HOW TO PLAN YOUR DREAM WEDDING WITHOUT AN EXPENSIVE WEDDING PLANNER!

Hello World! My name is Heather and this is my first official blog post EVER! I decided to jump into the world of blogging because I wanted to do a little something fun and fulfilling on the side and share my thoughts and ideas about the things I love and experience! So why not start a blog!?

I thought it would be super fun to share with you in great detail how I planned the most magical day of my life, MY WEDDING! I plan on sharing the details of our engagement, shopping for my dream wedding dress and how I chose it, decorations, invitations, staying organized, all the little details that make your wedding great! (and I did all this WITHOUT the help of a paid wedding planner)

Yes! You read that right! I planned and executed my entire wedding without paying hundreds if not thousands of dollars for a wedding planner. Luckily, I had some AMAZING people in my life that were willing to help me put this whole thing together and by the time the big day arrived I was so calm, I enjoyed every moment, and everything went SO SMOOTHLY!

In this blog I want to share with you some of the things I did that made my wedding day seriously sooooo beautiful and a day I will never forget! Please subscribed to my blog to get notifications when I add a new tips to help you with your wedding day!

Okay, Let’s PLAN!

1. Make a Pinterest Board!

Making a Pinterest board helped me see what was out there. I saw different color schemes, ideas, decorations, dresses, flowers, all kinds of things. This will really help you figure out what you like and narrow down what it is that you’re looking for. I even recommend breaking down your boards even further into categories for the wedding. I had a board for decorations, flowers, wedding photos, bridal accessories/hair/makeup, bridesmaids, showers, bachelorette trip, ect. Having separate boards will help you stay more organized and will be easier to find something specific in a hurry.

2. Get a Wedding Planning Book!

I was given a wedding planning book by my sweet cousin to be and I absolutely LOVED it!! Mine is called “The Wedding Book” by Lucy Sui. I love this one because it literally has EVERYTHING. Not only is it a planner but also a keepsake. It has several pages you can attach photos and other small tokens from the planning process as well as the wedding itself. It definitely helped me stay organized especially closer to the wedding day.

http://www.lucysui.com/the-wedding-book/the-wedding-book-robin-blue

3. Make a Schedule!

Make a tentative schedule of showers, parties, bachelorette trip, rehearsal dinner, ect. I went a head and typed up all the events I knew I probably wanted to have and around what time would most likely be good so that my bridesmaids and close family members would know what to expect and planning could begin on these things in advance. Last minute planning is so stressful and can make these events seem more like a hassle than something to enjoy.

4. Make a Playlist!

Start listening to wedding music now! I already had some ideas in my mind of songs I wanted to be played at my wedding so I started adding them to a playlist. I used Apple Music on my phone and searched for songs there as well as Youtube to get ideas and by the time the big day was here I had a playlist for the prelude, ceremony music, recessional, filler music, first dance, father/daughter dance, mother/son dance, garter/bouquet toss, and more! The last thing you want is to be scrambling the last few days trying to decide what songs you like for the wedding and then try to get them in order.

5. Create an “Order of Events”!

I typed a document for the order of events for the procession, reception, and day of timeline. This really comes in handy if you have family members or friends assisting in telling people when to start walking during the ceremony, or helping with changing decorations or moving things between the ceremony and reception. Make copies of these things and give them to your bridal party, family members, ect. A day of timeline is also really helpful for your vendors. I sent my timeline to my photographer/videographer, makeup artists, hair dressers, ect. This helped them decide how much time they needed and how many people they could do in that time period. We ended up having time to spare the morning of my wedding and everything went super smoothly!

I hope these tips help you plan your dream wedding and maybe take away a little bit of the stress and help you enjoy all the fun moments of the planning process! Subscribe to my blog for more tips on planning for your wedding and honeymoon!!!