I’m no wedding planning expert but I wanted to share a little bit of my journey as I stumble along. So feel free to give me feedback or share your own planning process!

My process so far has been putting all the big tasks into a few small groups and only tackling one group at a time. Once I finish one group I move onto the next one and so on. This was a great way to get the big stuff out of the way, quickly and in an organized way that helped me stay focused.

The first thing we did once we decided to officially begin the wedding planning was sit down and discuss what things were the most important to each of us. For me the most important vendor was the photographer. For the fiancé it was the food (surprise ;) ). So that influenced how we created the groups but it could be different for everyone!

Here’s how I divided it up:

Group 1: Guest list, budget– these are the two things you really need to discuss and have a pretty good idea about in order to start actually booking any vendors.

Group 2: Venue, catering, photographer– You need a venue first thing so you can set a date. Once we had that we researched, met with and booked our top two priorities.

Group 3: DJ, officiant, hotel block– these were the remaining vendors that weren’t top priorities for us but still need to be locked in early.

Group 4: Engagement photos, save the dates, website- Next up we are getting engagement photos taken and once we get those back I can start on the save the dates and our wedding website.

Group 5: Florist, dress, decorations–  I threw the florist into the last group since my flowers are going to be a small, simple order. The dress and decorations are something I want to take my time with after getting the rest of the big stuff out of the way.

Doing it this way, we were able to get through groups 1, 2 and 3 within the first month of being engaged which was a huge weight off my shoulders.

I’d love to hear about your own experience! Feel free to give any advice you have! :)