October 2014 Weddings

remember when you were a little girl...

And you thought planning a wedding would be glamorous and fun?? Pretty dresses and colors and flowers?? Ummm yeah not so much! Gotta get back to the magic of it! Stressing fierce!

Re: remember when you were a little girl...

  • I'm sorry you are stressing out! Wedding planning should be fun, even though it's a lot of research!  Could you tell us why you're stressing?  This board is very helpful, and we might have some advice for you!

    A few months ago, I was getting stressed and overwhelmed.  I think it came from me focusing on the millions of details that go along with a wedding and when to have all of these things done.  If you are stressed about the details and forgetting something important, my advice is to create a Master To Do List separated by month.  You can easily rearrange items on your list, check things off, and see everything organized in one place.  I know that once I had my timeline done, I felt a weight lifted off of my shoulders.  I knew all of my appointments and tasks were on my list, and it helped free my mind to think about other stuff... you know... things that weren't my wedding!  My bridesmaid (a recent bride) helped me create my list.  if you don't have a veteran bride to help you, I'd be happy to send you mine for you to reference.  Also, check out some to do lists from The Knot or wedding planning books at Barnes and Noble.

    If you are stressing because you need to find a venue or many vendors and don't know where to start, my advice is to take it one vendor at a time.  Prioritize your vendor list with the most time-sensitive or important vendors at the top.  From there, you can work your way down.  First thing you need to do is determine your budget and the type of wedding you want (casual, backyard BBQ or glam black-tie affair).  Once you make this decision, you'll be able to select vendors that meet your criteria and check things off of that list easily!  For my area, it was critical to book my reception venue first because everyone loves October.  We knew we wanted a unique, yet elegant venue for about 150 people.  We selected a beautiful barn that has crystal chandeliers and a large seating area.  From there, we were able to find a church nearby and so on.  Check with your venue (if you have one) for vendor recommendations for florists, bakeries, and DJs. 

    My last piece of advice is just to remember the outcome of your wedding day.  I was getting so lost because I was looking at the "trees" that I didn't see the forest.  Your wedding day is going to be a beautiful day no matter if you have 5 hydrangea stems per table at your reception or a jar full of baby's breath.  At the end of the day, you will be married to your best friend, and the little details won't matter so much. The favor tags that you spent four days handwriting poems on won't make you any "more" married than a printed version.  Have no fear, I'll be right there with you stressing, but it's good to regain perspective in wedding-planning-craziness.
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    Wedding Countdown Ticker

    ~Melissa
  • Manda from one CT bride to another, like @des9724 said one vendor at a time. We started with venue and let that determine everything else. Since that was a large part of our budget we knew where everything else fell afterwards. A girl on the CT board linked up a massive spreadsheet to area photographers that I found ridiculously helpful. Here's the link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Arh6xjsverN2dEhUSURiR3lmeVBqQ3R5N3RXczlRV0E&usp=sharing We have one more get to know you meeting before making our decision for photographer. It seemed really hectic for a few weeks, almost like this was never going to end (the meetings with people we'd probably never see again) especially with everything else going on in life. But tonight over dinner we realized we hit our goal, the big three (venue, dj, and photographer) booked by the end of June! Now we get to sit back and enjoy our engagement all summer long! Hang in there it will get back to that magical state.
    October 2014 Brides - July Siggy Challenge: Cakes
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  • @des9724 can you PM me your to-do list? 
    Wedding Countdown Ticker
  • jaz3088 said:
    @des9724 can you PM me your to-do list? 
    Sure! I scratched some stuff out, but you are welcome to add/delete whatever to it! It's basic, but it keeps me sane! haha
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    Wedding Countdown Ticker

    ~Melissa
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