Group: Satterfield Group
Congratulations! Planning your dream wedding is such an exciting time of life, but it can also be a bit stressful and overwhelming. Now is the time to sit down, get organized, and start planning the wedding of a lifetime with this helpful planning guide.
Start with your guest list
Begin your wedding planning process by discussing with your partner the size of the wedding you both envision. Establishing a rough estimate of the number of guests you expect at your wedding and reception is a good starting place, and you might even be surprised by how quickly the numbers add up.
The number of guests on your list will influence all areas of your wedding planning journey, such as setting your budget, determining what size venue you will need, and signing vendor contracts. Putting this in context, if your guest list is only 50 people, and you book a reception venue that holds 300 people, this could become costly when it comes to decorations and floral arrangements. Throughout the wedding planning process, you will be asked about your headcount continuously, so it is good to have a rough estimate.
Create a budget
Budgeting can feel like a daunting task, and it is easy to avoid the subject all together. Much like your guest list, the budget will also help guide you as you purchase items for the occasion, secure vendors, and track the many miscellaneous expenses.
When you plug in the numbers on your budget spreadsheet, make sure you know upfront who is paying for the expenses. Are you and your partner footing the bill, or will either of your parents, other family members, or friends be helping you? This can be an uncomfortable but honest conversation that everyone should discuss with their significant other and respective family members in the beginning stages of wedding planning.
Research the average wedding cost in Texas. A basic online search will help you to jumpstart your budget with phrases such as: What is the “average wedding cost is in Texas,” “average cost of a wedding cake,” or “average cost of a wedding dress,” and so forth.
Set your dates
Many wedding vendors will not set appointments or provide quotes until you have set your wedding date. Remember, providing quotes takes time, and it is important to have a few dates in mind and to be flexible. The date is the first thing your family, friends and wedding vendors will ask . . . so have this information ready!
While setting the wedding date, consider working with your maid or matron of honor to pick dates for your bridal shower and bachelorette party. Setting these dates ahead of time will help you plan your wedding timeline, including when to send out announcements and invitations. It is also completely OK to skip out on these traditions. If you really aren’t a bride who wants a bridal shower or really don’t want to host a bachelorette party — don’t. This is your special day, and there are no rules — just do what is best for you and your partner, and plan a great day no matter your budget.
Secure your venue and wedding photographer
Choosing your wedding venue and photographer can often happen around the same time. This is where selecting several wedding date options helps in the planning process. Depending on the market you live in, your favorite wedding photographer and venue could be booked for more than 12 months out. Take the time to tour the wedding venues and ask to view wedding photographer portfolios you are considering hiring. It is especially important that you have confidence in the staff at your venue and your photographer from the beginning. This will make your big day a little less stressful.
Create a vision board
Vision boards are not necessary, but vendors will likely ask you specific questions about your wedding concept. To prepare for these questions, you may want to prepare answers to these questions:
- What is your color palette?
- What colors will your maid or matron of honor and bridesmaids wear?
- How many tiers do you want on your cake? (This will depend on your wedding guest list headcount.)
Pinterest can be an endless sea of good ideas for your vision board, but there are online surveys from wedding publications that allow you to browse through images to help you determine your particular style. You can also find plenty of good ideas and local vendors by looking through this issue of Insite Brazos Valley, starting on page xx. Once you have narrowed your style, it is easier to visit Pinterest with a more specific focus. Saving your vision board digitally will help you reference it when you are visiting with vendors.
Order your wedding cake
Much like the wedding venue and photographer, the best bakers in town are often booked far in advance because of their incredible skills and talents to create edible works of art. Knowing your wedding date will be key when reaching out to bakeries because that is most likely the first question they will ask you.
The dress and wedding timeline
Plan to take a small entourage with you when shopping for your wedding dress. This can be an emotional day, and it may be overwhelming if too many people show up to give their opinions about which dress you should choose. Take your time during your appointment; you do not have to purchase the dress on your first visit. It is a big expenditure and one you might want to sleep on before deciding. When working with a wedding gown designer or setting an appointment with a bridal salon, leave with a good understanding of the timeline for ordering your wedding dress and having alterations.
Also, if you plan to have bridal portraits taken before your wedding and you want to have them displayed at your wedding, you’ll need to build this into your timeline and share this with your bridal specialist and photographer.
Stretch your floral dollars
Florals at your wedding will bring your entire vision to life to create a memorable moment for you and your guests. A happy occasion is best celebrated with flowers. If florals are important to you, then make sure to dedicate a portion of your budget to flowers and greenery. Give the flowers a second life after your wedding by donating them to a local nonprofit, such as Hospice Brazos Valley, that will create individual bouquets to brighten their patients’ day.
A budget-friendly option to consider is to contact your local high school, university, or community college with a floriculture department or program. Often, they will have floral design classes, and you can place your order through them to purchase your arrangements directly from the students. Another floral-buying option is to work through a large retailer in bulk like a Costco or Sam’s Club to buy individual stems in large quantities. With both options, set your expectations accordingly with plenty of time before your wedding to make floral arrangements. Unless you know someone skilled in this trade who can dedicate the time to help you on and before your wedding day, consider hiring a professional florist and include it in the budget.
Music
There are a few options to consider when choosing music. Do you prefer live music and/or a DJ? Music adds so much to your happy day, and your choices will set the tone for the experience. Do you and your partner have a special song you want shared for the occasion? It’s a lovely idea, but make sure to give your musicians plenty of notice, just in case they need to learn it expressly for you. Also, consider appointing one person — not your wedding planner or part of your wedding party — to help the musicians load in and out, handle any other logistics, and pay them before they leave.
Ask for help
Hiring a wedding planner and or a day-of coordinator is key to helping your big day run smoothly. There are so many elements on the wedding day that you may not anticipate – so many small details that can be missed or overlooked – which is why hiring a professional is a good idea. Wedding planning can be an overwhelming task and is much more involved than planning the occasional house party. A wedding planner can help you to make decisions early so that you and your soon-to-be life partner can have a beautiful, worry-free wedding day and can focus on starting the next chapter of your lives together as a married couple.
Guest contributor Jennifer Satterfield is the founder and editor for Growing Up Texas, a Southern lifestyle and travel blog. You can find inspiration through Jennifer's colorful stories of her favorite boutiques, culinary treats and spirits, and travel adventures across the great state of Texas and beyond. A resident of the Brazos Valley for over 20 years, Jennifer believes that the Brazos Valley is truly the best place to live.
Visit growinguptexas.com for more information.
