Need Help...a little overwhelmed

Re: Need Help...a little overwhelmed

• scstar17 member

  

  July 2012

  Use the checklist on this site.  It tells you everything.

  

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• ericaandtom2012 member

  

  July 2012

  You need ceremony and reception venue(s), if you have not booked those yet. Once you have those, you have your date.  I used the Knot checklist to figure out most of what I need to do, but deleted things that I thought were extraneous; I also changed some dates that seemed way too early (lurking on some of the other boards helped out a lot).  After booking our venues, I went to a bridal show to meet with some vendors and also read through reviews on the knot to find the other big vendors (photographer, dj, etc).  If your planner date is right, you've stil got a lot of time, so sit back and enjoy being engaged for a bit! My FI and I got engaged in November and didn't start doing much planning until January for our October wedding. 

  
  

  Congratulations on your engagement!

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• AtomicLush member

  

  July 2012

  I am going to concur with the other knotties and suggest using the checklist on this site.  BUT that said, their timeline is a bit off.  It doesn't have you booking big vendors until several months in, but if you're getting married during a popular time/place, then you need to do those things right away.  When I started looking at reception venues, my top choice had already been booked for the 3 dates that I had in mind...and this was a year and half out.

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• MobKaz member

  

  July 2012

  Your budget will dictate everything, so I would start there.
  
  You need to determine an approximate number of guests you will be inviting.  Get lists from your parents, your in-laws, and ones drawn by you and your FI.  Then you need to determine how much money you have to spend, or are willing to spend.  Plan a good 50-60% of that budget going toward reception costs.  Divide that amount by the number of potential guests you plan on inviting.  That number will be an estimate of your "per plate" cost.
  
  That cost is what you will need to bear in mind when looking at venues.  Venue costs can be misleading, so read all the "fine print".   You really need to factor in the "inclusives" of each venue.  At many, their "per plate" cost may include the wedding cake, the alcohol, linens, or even simple centerpieces.  Equally important, ask about tax and gratuity/service charges.  With a large guest list, these fees alone can factor another $2000!
  
  Finally, if you are planning a church wedding, you might want to contact them FIRST.  Many churches will say directly in their newsletters/bulletins, to NOT commit with a venue until you have checked/booked the church.
  
  

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• leesh16

  

  July 2012

  i agree with some the previous posters.I've only been engaged just over a month but the first thing we did was set a budget and a guest list. Knowing how much and how many helped us locate a venue. I was suprised at how many places were already booked for next fall. We knew we wanted ours to be in September 2013. Some places didn't have any saturdays available till november. So I would suggest having an idea of the time of year you want and being flexible so that you aren't disapointed when you find a great place that isnt available on your chosen date.
  Now that venue is chosen we are focusing on food.
  Best of luck!

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