Let the planning begin
July is my favorite month in the whole year. But August is starting to creep in there because it kicks off my wedding planning! I am definitely a Patty Planner, so I am going to make sure this is a fun experience for me and everyone involved. I am only hoping I dont make it onto an episode of Bridezillas.
I took the last week relishing the fact that Matt and I are finally engaged. Back story for the new folks. Matt and I met in 2004 at a party in college. He was part of the Target group that I worked with. While friends, we hung out every weekend (in a group) and we always had the same work schedule. The next July 4th, we went down to Florida to stay at his roommates beach house. We were playing some stupid drinking game when I rested my head on his shoulder and something went off. It was like an out of body experience. I said to myself “hmm he is not this big tough guy that he portrays.” I was hooked. And of course the awkward giggling happened EVERY.TIME.I.SAW.HIM. After a few solid weeks of nothing, we started hanging out more and more with fewer friends attached. Around this time I was really unsure of what would happen to us. He was leaving to join the Army. Fast forward 7 years later and here we are.
So now that we are getting hitched, there is a lot of planning to do. I had to breakdown the list by month because there was so much to wrap my head around. Thankfully The Knot did that for me.
To do in August:
Choose wedding date - DONE! June 8, 2013. Originally we wanted March to keep costs down, but my younger sister is still in school and we want her to be part of this.
Research venues – seeing we are picking a busy wedding month, we have to get that narrowed down sooner than later since places might be unavailable
Finalize the budget – Seriously, our budget is tiny. I am not going to reveal the budget until after because there are a lot of naysayers out there thinking I am being completely unrealistic about this.
Finalize the wedding party – DONE! I have known for a long time though. Matt, not so much. He has already asked our friend to be his best man…or really our friend told him he was the best man, lol.
Ask the girls of the wedding party to be bridesmaids – I have a DIY project coming for this. I want to give them enough time to plan and prep.
Begin Guest List – such a daunting task, but I want to get it over with.
Research music options – I am so stuck on what I want to do in regards to music. Band, DJ, Ipod? I dont know how expensive these are, so I need to start looking around. I know this part is going to be drawn out for me.
Start a wedding party Facebook Page – as cheesy as that sounds, I think its a good idea so we can all keep in touch with each other and MUCH easier than sending out trails of emails.
Other things I have already done:
- Picked the colors: Yellow, Navy, and Natural. I am OBSESSED with burlap and that will be a MAJOR part of the wedding
- Bought the ring bearer carrier. Coming in a future post
- Picked a theme: rustic
-If feasible, picked out a theme for our menu. Coming soon
After I broke my lists out by month, I felt a huge weight lifted. There may be a few things on my list I probably do not need to start for another few months, but in taking advice from a few comments from our last post, getting it done earlier is much better. SEE I LISTEN TO YOU!!
I honestly have NO idea what to expect during this process, so more advice is welcome. Expect some posts on things I have made throughout this process (as DIY is a big part of what this blog is supposed to be!).
What elements did you love about planning for your wedding? What did you hate?
Are there things you wish you had done differently?
(sorry about the formatting on this post)
About The Author
Heather
Other posts byHeather
Author his web sitehttp://www.thatredheadedsister.com
When you’re checking out venues, ask them for recommendations for DJ’s. They see a lot of DJ’s so they can give you an idea of who does a great job and who doesn’t. Sometimes if you can get a discount if you mention to the DJ that the venue recommended him.
I’m SO excited for you! Having a date is one huge obstacle out of the way, but I would say that maybe be flexible on your date pending choosing your venue. I just knew I wanted a summer wedding (June or July but preferably July) and then the date we went with was mostly because it worked well with our dream venue. Finding a venue was definitely the MOST stressful part of planning for me. By far.
I highly recommend weddingbee! Such a great site and the forums/boards are awesome with lots of great advice! It all depends on what things cost in your area because the cost of wedding things range SO MUCH in different geographical areas in North America but I think having an iPod for music will be your best bet budget-wise. I don’t regret having a DJ but it was kind of expensive. I would just recommend assigning someone to manage the iPod and have that person be in charge of it all night. Maybe a cousin or someone you want to include in the wedding but doesn’t quite make the bridal party cut!
Good luck with everything!!
Thanks! I am going to check out Weddingbee when I get home. I think the venue is def going to be the hardest because people charge crazy amounts. One place I fell in love with wanted $8000 and that included NOTHING! Either way, the main objective is keeping it fun.
I agree with Amber, weddingbee is a must! I am on there like every day reading, learning things, posting my own DIY projects, etc… And thank goodness because I had no idea that you were supposed to get your bridal shower hostess gifts! (But that is another story)
This is such a fun time, enjoy it!!! And if you ever want to chat/vent about the process just shoot me an email!
Weddingbee…check! Im getting on there tonight.
I am so glad you said something about the hostess gift because I had no idea. Im sure there are plenty of things I am forgetting. Suddenly my budget seems way too low. sigh
Wow, you’ve already gotten a lot done right away. That’s how I was too. It’s so exciting! Your wedding sounds like it will be beautiful!