Booking your wedding venue is a huge accomplishment! Now that you have your date and location secured, it’s time to start planning your special day. Here are 10 things we recommend doing now that you’ve booked your venue!
1. Make a joint email account
If you haven’t already done this, this should be your first step. Creating a new email for you and your significant other is a great way to stay organized and it’s completely free. Throughout your wedding planning journey, you will be reaching out to dozens of vendors and it will ensure you don’t miss any emails.
2. Book your vendors
Now that you have your joint email, it’s time to start reaching out to vendors for quotes! Don’t wait to long as great vendors book up fast. Before you start, make sure you reach out to your wedding venue and ask for their preferred vendors list! Here’s a list of services you might want for your big day:
- Catering & Bar Services
- Event Planners & Decorators
- DJ & Entertainment
- Day of Coordination Services
- Florists
- Event Rentals ( Specialty Chairs, Lounge Furniture etc.)
- Hair & Make up
3. Go Shopping for Wedding Dress & Tux
Finding the perfect dress can take some time so we suggest starting this process 9-12 months before your wedding date. This should give you plenty of time to shop around and find the wedding dress of your dreams! As for tuxedos, we reccomend the grooms get their tuxedo no later than 2 months in advance.
4. Finalize your guest list
By now, you should already have an idea of how many guests you want to invite. We recommend setting an RSVP date that is six to eight weeks before your wedding. This will provide you with ample enough time to chase down those who haven’t responded. Most wedding venues and caterers will expect a final guest count at least 14 days before your wedding.
5. Send your Save the Dates
Ready to show off those Engagement Photos? If you didn’t take any, do not worry as we got you covered with some Engagement Photo Ideas. We recommend sending your save the dates at least 6-12 months before your event.
6. Create your wedding website
Whether it’s on Zola, The Knot, With Joy or Minted, we highly encourage our guests to create a wedding website. Here are some perks of having a wedding website:
- Share your love story
- Communicate last minute changes
- RSVPS – Easily keep track of whose coming and who hasn’t responded
- Venue details and dress code
- Wedding registry wishes or Honeymoon funds link
- Publish your engagement photos
- Travel & Lodging information
7. Create your floor plan
If you hired an event planner or booked with us, this part will be a lot easier for you. If you didn’t hire an event planner but booked with us, reach out to us and we will provide you with a blank layout and a few sample layouts from past events that suit your guest count. These are fully customizable so if you’re looking to have yours be different, we highly recommend you set up a site visit with us. If you did hire an event planner, you will need to connect them with us (or your wedding venue).
8. Create your wedding day timeline
We highly suggest hiring a day of coordinator to assist you with creating your timeline. Not only are they experts in this area but they are also there to ensure you stick to your timeline on your wedding day. We always hear our brides tell us how they wish they would have hired a day of coordinator as it.
9. Wedding Registry or Honeymoon Fund
According to the wedding planning website, TheKnot, 74% of couples asked for money for their Honeymoon or other travel. If you decide to go this route, we suggest using Honeyfund or adding one of your mobile payment services like venmo or cashapp to your registry. If you’re doing a traditional wedding registry, we reccomend using WithJoy as it has a wide variety of retailers all in one place!
10. Get your wedding invites printed and sent
Wedding invitations should be sent 6-8 weeks before your wedding date. If you didn’t send save the dates, we highly reccomend sending out your wedding invitations 4-6 months before your wedding date. In the invite you should include:
- Name of the couple
- Date, time, and location of the wedding
- RSVP and wedding registration information
- Accommodation information
- Ceremony and reception details
Planning a wedding can seem overwhelming, but breaking it down into manageable steps makes the journey enjoyable and memorable. From creating a joint email account to ensure seamless communication with vendors to finalizing your guest list and sending out those beautiful invitations, each task is a milestone in crafting your perfect day. Remember, the key is to stay organized and start early. Happy planning!