stick of the photos. A videographer should be skillful enough to document your wedding without blocking the view of guests during a ceremony or causing distractions. And hiring a great DJ will help eliminate the issue of someone messing up your introductions, fiddling with sound systems, or being socially awkward around guests. Take time to interview your vendors and make sure they are a good fit for your budget and NEEDS. Hiring great vendors will add to the overall experience on your wedding day.

We hope this overview of some wedding planning tips helps get you motivated to start your own wedding planning goals! Don’t be afraid to reach out to friends who have recently been married to ask them if they have any helpful advice too! As always, don’t be shy and feel free to send us any questions you may have as well! We wish you luck on your journey with wedding planning!