Step 1: Get Engaged. Step 2: ?

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Nicole

Normally I like to do beauty related posts on Wednesdays but I’ve decided to switch off between beauty & wedding related posts each week. Because I’ve found that after getting engaged all I want to think about is planning a wedding. That is normal, right? I hope? of course it is.

So how has my planning been going? Let’s take a look:

wedding planning checklist

Yup. 3/179 – I’m 1.7% of the way done planning the big day! Exciting, right? So far my items check off are:
♥ You know, got engaged
♥ Told family & friends
♥ Created a ‘wedding’ folder in email
♥ Obsessively pinning ideas to a secret board so that my friends don’t get too annoyed
♥ Decided to hold off on actually planning anything right now
♥ Got overwhelmed and pour myself a glass of wine
♥ Reminded myself that Matt and I have decided to hold off on any real planning
♥ Created a guest list for our engagement party!
♥ Poured glass of wine to celebrate tiny accomplishments

So to recap, I’ve basically gotten engaged, pinned like crazy and created an invite list for our engagement party. Super accomplished. For a couple of reasons, Matt and I are holding off on picking a date until this June at the earliest (maybe we’ll get married in 2014 or maybe 2015 – not sure but that is just fine). And in reality we probably won’t be able to do most of our planning until January 2014 (whaaat?). So really there isn’t a lot of rush to start planning anything right now. Except the engagement party (but the most difficult part, figuring out the guest list, is done and checked off the list woot woot!). Really, I’m glad that we’re holding off on planning most of the details, because I have NO idea where to start or how to organize myself – which is truly an unfamiliar feeling.

So do any of you have an suggestions on where to start? How to make planning more manageable… what to do first… and what to wait on? Any and all suggestions and insights are welcomed!

Linked with  Whatever, Whenever, What I’m Loving, Random, Followers to Friends, Whims, and Whimsy, Wedding, and Wedding Wednesday.

NicoleSignature

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  • Kim

    VENUE. VENUE. VENUE.

    :)

  • http://ifsandsandbutts.com/ Alex

    So exciting!!

  • Amanda English

    So exciting! Planning a wedding is fun, yet stressful all in one box! I used theknot.com to keep me on track and it did wonders!

    Good luck!

    xoxo

    A-

    Today’s Post on Eloquent English: Ella Lane Giveaway

  • http://wishingoodluck.blogspot.com/ elle @ wishingoodluck

    Holy cow. I had no idea there were so many little things… luckily you seem like the organized type!

  • Brooke Houston

    Just my two cents… The earlier you set a date and book a venue, the easier to book the rest. If you’re holding off on that, then start making a general guest list with A(who you have to invite), B(who you want to invite), C(would be nice to invite). That will also make finding a venue easier…and remember, keep budget in mind!

  • Sharon S

    I used the Knot checklist too to keep me on track for wedding planning. The number 1 thing is setting the date since you’ll need that to basically do any of the rest of the planning. :)

    -Sharon
    The Tiny Heart
    $50 PayPal Giveaway!

  • http://www.crazytragicalmostmagic.com/ Michael

    This is so fun. Confession: I have an accoutn on Wedding Wire where my future wedding is basically planned. I even have a seating chart mostly filled in. Yeah, I’m crazy. I just need him to ask!

  • http://twitter.com/SimplyEvani SimplyEvani

    I can’t do any of these online checklists, they make me so anxious!! Haha and I was obsessive about picking a date because it was so necessary for booking our venues and all that jazz. Anyhoots, I think I’m slowly reeling back from the engagement chaos, I’ve been thinking lately about canning all our plans and just doing a small intimate thing, maybe as a destination wedding! LOL basically taking away all the work I’ve done for 3 months. We’ll see how it pans out.

  • http://www.fromtheretoheretheblog.com/ Jay

    Yes, setting the date is sort of key to everything else. You won’t pick a venue until you have a date and the venue will help direct everything else. (Ballrooms have a different feeling and theme than an outdoor wedding so you’ll want the decor, flowers, dress, etc. to match that.)

