You’ve found the right mate and you’re now one of 1.2 million couples getting ready to plan the event of your life. There are so many things to get in order – the ring, the place, the food, the flowers, the guests, and it goes on.
But planning your wedding doesn’t have to be stressful. If you can organize, budget, and be realistic to yourself about your wants and needs you can experience the absolute joy in planning this most exciting day in your life.
There are a few things to get started with immediately that will relieve a ton of pressure in your planning process.
Attend a bridal show
At a bridal show you can meet with tons of vendors in a neutral location. This allows you to test their personality against yours to be sure it’s a match. If not, you can move along throughout the show to find the right one. You can find flowers, wedding cakes, gowns, rings, bridal fashions, entertainment, photographers, and so much more. Some bridal shows also have fashion shows, gown sales, and other promotions that help get you started off right.
You may need to attend more than one bridal show to find the right vendor. The average bridal show is about 70 booths in size and is usually held in a hotel, mall, or other small facility. Some of the larger bridal shows are held in larger facilities where professional sports teams play and have 150 – 300 booths of vendors.
Not all bridal shows are created equal so sometimes going to more than one will give you a totally different perspective as well as display different vendors.
Find a wedding planner
There are tons of free wedding planners online and each can help you organize your budget and remember all the little things. Online planners must be printed out, but you can put them into a 3-ring binder and add a organizational sleeves for your swatches, business cards, postcards or any other planning material.
If you don’t find a free wedding planner you like you can also check in with Amazon or Barnes & Noble to see what they have in stock. There are literally hundreds of wedding planners published each year, but the free ones are usually just as good.
You may also consider a wedding coordinator to help you if you don’t have the time to plan the entire event by yourself.
Don’t be afraid to get started
Don’t let fear of deciding keep you from getting started. It’s overwhelming at times, but you can make adjustments as you go. The longer you wait to get started the more anxious you’ll become and the closer your date will get. Like most brides you’ll find that once you’ve started the rest is easy.
7 reasons to attend a bridal show:
1. Avoid stress in your planning
2. Meet vendors in a neutral location
3. Gather ideas
4. See the latest bridal fashions
5. Book last minute vendors
6. Get free stuff
7. Take advantage of show specials
Other things that will help in your planning are wedding magazines, wedding planning websites, blogs, and any advice from a now married bride.
