First thing, let me tell you from experience - as soon as you set your date start calling and reserving your venues, photographers, caterers... you would be surprised how many of these have a year or more waiting list!
Second - get yourself a good wedding planning binder, even if you are hiring a Wedding Planner. You can make one yourself or you can buy one that's ready for you. Your binder will be your life until this wedding - you can store all of your contacts, receipts, contracts and notes in there. To make your own, simply buy a nice thick 3-ring binder with some blank paper, folders with pockets, and address book and a calendar. It usually works out the same price-wise whether you buy one that's pre-made or put one together yourself. The benefit of putting one together on your own is you have more control (and usually more paper and folders). But, if you are interested in buying one, there's a few I found below that might be what you're looking for.
So that's what this blog is about, helping you keep some organization (and sanity) while planning your wedding. I've been married twice (no - there will be no 3rd time's a charm for me thank you anyway), I've helped friends with their weddings, I've attended a LOT of them and I watched Bridezillas (yes, I made it through every episode without throwing something at my t.v. or laptop).
Can I just give you a bit of advice? You can get what you want, you deserve to get what you want, but please - DO watch a few episodes of Bridezillas and know that this is NOT behavior that is looked upon well. Have you ever heard that saying, something about honey attracting more bees than vinegar? Yeah - it's true.
So first things first - get your planner together and start putting together the ideas you envision for your wedding so you can get-to-moving on finding out what you can reserve for your date before the date fills up. Work on that this week and next week we'll move on to the time-lines and how much time you should really give yourself and where you can cut time/budget. Fun, fun and more fun. Until then - don't throw anything away - keep it in your binder! Yes, the majority of people on this earth are honest and word-binding human beings, but you can never be too careful, especially when these people want some money upfront :-)
So - wedding binders. Take a look at a few of these - I'll be adding some pages with links to more resources as well as a "shop my vendors" site to help you along the way, too. Now breathe in, breathe out - you can do this. This should be the most exciting time of your life - YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED!! Oh, and don't forget the bridegroom.
The Complete Wedding Planner and OrganizerA new title from America's top wedding experts, Elizabeth & Alex Lluch. The Complete Wedding Planner & Organizer provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date wedding planning information in a handy 3-ring binder designed to help brides stay organized and on top of their wedding plans. The binder includes a back cover pocket to store important documents, dividers to keep track of information, a 3-hole punch to easily add pages, and inspirational wedding photos.
$20.16 at Barnes and Noble
Bravo! Wedding Planner Organize With Ease... in a 3-ring binder Everything from calendars and time schedules to contracts and lists for delegating duties has been put into one easy-to-use, centralized system guaranteed to guide you from your engagement to your wedding day looking calm, cool and beautiful. The Bravo! Wedding Organizer is what every bride needs to plan the perfect wedding.
$23.10 at Barnes and Noble
Tying the Knot: The Complete Wedding OrganizerKaren Berman, 3 Ring Binder,Peter Pauper Press, Incorporated, ***Usually ships within 24 hours***
$29.95 at Barnes and Noble
Planning the Most Memorable Wedding on Any Budget (With Pocket Wedding Planner)This guide contains all the information couples need to plan the wedding of their dreams...on any budget! It features tips to save money, a comprehensive budget analysis, and a checklist of expense items. This book also provides the most current wedding etiquette, options, things to consider, questions to ask, and more. Other features include worksheets, comparison charts, timelines, a 12-month calendar, and inspirational wedding photos!
$10.45 at Books-a-million
The Ultimate Wedding Planner & OrganizerFor most brides, wedding planning is time-consuming, expensive, and stressful. But with proper information and organizational tools, much of the agony and expense of planning a wedding can be eliminated. This is what this book is all about.
$22.70 at Books-a-million
The Very Best Wedding Planner, Organizer & KeepsakeVery Best Wedding Planner, Organizer & Keepsake is the latest in the best-selling line of wedding planning books in North America, created by WedSpace.com, the top social networking and planning site for weddings. This beautiful and exceptionally useful planner combines the very best wedding inspiration and planning sections with organizational features that every bride will love. Brides will love bringing this book to meetings with vendors and using it as their guide throughout the entire wedding planning process, from engagement to honeymoon.
$23.05 at Books-a-million
Find more planners at these fine book stores!
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