I was so excited when my boyfriend proposed to me on Christmas! It feels so great to be an engaged woman! I'm not sure what our budget is going to be yet, but I know it'll be low because we're college students. I haven't done a lot yet, but I have noticed that there is SO MUCH to do to plan this wedding! Where should I start?
- Syndy P., Portland, Ore.This is such a great question, and an important one that we've never really addressed at Wed4Less!
Here's the process that I found helpful when I first got engaged, as well on some specific notes on what this meant for me during my initial wedding planning process (in a lighter gray):
1. Set an overall budget. This means talking to all of the individuals who might be contributing and finding out what funds you will have available. Then, come up with an overall figure.
For me, this meant sitting down and looking at my financial situation and determining how much I could contribute to the wedding per month and multiplying this by the number of months left until our wedding. My fiance did the same.
Since we are college students living on limited incomes, we came up with $3000. Next, we talked to my parents who agreed to give us $4000. We then talked to his parents, who agreed to host the rehearsal dinner.
2. Decide on your priorities. Sit down with your fiance(e) and discuss what the most important pieces of the wedding are to each of you. Do you really want great photos? Is food most important? Is the biggest thing being able to invite all of your friends and family? Make a list of your top five biggest priorities and let this guide you in the next few steps.
Knowing I was on a limited budget, I looked around the internet for advice on having a budget wedding. A lot of sites were telling us to cut our guest list. Although it seemed obvious that this could cut our budget, I knew with our large families there was no way we were going to end up with a small list. We could cut it down some by being really picky about who to invite, however. So our first priority became having a medium-sized guest list--around 150.
My dad does wedding photography on the side, so I grew up seeing beautiful wedding photos. Being totally engaged in the blogosphere, I also see gorgeous photos every day. I wanted those kind of photos. So our second priority became finding a great photographer.
We also decided that the overall ambiance of the day (read: decor), having a large wedding party, and having great food were all priorities.
3. Do your research. Look into what things cost in your area. This will help you determine an achievable budget. Look at catering, rentals, venues and photographers especially, as these are often big-ticket items.
I did this by just checking around on the internet, and I recorded everything I did on an excel spreadsheet. I looked at different photographers, and found the lowest price at which I thought I could get quality photos. I did the same with rentals, food, venues, etc. Craigslist and google were great resources at this step. Wed4Less's local vendor listing might also help you a bunch!
This also helped me come up with a list of possible vendors to contact in the future.
4. Set a specific budget. This is the time to take those numbers you found in step three and fit it together with your overall budget. If there are places you need to skimp, note that. If there are places you can splurge, note that.
I sort of combined this step with step three, and recorded everything on the way. I discovered that the venue was one thing I was going to have to find some alternative routes for. I later ended up looking into parks and found the perfect venue.
5. Create a timeline. Make a calendar of when you want to get what done. You may also find pre-made wedding timelines, like the ones available on websites like Project Wedding or the Knot, or those found in many wedding planning books. This will help you stay organized in the long run.
Personally, I looked over all of the months on the Project Wedding checklist as well as a calendar in a wedding planning book I have, and I combined them into my own list, also incorporating some DIY projects and other things that I knew I was going to want to accomplish.
6. Ready, GO! Start contacting vendors, having meetings, and coming up with details such as your date and general direction! Use the Wed4Less vendor listing as well as resources such as the list you made while researching prices, Craigslist, and other sources to come up with who to contact.
And let me know if you ever need any help! I love helping brides, especially in the research stage.
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