How to Start Planning a Wedding

The Spruce / Margot Cavin

Don't be afraid—a wedding will likely be the largest and most complicated event either of you has ever planned. In only ten easy steps, you can start planning your wedding.

1. Enjoy Being Engaged

One thousand times around the lips. Scream "We're engaged!" and jump about while gazing at the diamond ring. Write out the specifics of how you came to be engaged. Think about all the beautiful things you have coming. Take pictures of the two of you wearing the wedding band. One thousand more kisses, please. Enjoy the moment and add special touches to your engagement.

2. Tell Your Parents

Your parents should be the first people you tell about your upcoming wedding. Both of you should be there, and preferably you will tell them in person so they can see your happiness up close, look at the ring, and start talking about the wedding. (Unless, of course, you are estranged.) However, any order is perfectly acceptable. Traditionally, the bride's parents are informed before the groom's. Then tell a few close friends—the people who are probably going to be candidates for maid/matron of honor and best man, or certainly attendants in some capacity—the good news (if you're a traditional couple, the groom may have have asked the bride's parents for her hand in marriage).

3. Purchase a Journal and Use It

There will be ten thousand moments throughout this period that you won't want to forget, as well as some frustrating moments about which you'll need to vent—perhaps not to your partner. You will not only get through this period with the help of your notebook or planner, but you will also treasure it for the rest of your life. If you're tech savvy, you might want to start a wedding blog or journal online.

The Spruce / Margot Cavin

4. Announce Your Engagement

Share the fantastic news with everyone! There are numerous ways to accomplish this, and none are more appropriate or superior than the others. Think of publishing an announcement about your engagement in print media or sending one to your loved ones. Making a wedding website at this time would also be fantastic.

5. Set the Date

Choosing a wedding date is one of the most crucial decisions you will make as you prepare your wedding. You'd be shocked at how difficult it will be to move forward with preparing your wedding without knowing the date, not to mention that it will be the first thing that everyone will ask you.

The Spruce / Margot Cavin

6. Set the Tone of Your Event

Now is the moment to decide if your wedding will be formal, informal, or themed. Additionally, now is the moment to choose between a religious and a civil wedding. You must, in essence, select how you want to feel during your wedding. Sit down with your partner and write freely about your ideal wedding as a wonderful place to start. Take a look at the adjectives that each of you wrote and start there. You can start by filling out a questionnaire on wedding planning.

The Spruce / Margot Cavin

7. Set the Budget

Find a worksheet for a wedding budget as a starting point. Analyze your finances to determine how much money you have saved so far and how much more you can put aside each month. Ask your parents if they would like to donate to your wedding in a conversation with each of them. Learn how much they want to offer you or what particular items they want to pay for.

Decide how much debt you feel comfortable taking on lastly. We admonish couples to be as debt-free as they can. Why start your marriage with debt on your shoulders when financial issues are the number one reason why married couples argue? In addition, you can think about getting a new credit card specifically for the wedding that will reward you with airline miles, cash back, or other benefits. You can manage your wedding costs well and use the money saved to pay for your honeymoon. Simply endeavor to pay it off completely each month.

The Spruce / Margot Cavin

8. Choose Your Attendants

On the wedding day, your attendants do a lot more than merely stand next to you. The moment is now to include them. While some couples prefer to have only one or two attendants, especially if the wedding is informal, the majority select between 2 and 12 people for the bridal party. Before you make your final decisions, review these lists of bridesmaid and groomsmen duties. A phone call is OK for individuals who live far away, but it's preferable to ask someone in person if they're close by.

9. Find Venues for Ceremony and Reception

The earlier you start exploring, the more likely you are to find the time, date, and price that you've planned for. Many popular locations and even the less traditional options are booked a year in advance.

The Spruce / Margot Cavin

10. Get Support

The happy couple enlists assistance when planning their wedding rather than doing it alone. This might be from experts, reputable magazines, online apps, or reliable friends who have experience with wedding planning.

• Think about working with a wedding consultant or planner. A professional can be useful in planning your perfect day and can frequently save you money, especially if you are busy or simply feel a little lost.
• Employ online checklists. They are free and quite useful if you are making plans with your mother or potential husband who lives in a different place. They'll assist you in keeping track of all of your imperative tasks.
• Why not include a wedding planning book in addition to the thousands of wedding publications you'll likely bring home from the bookstore if you're like most couples?

You now have a strong foundation for your wedding as a result of your choices. Now it's time for the enjoyable aspects, like as attire, tuxes, flowers, entertainment, favors, and more. To remain on top of everything and to stay organized, adopt a wedding planning checklist.