Wedding Help

HeavenKelner

Hey y'all, my name is Heaven. I am 18 and live in Austin Texas. My fiance proposed to me on January 19.
I am not sure where to start! I have masse a wedding binder though with several different tabs. My mother had helped my sister plan her wedding, but that was twenty years ago. We're planning the wedding for August 28 2014. It's going to be outdoor at sunset so hopefully it's not as hot. I'm not sure who to go to for the dress, flowers, invitations etc. is it easier and cheaper to do the flowers yourself? And do you typically have an engagement party?i would love to hear from y'all and opinions about the people around Austin! Thanks

may2005

A good place to start would be to buy one of the national bridal magazines.  Almost all of them will have a budget guide inside which outlines the various tasks to be done with a suggested budget amount.

Also, go to the various bridal shows and extravaganzas in the Austin area.  They occur several times a year, with the biggest ones occurring in January.  There are many good vendor deals to take advantage of at these shows.  My DH and I saved alot by attending one of them.  We got discounts on our DJ, his tux, and our wedding cake.

I'm not particulary talented, so I did not opt for DIY flowers.  However, I used Donna Foster with Central Market (Floral Dept.) on North Lamar and saved $600-900 on my flowers, when compared to other florists' quotes.

We used the Caswell House, a beautiful historic home for our venue.  Very pretty place and reasonably priced.  The staff there were great.  We used Pascal's Catering -- excellent food.  We were able to bring in our own alcohol, opting to use their TABC-certified bartender on staff there.

You have plenty of time to plan a beautiful wedding in 2014.  Happy wedding planning.

Some people throw an engagement party, others do bridal showers.  It's really up to you, your family, and friends.