So, you recently got engaged and have decided to go the DIY wedding planning route. Maybe you’re feeling overwhelmed with the list of tasks and don’t know where to start. I won’t lie to you, the journey will have its fair share of hurdles. But with proper scheduling and delegation, you’ll be able to throw a fantastic wedding celebration! I’m a professional wedding planner and here is my recommended checklist of the first 10 things to do when planning your own wedding. I hope it helps you start off this journey on a positive note. Take a deep breath and keep your wedding vision clear in your mind. You’ve got this.
1. Determine a wedding budget
This is important to solidify early on during your DIY wedding planning so that you and your partner have realistic expectations for the wedding. Meet with everyone who will be contributing funds and determine what they feel comfortably contributing. Some family may only want their money to be used for specific expenses, so make sure you take note of that. Once you have a budget, it’s easier to find inspiration that fits within that framework.
2. Choose a wedding date
The date of your wedding will dictate the decor and other aspects of the wedding. Figure out what date would realistically work for your schedules. You’ll need to factor in the advance booking time needed for different vendors as well. Also, discuss whether you are open to booking during a less popular month to potentially save money.
3. Decide on an overall theme/start gathering inspo
You don’t want to be too detailed just yet, but it’s great to decide on overall decor and style preferences quite early on in the DIY wedding planning process. What kind of vibes do you want the wedding celebration to have? Do you like a formal setup, or something more relaxed? This helps to establish an overall vision and will help you narrow down the list of potential venues.
4. Draft a preliminary guest list
This is another important step that needs to be decided early on. Both you and your partner have a say in who gets invited. You can create a tiered list, with your must-invites at the top. It can lead to stress and drama if you’re not clear about the guest list from the start. Deciding on a general number will give you a better idea about which venues will accommodate the party. If you need help cutting down your guest list, I’ve got another blog post addressing that here.
5. Create a wedding email address: DIY wedding planning
Organization is super important for DIY wedding planning. That’s why you should make a wedding email address very early on in the process to keep all of your communications organized. It’ll just be easier to find information with all the wedding emails in one place. You’ll also be able to have a separate wedding appointment calendar to make sure you don’t miss any important meetings or walk-throughs.
6. Start contacting ceremony & reception venues
Once you have a general guest list and date in mind, you can start looking at wedding venues and contacting them about availability. You can email or call with preliminary questions and they will usually send you a more detailed price list for your consideration. Compile all of the information in a folder to compare your options.
7. Collect guest addresses
Collecting the addresses of all your guests is quite a bit of work and takes longer than you might think. People move and you want to make sure your invitations arrive to the intended recipient. You should do this early on in the wedding planning process to make sure you have everything ready for when you send out save-the-dates.
8. Prepare for marriage: emotional, financial, legal
Planning a DIY wedding can really stress some couples out and there are also lots of legal aspects that might get overlooked. That’s why it’s important to also set aside time for marriage planning. This includes things like couples counseling, contacting the bank about joint accounts and finances, and preparing any legal paperwork for the marriage.
9. Decide on how to ask friends/family to be part of the wedding party
10. Start researching wedding dress and accessory styles
You probably don’t need to be reminded about this one! Start looking at wedding dresses early on to figure out what styles you’re inherently drawn to, outside of current trends. The options are literally endless, and there’s even vintage to consider. What will work with your body and personal style to make you look as fantastic as you feel?
The First 10 Thing to Do for DIY Wedding Planning
Those are my general recommendations for how to get a head start on the wedding planning process. Of course, it’ll be a little bit different for everyone. If you’re feeling like you need a bit of professional help to get the ball rolling in the right direction, reach out to me for a planning power hour. I’ll provide you with expert advice without the cost of a full-service wedding planner. DIY wedding planning seems impossible at first, but with a clear vision and organization, you can definitely make it happen!
