Getting started and overwhelmed!

JulieE87

What do you do first!??! I just want to jump in and start doing it all! I feel like a ferret with ADHD. I hop from one thing to another wanting to plan the wedding of my dreams in the next 10 minutes, even though I know there's plenty of time. I guess I just don't know exactly where to start or what to do first. Is anyone else completely overwhelmed like this?

jagore08

Budget

Guest list

Venue

Then other vendors

Once you have your venue locked in then you can search for your dress

kiki1978

I got a wedding planning book called the Instant Wedding Planner. It really helped in the start because it gave me some ideas and narrowed down what was essential and what wasn't essential. It was good for budgeting as well.  We did our venue first and then I did my dress. Everything else goes from there.

blgrout

I think a lot of people feel the same way, it's a pretty crazy time.  I agree with info from PP.  You need to figure out a budget first, and then a round idea of how many people you want coming and where you'd like to have it, and then stuff will start to get rolling and fall into place.

MissRutig

Start with a budget and guest list.. with out these its hard to plan the rest of the details. Take a deep breath and relax, this is suppose to be a fun time! I started collecting ideas of things i liked and tried to set the tone/theme for what i wanted our wedding to be like. After that everything else is starting to fall into place.
I also recommend getting some kind of planner or at least printing a checklist of all the to-dos. It helps give a timeline of when things should at least be accomplished by.
Good luck and happy planning!

graci67

When I got engaged, the first thing I did was buy some Bridal magazines. I flipped through them and cut out pictures that I liked, articles that I thought were cool, and different things that I knew I would forget. then I put together a list of people I wanted to invite, thought about a budget, and looked around for venues in my area that I loved. one good tip: Dont do everything at once, all at once. Enjoy your engagement and take your time making everything perfect the way you want! you will thank yourself in the end! congrats!

mandi921vh

Definitely start with budget. TK checklist is very helpful as well.

my6641

That's exactly the feeling I had when I first started. But if you do have plenty of time, take it easy! You'll be more than busy your last few months before the wedding, so take it slow for now. Look at the Knot's to-do list to help you out. If you still have time before you need to start planning seriously, take the time to do lots of research and look through pictures of ceremonies, receptions, hair, dresses, flowers, etc. I've been doing that since I got engaged a month ago and only now have I really started making some serious decisions about what kind of wedding I want.

ceh789

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_just-engaged-proposals_getting-started-and-overwhelmed?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:683Discussion:5e8dc502-cdaf-49e4-8295-15765d37ec36Post:6463661a-5ba3-4afe-91d6-e5c1c095e723">Re: Getting started and overwhelmed!</a>:
[QUOTE]Budget Guest list Venue Then other vendors Once you have your venue locked in then you can search for your dress
Posted by jagore08[/QUOTE]
This, but I'd suggest a target date range before you start budgeting - how long you have to save will inform what you budget can be.  Note though - date RANGE.  Don't get your heart set on a specific date or you'll have a nightmare when you start trying to find a venue.

kekbug3

I understand feeling overwhelmed! We have been engaged since September, but just recently did we pick a date and start planning. I would start with a budget and a date range because it might effect your budget (wedding season vs. non-wedding season).  Once you have a venue, then I would start with your key vendors (photo, food, entertainment). Once you have those locked down you can worry about everything else. One step at a time!

txdayers

Yay congrats on your engagement! My man, now fiance , proposed last Friday so I'm in the same boat of being overwhelmed already! We're thinking of Summer 2014 for the wedding. Is 2 years too long??? I want to have ample time to save and we won't be getting help from our parents.

[Deleted User]

I just took some time to lurk on these boards and get educated about how a wedding is planned and the ettiquette behind certain things, because I've only been to a handful of weddings. Then, I came up with a budget. After that came the venues, transportation, photography and DJ. That's where I'm at right now. I found it helpful to do one big thing each month. Now I don't have a lot to do for a few months, but it's nice to space it out and not get overwhelmed.

mrskristinyc

First, get off the Knot for a few weeks, and go read A Practical Wedding by Meg Keene (and check out her website. I don't work for them or anything, but it's much less overwhelming, and doesn't have tons of people shoving things you HAVE TO HAVE down your throat. It also has beautifully written essays about marriage that will make you feel more excited and less overwhelmed.). 

I got engaged at the end of January, and I've had a lot of trouble getting into wedding planning. I'm very excited about being a wife, but I just want to show up to our wedding. I don't have any interest in planning it, at all. I'm JUST now starting to plan - slowly (yet we're still going to try to have it this October!). I wanted a short engagement mostly so the wedding doesn't consume my life. I've found that I'm much more excited about talking about our married life than color schemes and catering.

I'm delegating most of the planning to eager family members who are more than excited about it. Everybody wins there.

So for the next few weeks, go on what I like to call "Wedding Planning Lite." Make a wedding board on Pinterest. Watch silly wedding shows on TLC. When it gets to be too much- do something else instead. 

kristib0720

It is overwhelming in the begining!  The knot checklist might help you.

librababy

First thing I did was buy a notebook for all my planning ideas. Then I joined a few wedding sites (the knot is pretty awesome, with it's budgeter, guest list, free website, etc and c checklist to keep you on track).

I say first is write out a guest list and have a budget (I dont have a set budget but I know how much I can and can't spend roughly). Then from there, you can call around for venues (they are going to ask you for the date and number of guests so you can get prices and start narrowing down your choices). AFter you book the venue, everything else will come into play: from the look and feel your wedding, you can book everythin else. And in there, book a couple of bridal salon appointments too.

For me the process is more fun than overwhleming. The prices of everything is a little bit of a shock but I find that doing research and looking around has led em to more affordable options that I still love.