Well, it's officially Monday and the start of another week. But whats more, it also marks the first day of my DIY Wedding Series. Where else to start than with the details.
Details, although sometimes painstaking, lay the groundwork for any event, especially weddings. About a month before you get to say, "I do," you'll start wishing that you never have to think through or decide on another detail again. For that reason, it may be tempting to jump right into the fun stuff, but without these essential details you won't have any place for those fun things to go. However essentials these details and decisions may be, it's hard to know where to begin. Especially if you're trying to be budget friendly and doing mostly everything yourself.
First things first, once you set the date for your much anticipated nuptials, it's time to decide on your budget. I recommend enjoying engagement for a few days or a week before you even begin to consider these things--start off with the mentality "enjoy the process" and don't let it eat your nerves alive. Whether or not your parents are involved with the financing, you MUST prioritize where you want your money to go. For me, it looked like this:
- Good photography/videography
- Venue
- My dress
My advice in looking back:
Don't underestimate the cost of things--anything with the wedding tag on it is extra.
Make sure to account for spots in the budget like rentals, gifts, and beauty supplies (the little things we forget about until later).
I will say that with the budget friendly mentality, the majority of the remaining money was spent on the materials to make our decorations, favors, etc. When it comes to that, the greater cost is your time; therefore, you must also figure what is really worth your time or what is better to spend the little extra to have things done for you in exchange for your sanity. You can see all of the tough decisions over time frame and budget. In the end, talk to your close family and friends for advice, but ultimately trust your gut decisions because it's your wedding day and you know what you want the outcome to be.
When it comes to details and organizing, I know that not everyone is an "organizing freak of nature" like myself. That's not a bad thing. Everyone has their own opinions on how much to invest, or how much they want to invest. There is no wrong answer. But there are times in life when we all need to be a little organized, and that time, my friend, is now.
Before anything else, go out to your local Target or Walmart and buy yourself a pretty planner that you like to look at (because trust me, it'll become your second brain and it'll start to go everywhere that you go). Then I highly recommend, paying a visit to theKnot.com and printing off a monthly checklist.
Granted, you won't need everything that they list and your timing might be varied, for those of us who get hitched in under 6 months time. But for the most part, the list gives you an idea of what you should be doing and when. It's handy, because there will be so much information crammed into your noggin that you can't remember every little thing.
You should probably accept the fact that not everything will get done or be the way that you want it when it's all said and done. That's OK! Unless you're superwoman, you can't do it all--don't try to kill yourself over it. With that said, give yourself plenty of time (within your set time frame) to accomplish what you want to get done. Assume that DIY's will take 3x's longer than planned, that you might have to redo a thing or two, or you might not find something that you need that fits your budget. So start early with what you can--not everything can be done early, but most DIY's, invites, and wedding party things can be. Start early so that you're stressing about it later when you'll have other things on your mind.
To top it off, theKnot's services are free. You can even opt to do most of your planning through this website with it's inspiration boards, online checklist, popular website listings, make a free wedding site for your guests, and 360 universal registry capacity. I personally didn't bother with everything that they offered, but it's free and professional, and so you may as well take advantage of what they can help you with.
Even more than theKnot, I utilized Pinterest. It was the place that I dreamed up a vision for our wedding and corralled all of the helpful links into one spot. I'm going to set you up with one of my Pinterest wedding boards, it's where I kept all of the helpful tips and printables.
But above all, even with the grueling details--have fun! Invite your bestie over and do this together over dessert and laughs. Enjoy this time, because it'll be over before ya know it...and yes, this is coming from a bride that did all of this just last year.
Make sure to check back next Monday where we'll actually get into the fun stuff like theme, colors, and venue.
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