Getting married? Where to start

Are you getting married and are unsure where to start? Here is a guide to start planning the wedding of your dreams!

It is essential for you and your future husband to discuss the most important aspects of the wedding: when, where, amount of guests, and type of service. These important questions must be answered to start the initial planning of your wedding. When deciding on when you want to get married, discuss the timeframe until the wedding, the time of year, day of the week, and timeframe of the big day. The time of year and day of the wedding will influence availability and pricing options. Location is also very important, discuss whether you want an indoor or outdoor wedding, local or abroad setting, etc. The location will also influence the amount of guests. You must also decide if you want a religious or civil service. After you have these decisions made you can progress to the rest of the planning.

The next steps are making a list of everything you need for the wedding and deciding on a budget. It is important to make a complete list of everything including the ceremony location, reception venue, flowers, dress and accessories, invitations, food, cake, entertainment, photographer, gifts, linens, decorations, transportation, services for the bride and bridesmaids, rings, and everything else needed for the big day. Some brides may choose to hire a wedding coordinator to help with all of the details if it is within the budget. Many bridal magazines, websites, and stores offer wedding planners to help keep track of all the details. When deciding on a budget, make a list of things that are really important to you and things that you could save on. It is also important to make an estimate for each item. Many websites offer budget calculators that help determine the percent of the budget that should be spent on all of the things.

It is very important to next decide on a theme and the bridal party. When deciding on the bridal party, make a list of all the potential people and then decide on the bridal party number to narrow the list down.

Once you have confirmed the ceremony and reception locations, you can start contacting the venues, florists, caterers, and entertainment companies. Ask for a rough estimate and write them all down. It is important to shop around to make sure you get the best deal for what you need and want. You may have to adjust some things to stay within your budget.

Next you can start thinking about the invitations. When deciding on invitations make sure that you consider the invitations themselves, name cards, save the date cards, RSVP cards, and thank you notes. After the invitations, it is important to think about the wedding favors. Craft stores, magazines, and websites can give great inspiration. Don't be afraid to get creative and this is one area that you can do for less money if you are on a strict budget.

Make sure to start shopping for your dress at least 6 months before the wedding date to allow enough time for shopping and alterations. Do not try on any dress that is out of your price range no matter how tempting it is because you want this to be one of the best experiences of your life. Take someone close to you for support and help. Go into the experience with an open mind and do not be afraid to try on different styles, you never know what it looks like on. Allow going to as many dress shops as needed to find the one just for you. The old saying is really true, "You just know when it is the perfect dress."

One very important piece of advice is to ask anyone and everyone for help! The more people that help you will alleviate stress and make things go more smoothly.