Maine

PLEASE HELP!!!! sooo many questions..

i am the first to get married out of my sister and i and my mom and i arent really sure where to start! i emailed one venue and i am looking to do a rustic barn wedding.  does anyone have any places in mind in southern maine?!

also... should i start a binder?? if so, what should i put in it!?

thanks girls!
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Re: PLEASE HELP!!!! sooo many questions..

  • I bought a wedding planner binder, but never used it.  I found myself keeping track of things on my computer more than keeping physical copies of things (other than contracts, business cards, etc. that I just kept in a folder).  I found that most magazines had a good checklist in them, and the one on here is okay (just a little more comprehensive and a little vendor-ish). 

    I'm not overly familiar with rustic venues in the area because that wasn't my taste when I was looking, but the Portland Company is very rustic, it's just not a barn.  A co-worker of mine got married at Stone Mountain Arts Center in Brownfield, which also had quite a rustic look to it.
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  • Start with what you're most excited about. You're engaged! woohoo! Visit  news.knotist.com - it is a website that features every cool wedding blog post every day. Look at these blogs.  They'll help you decide what style and level of formality you want. When you look at the photos, just remind yourself that these are photos of weddings that cost tens of thousands of dollars. They are good for inspiration, but don't try to match that level of perfection.
    Talk to your parents and your fiance about budget. There is life after your wedding, and you'll want money for it.
    Buy a wedding planning book, and get 2 copies so you and your mom each have one. Start your checklist on theknot.com. Give your mom your username and password for theknot.com so she can use the checklist and the budgeter too.
    Set your date if you haven't yet.
    Get a cute binder. Use theknot.com planning categories. As you make decisions (venue, budget/spending tracking, attire, music, catering, etc), make notes, and photocopy contracts, and keep it in the binder. Designate an area in your home where you can plan, do projects, and stay organized.
    Visit all the planning websites, buy wedding magaines. There is a lot of support out there - enjoy!
  • Congrats on your engagement! I'd say start by researching venues and vendors that are most important to you first. Tackle one thing at a time and everything will fall in place. I find that a lot of the magazines are repetitive and have the same ads, so the internet is your best resource.

    In my opinion, a wedding planner will probably go to waste. If you do get one, get a cheap one or a simple folder/binder with tabs will do :) I made a wedding planner and also received a free planner from 1-800-Registry, but neither went into much use. After much research, the majority of brides I came across ended up not using their planner. I was so sure that I would be one of the few who would keep up with it, but I failed and it's now just sitting on my bookshelf lol.

    Like HCorrigan, I organized and kept my information on my pc. I save information, emails, and links in my wedding folder in my email and also keep a wedding bookmark on Firefox. I categorize the tabs to include venues, photographers, catering, music, decor, attire, helpful links, etc... This way it's easily accessible, searchable, and easy to keep organized. I use Google for my budget spreadsheets and to save contracts and such. I use Pinterest and Evernote where I can save inspirations I come across, snap pictures, and also jot down notes. I also have these 3 apps on my iPhone so I have all my information with me wherever I go w/out carrying a bulky binder. Hope this helps! Happy planning!
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_maine_please-sooo-many-questions?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:98Discussion:7e58f44e-009d-40c5-88ba-de12bb9a57a5Post:4ff91ad4-61c2-4708-8e89-7e5298ddaca8">Re: PLEASE HELP!!!! sooo many questions..</a>:
    [QUOTE]Congrats on your engagement! I'd say start by researching venues and vendors that are most important to you first. Tackle one thing at a time and everything will fall in place. I find that a lot of the magazines are repetitive and have the same ads, so the internet is your best resource. In my opinion, a wedding planner will probably go to waste. If you do get one, get a cheap one or a simple folder/binder with tabs will do :) I made a wedding planner and also received a free planner from 1-800-Registry, but neither went into much use. After much research, the majority of brides I came across ended up not using their planner. I was so sure that I would be one of the few who would keep up with it, but I failed and it's now just sitting on my bookshelf lol. Like HCorrigan, I organized and kept my information on my pc. I save information, emails, and links in my wedding folder in my email and also keep a wedding bookmark on Firefox. I categorize the tabs to include venues, photographers, catering, music, decor, attire, helpful links, etc... This way it's easily accessible, searchable, and easy to keep organized. I use Google for my budget spreadsheets and to save contracts and such. I use Pinterest and Evernote where I can save inspirations I come across, snap pictures, and also jot down notes. I also have these 3 apps on my iPhone so I have all my information with me wherever I go w/out carrying a bulky binder. Hope this helps! Happy planning!
    Posted by ohhhmysushi[/QUOTE]

    I agree with this 100%!  Do NOT spend a lot of money on books and resources.  The wedding industry is a huge money maker because brides think they have to go out and buy a bunch of things before they start planning.  And then those resources tell you to buy more things.  Honestly, the check-list on The Knot is incredibly purchase-heavy as well, and I found myself ignoring most of it.

