The love of your life just got down on one knee. You screamed, said yes, and shouted from the rooftops that you’re officially ENGAGED!! But now what? Wedding planning can seem like a daunting task when you don’t know where to begin. I’m not a wedding planner, but I have planned my own wedding, worked alongside planners, and photographed countless weddings. So here’s a quick breakdown on what you need to do first to get this ball rolling and start planning the best day of your life!

1. Celebrate!!

There’s no need to jump into wedding planning right away. Take some time to celebrate this amazing news. Tell your friends and family. Post on social media. Show off your new bling and just take it all in. Then once you’ve come off the high and are starting to daydream about what you want your wedding to be like, jump into the planning! (For me, it was the very next day. Lol. But everyone is different)

2. Decide on a year/month

Start thinking about what time of year you’d like to get married. Each season has its pros and cons depending on where you live. But it’s important not to get too attached to a particular date yet. Just get a general idea like Fall of 2020 so you can start thinking about things like venues, colors and themes that fit with the season you’ve chosen.

Speaking for Dallas, TX since that’s where I’m based, here are some things to think about with each season:

• Winter: it will probably be cold (although with Texas, you never know for sure). If it’s past daylight savings time, the sun will set pretty early, meaning your ceremony will need to be earlier in the day to accommodate and have time for photos afterwards. Trees and greenery will also be dormant.
  • Pros: Venues will possibly be cheaper since this is considered “off-season” for weddings. You can incorporate some beautiful winter themes and colors into your wedding. Or have a holiday wedding around Christmas, New Years or Valentine’s Day!
• Spring: Rain. So much rain. Lol. Rain is not the end of the world, though. Just be prepared with a backup plan you still love if you’re planning on an outdoor ceremony. The weather is usually pretty temperate in the spring, but be prepared for it to be cold as well.
  • Pros: spring is a beautiful time of year in Texas. Wild flowers are blooming and trees are coming back to life. Spring wedding colors are also beautiful.
• Summer: It will be hot. Like really hot. People in Texas are used to it, but if you’re choosing an outdoor ceremony, be prepared to sweat, and provide your guests with fans and lots of water. Better yet, have it indoors with A/C. 
  • Pros: There’s a smaller chance of rain in the summer. You’ll also have plenty of daylight for your pictures since the sun sets so late. Summer sunset are also beautiful for photos.
• Fall: this is the most popular month for weddings in Texas, so be sure to book your venue and other vendors ASAP. The weather in fall is unpredictable, so be sure to have a backup plan you love in case of rain. And be prepared for it to be hot or cold. Because who knows. Daylight savings also ends halfway through fall, so pick a date before then if you don’t want to move your ceremony time up too much.
  • Pros: fall has beautiful colors. You also have a better chance of having beautiful weather. 

3. Decide if you want a wedding planner

Before you do anything major, decide if you want to hire a wedding planner. I HIGHLY recommend it and can even give you some recommendations. A planner will help guide you through every step of the wedding planning process and help bring your vision to life on the big day. If you can’t afford a planer, or just really want to do it all yourself, then consider getting a day-of coordinator to help bring everything together at the end and take the stress of you and your family.

4. Book Your Venue

Time to start making things official! It’s time to book a venue! This needs to be your first big decision because it’s honestly the most important. Think about where you’d like to get married, schedule some tours with venues you’re interested in, and put a deposit down on your favorite. Now that you’ve done this, you should officially have your exact wedding date! Get excited, this is really happening!!

5. Book Your Photographer

Next up is the photographer. Photographers can book up a year or more in advance, so it’s important to start looking as soon as your have your official date determined. Check out my blog on How to Find Your Dream Photographer for more info on how to go about this.

6. Get Engagement Photos Taken

Now comes the really fun part….it’s time to get engagement photos done!! Engagement photos are so dang fun and exciting, so I recommend taking them pretty soon after you book your wedding photographer before you get too stressed with planning. You’ll definitely need to get them done before you send out “save the dates” about 6-8 months before the wedding. Check out my blog on the importance of engagement photos to learn more.

7. Ask Your Bridal Party to be In Your Wedding

A lot of brides will get excited and want to do this right away, but you really should hold off until you have some definitive wedding plans. Plans change, relationships change, and you don’t want to ask people too early. Once you know what your wedding will look like and have an idea of how big it will be, how many bridesmaids you want, and what the style will be, then you can start asking your friends! The only exception is the Maid of Honor. If you know for sure who it will be and you want help doing steps 1-6, then by all means, ask her right away!

8. Shop for Your Wedding Dress

Okay, I know I said getting engagement photos was the fun part, but buying your dress is equally as fun! A lot of brides don’t realize this, but unless you buy a dress off-the-rack, wedding dresses can take upwards of 6 months to come in, then you’ll need alterations. So you need to begin looking for your dress about 8-10 months before your wedding.

9. Relax for a bit

You’ve done the major things now. At this point, even if you do nothing else, you’ll have a venue, a dress, a wedding party and a photographer there to document it. Even if no one shows up because you never sent invitations. Lol. I’m not going to go through every step of planning because that’s your planners job, but if you sign up for The Knot or Wedding Wire, they’ll provide you with a detailed checklist and timeline to keep your planning on track! Good luck! I’m sure your wedding day will be beautiful!

 

If you want me there to document it, be sure to check out the rest of my website and send me a message 😉