    Mine was planned in less than a year which I was sort of thankful for. While the research is really fun, I think it’s really easy to get overwhelmed by all of the ideas these days and when we have a million sources of inspiration, it’s hard to narrow down what YOU really want. Don’t be afraid to purge your Pinterest and bookmarks every once in awhile!

  • http://twitter.com/ashleymcglass Ashley Mc. Glass

    ELOPE! then use all that money to travel the world, invest in a house, or whatever (; okay.. but really, take some breaths, focus on yourselves, and don’t get caught up in the drama that comes with weddings.. because OH LAWD does drama come with weddings…. so, good luck!

    • http://treasuretromp.com/ Nicole @ Treasure Tromp

      you and Kristin were pretty convincing with the elopement plan earlier today ;) thanks for the advice, lady. maybe I should do our favorite yoga video to relax a little bit

  • Mo

    getting annoyed when you pin too much?!? puhhleaseeeee girl I am all about it :-)

  • pinkonthecheek

    congrats darling!!! that is so exciting!! I go with ashley and say, elope! this it totally coming from a girl in the middle of her own wedding drama. You will save a ton of money!

  • http://twitter.com/DevonDemint Devon DeMint

    Congratulations!!! I would say start with what time of year and then with venue(s). Once you know both you can see your options.

  • Kristian Satterlee

    Congrats again Nicole. I know for me, I felt waaaay more in-control and excited about the wedding once I had a vision of what we wanted and didn’t want, so yay for secret pin boards (I made like three and had The Boy pick which theme idea he liked. I’m a pinterest-nerd). We knew we wanted to get married early this summer, so we looked at venues, knowing we might need to be flexible with the dates. We locked in on the date after finding a venue.

    There are plenty of checklists and such out there to help you out and most include timelines. Since you are thinking in a year or two, you should have plenty and plenty more of time. To help myself not get overwhelmed (but then again, but smaller timeframe), I assigned myself a few tasks that I (or someone else, if I could delegate get done. way easier to tackle just a few things at a time. I put them on my google calendar task lists since I live on Google Calendar, lol. Have fun with things, girl! So excited for you and your guy.

    • Kristian Satterlee

      I shared the theme he chose (I had a garden/traditional-ish one, a gold and star and moon themed one with sparklers, and a retro one). He chose a retro theme with red, white and blue colors, which I’ve loved; it has been very us. I did share a small collage on my blog about it.

  • http://twitter.com/sweetsammyb Samantha Langan

    First of all, I like your exactness of being 1.7% done (haha!). Secondly, I am a proponent of your coping mechanisms and celebrating small victories. Let me know if you ever want a wine buddy or to talk colors. :) (I really do love this stuff!)

  • http://www.facebook.com/earthly.goddess Analilia Gonzalez

    Whoo hoo on being getting married!

    If you dont want to create another folder, you can always just create a new email if your phone allows it. Figure that way all wedding related emails can go there and not get lost in some junk folder if it gets in there.

  • Julie

    Pretty sure it’s all about creating a master checklist, with insanely detailed steps laid out. That way, you can check off “researched ten florists” off your list and feel like you’re making progress, instead of “Flowers.” Categories like that will drive you insane, yo.

    http://www.jbound.com

    • http://treasuretromp.com/ Nicole @ Treasure Tromp

      this is a really great idea! I think that the organizer in me will appreciate having everything broken down to the finest details and then I’ll be able to check off more items!

  • nicole

    Hmm…. maybe drink another glass? Oh heck, just finish a bottle, then you’ll feel reeeaally stress free :)

    NeNe Monster
    nicole

  • http://jeansandateacup.blogspot.com/ Jeans and a Teacup

    I’m a little late in saying this but CONGRATS! How exciting! Just enjoy the process! I was engaged for 2 years so I didn’t feel like I had to rush anything. I would say if you have a specific venue/DJ/Photographer in mind you might want to book them asap. I remember calling some places a year in advance and they were already booked. But that’s only if you are really picky! But definitely pick the date and venue as soon as you can!
    ~Jessica

  • http://jeansandateacup.blogspot.com/ Jeans and a Teacup

    P.S. The venue I went with was used specifically for weddings and they already had a list of photographers, Dj’s, florists etc. that they worked with and liked. Which made it a lot easier to narrow down my choices!