    I did find the budget tool on Wedding Wire to be the most helpful, more than the one here on TK.  It lets you reallocate money out of categories that you will not use if you want to get a general breakdown of how you will most likely spend your budget.  The one on here is pretty basic and a simple spreadsheet can do much more for you!
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  • thank you all so much for the info!! its new to my mom and i so this is all very helpful~
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  • As for your rustic barn idea- the only place I can think of is the links at outlook in South Berwick.. its not very rustic... but could capture your barn idea, i believe.  I will keep my eyes out for ya!
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  • I actually do have a binder that I use to keep pictures from magazines of things I like. Lately, I've been on Pinterest a LOT to collect ideas and keep them organized because my bookmarked pages list was getting way too long and I started forgetting what things were. PM me if you need an invite to Pinterest.

    For barn ideas, check out The Barn on Walnut Hill in North Yarmouth. It's very rustic. I was looking for the same thing, and only found this place after I'd booked On The Marsh in Kennebunk (which is BEAUTIFUL by the way, and the coordinator is amazing, you might be interested in that also).

  • I was looking for a rustic barn look as well, the barn on walnut hill was way out of my price range but the Chandler House Bed and Breakfast is where I am holding mine this September. It is in New Glouster, Maine and not expensive at all. They have a beatiful two level barn with the upper level open to below. They have a few spots for the ceremony and very nice inn keepers. To rent the barn is just $750.00 (deposit) + $300.00 (secerity deposit) but if you want the entire bed and breakfast rented and the barn it is only a total of $1300.00 (rounding up) + $300.00 (secerity deposit) .

    http://chandlerhousebandb.com/

    I am going back up this weekend to sign my contract with them. If you want some pictures of the barn (which cant be seen on their website) just PM me :)

    Another thing I found on my hunt for rusitc barn looks was summer camps. A lot of main halls for summer camps look very rustic and already have tables and chairs. try camp matopia ( http://www.campmataponi.com/index.shtml ) or the YMCA camp. Or even Maine Teen Camp, went there as a kid and their main dinning hall is beautiful with long wooden tables and a big fire place.
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  • yeah i just have to have a barn... dreamt of it forever! i  looked at the barn on walnut hill and actually did an offsite wedding there last year, i am a hairdresser.  i fell in love with it instantly but it is WAYYY out of my price range..
    i am looking into broadturn farm in scarborough, it looks a little small for 100 people but we will see. i am also looking into the wells reserve in wells which is quite expensive as well but i just wanna have some options.  
    i have heard of the one in south berwick so i will have to look into that one some more. 

    and nikkay19 i would definitely love some pictures! i sent you a private message- that would be great! i will try to contact them as well. the pricing is VERY reasonable too!

    thanks everyone for your help!!
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  • These Ladies hit it all on the Nose! I have nothing else to add!!!    my only 2 cents- is that I do have a wedding Binder- but I made it myself- I went to staples and bought  a 5 x 7 mini Binder and bought the little sleeve protectors- so I have my guestlist in there and I have  a spot to check off next to their names and address for when I sent the Save the Dates, and for when I send out invites this summer and start to get response cards back. I also have a master list of all my vendors, the contact person, address and Phone Number.  and Pinterest has been a brides best friend I think, it's an awesome way to organize all the random bits of inspiration from all over the web.
  • okay so i think i am goin to get a binder for things like that, guest list, caterer etc!
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  • Hey joellen!! So excited for you! haha

    We made an approx guest list first.. you should have an idea of how many people will be going before you pick a venue.. we thought between 125 and 150 but our list is up to 185 now! Then we picked the venue first checked out what that included then went from there. DJ and photog were next. I knew the DJ I wanted (he's one of the morning show hosts on 99.9 the wolf) and I cared a lot about who did pics so those things were all done very early..

    Is your wedding columbus day weekend that year? If so I'd get them all booked earlier than a year out, but that's just me.

    Let me know if you have anymore ?s. I live in SoPo again! yay.
  • haha hi jess!!!!!  yeah i think thats what i'll have to do... i am hoping to have around 100 people. we will see.... i don't have to much family to invite but mike has a pretty large family!  i havent thought of a dj yet but i do have a photographer already, its mikes cousin- hes amazing and we'll get a really good deal!

    i am trying to get my venue booked within the next month or two.  so that will be done.

    and i do think that it is columbus day weekend... which i didnt think of when i picked that date :(


    i will message you if i have anything else to ask...which im sure i will!!
    and YAY for being a mainah again!
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  • nikkay19 can you send me pictures of the barnas well to me email? kayla.chiasson@maine.edu. thanks :)
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