6 Tools to Help You Get Started Planning That Wedding
Okay, soooo, first things first, you’re getting married. That’s a HUGE effing deal, so let’s not get too caught up in the stressors just yet - you’ll have plenty of time for that. We ultimately want to remind you that this can be a fun time, too; not even can, should be, it’s like planning the first big birthday party you ever had. But now you can drink, you can stay up hella late, and you probably have at least a bitttt more money than you had in high school and can spend it without feeling crazy guilty. So, instead of letting the VIPs in your life and/or anyone who you tell about your engagement bum you out, with those inevitable “OMG, where’s the ring, have you thought about a date or a place yet?!” speed round questions, get in front of it, and start making your own game plan. You plan this s***, it shouldn’t plan you!
We’ve changed a few things here on Wedding Chicks: same great tips, advice, and inspiration, same great look (well, maybe even a little bit prettier - and when we say ‘little bit,’ we mean SO pretty), but EVEN more wedding planning tools and resources to help get you through this major milestone in your life. And we’ve done it in a way that will hopefully work for you. Desktop and mobile functions are the exact same, so if you find yourself eating lunch at your desk and don’t want to pull up the site on your computer, you can log on from your phone, eat your salad, and be all kinds of discreet as you sort out your ‘I Do’ to-dos.
Let’s talk about some of our favorite new planning tool features, because we seriously have everything you need to design and create your perfect day. ((Not saying that lightly, either, we do!)). From an on-trend wedding registry and all the free wedding website designs you could ever dream of, to a guest list organizer+rockstar RSVP tracker, budget balancer, and the most comprehensive wedding checklist you’ve probably ever seen, the number of things we’ve nailed down for your nuptials are truly next level.
Plus, can you really blame a bride for falling in love with all the adorable iconography?? We can’t! 👰🏻💍🥂🍾❤️💰😍.
Remember when we said that you should gear up your game plan for the wedding on your own terms? Well, it’s easy. All you need to do is enter your and your partner’s names, any of the details you’ve already locked down (wedding date, where you plan on getting married, your anticipated number of invited guests, your budget expectations, and your immediate vendor needs; almost everything can still be undecided, of course), and a cute photo of the two of you, and you’ll be all set to start planning.
We’ll hook you up with a wedding website and a registry, if you need them, so when people ask how your proposal went down, where you are in your planning process, or what they can get you to celebrate, you can direct them appropriately. Who’s a boss bride? Umm, you? 💁🏻
Ideally, you’ll want to get these things in motion first when you’re tying the knot - and our tools are designed to help you cover off on all the priorities.
Share the news.
You’ve probably already done a lot of social media sharing already, but once people know you’re engaged, they get pretty stalker-y, and want to know all about your journey to the aisle. It can get annoying to have to answer everyone’s questions and queries and even respond to their comments, so it’s best to leave it all for your wedding website. We have a TONNNN of templates to fit your vibe, and we leave lots of room for you to explain. Explain how he or she proposed, explain how you met and fell in love, share information on your registry, share information on your wedding date - why you chose it - where it’ll all be happening, who will be involved, how guests can confirm they’ll be there for the day. Sure, letting the world know about your wedding sounds fun, but you don’t have time for that, LBH. That’s why you can say ‘Oh! Everything you need to know about it is on our wedding website, go check it out! 😘 👉." Start your wedding website now!
Dream big.
We’ll get to managing expectations re: budget in just a sec, but before you narrow things down, allow yourself to think out loud. Pour some wine, get in pjs, and take some time for the two of you to talk about all your wedding wants and needs, visions and idealizations of your vows. Start browsing our endless wedding inspiration, the images that’ll have you clicking pictures pretty damn quickly to find out who’s behind them. You can filter by wedding services (photographers, florists, planners, etc.) and make note of who tops your list. You can also - and this is one of our favorite things ever - let us help with your vendor vetting (that’s what Wedding Chicks means, after all, we’re always looking out for your best interests). Check off some of your immediate vendor needs - from wedding and event venues to event designers, caterers to entertainers - provide some information on your unique wedding, what you’re specifically holding out for, and we’ll send you some “Instant Matches.” People who we just know you’ll feel like you're spirit animals with. You’ll also get vendor proposals from pros who are available on your date and interested/invested in your story/want to get to know you. Imagine logging on and having lots of messages from vendors who already love you? Instant gratification right there. Feels good!
Figure out the finances.
Okay, so those first few budget discussions are going to suck. Inevitably. But before you and your fiancé start falling apart over things you don’t think you can afford - hold up. We’ve got a budget tracker that will hopefully make you feel a lot better about your specific planning situation. All you need to do is enter an amount you think you’ll be spending, overall, and we’ll outline all the places where you should allocate funds and how much you should plan to spend on each. This is MAJOR, especially since we’ve been asked by so many of our brides (and friends who are planning weddings) how much they ‘should’ spend on florals, stationery, the band, favors, etc. Everyone has priority areas - whether it’s their venue or their entertainment, food or flowers - so our distribution suggestions are just a guideline, using the bottom line budget amount as the benchmark, but you can feel free to adjust as much as possible, if you’re feeling like you’d prefer allocating more money to one category over another. It’s just such great piece of mind to have an understanding of all the things you’ll need to take care of in advance of the wedding - and we’ll make sure you keep the spends in check and stay within your budget the whole time.
Stay on top of your to-dos.
Again, this is your show, and you can go about things as you wish. Yet, we know that so many of our couples struggle with staying on task. It’s overwhelming to plan a wedding, and that’s an understatement, for sure. That’s why it helps not only to have a checklist that organizes all the to-dos, but to have a truly itemized list that hits on all the nitty-gritty nuptials needs and how they should be prioritized chronologically. Our checklist is ultra comprehensive, anything you can imagine that goes into wedding orchestrating (successfully) is in there. Down to the day - which is based on your engagement length and how long you have to get X, Y, and Z done before the big day. You can use our tasks, add your own, and mark off what you’ve already handled, so that you see that task counter start adding up. You can add notes, print anything out to bring to your vendor appointments / like questions for whoever you’re considering. We want to see you get to the finish line and feel 100p about it by the end, so we’ve been incredibly exhaustive with the checklist, and we’ve included clickable links to any additional tools that relate (vendor information, wedding registry and website prompts/how-tos, etc.) and can prove helpful.
Get your gift registry in order early on.
Now, of course, we’ve said over the years that gift registries aren’t always necessary - but who doesn’t love a gift? You’re engaged, you deserve it. We’re pretty obsessed with our new registry option, and we think you’ll love it, because you can queue it up SO easily and efficiently. You can add a combination of gifts, cash funds and experiences, to create a well-rounded wedding registry that is as unique as your love. And once you’ve got your registry URL up-to-date, you can include it on your wedding website, share it on your bridal shower invite or even super early on in your Save-the-Date announcement. People WILL want to gift you as soon as you have that ring on your finger, sooo give them some hints. We’ll help!
How’s all this sound for a simple, stress-free start to your wedding? We like it… Let’s go!