Did you just get engaged? Are you asking yourself “What am I supposed to do next?” besides show off that ring (wink wink)! Now is the time that you dive into wedding planning! It may be a bit overwhelming but hey, I got you Boo Boo! And I’ll even point you in the right direction to get started!

Budget – Have the budget talk. Find out who will be contributing to your wedding budget. You, your fiancé, and any family members. You need to know what you have to work with when it comes to the funding of it.

Guest List – Compile a guest list of who you want to invite. This will give you a good idea of your headcount for the venue. And will help you in determining what venues you need to focus on. Obviously, if you are planning on inviting 200 people then you know you need to focus on venues that can accommodate at least 200 people.

Pinterest – If you don’t have a board, get one started and just pin away. Get that inspiration flowing! I always tell my clients to go crazy and pin, pin, pin. Because what you thought you wanted to do, may not end up being what you actually do when you start to see all the ideas out there, and that’s ok!

Date – Discuss possible dates. Do you want to get married in the summer, fall, winter or spring? And I said “dates” have more than one, it helps to be flexible. Especially if you are trying to have a summer wedding in Alaska since that is prime time for us! Remember, pretty much everything revolves around the date. You can’t book a venue unless you have a date, you can’t book most vendors unless you have a date, you can’t send out Save the Dates, unless you have a date. See where I am going with this?

Venue – After you have figured out your target attendance and possible wedding dates, you need to find that perfect venue that can accommodate the guest count and wedding date. Those are the venues you focus on. And from there, you do a process of elimination and remove any venues that you may not be feeling. Maybe it’s not rustic enough or maybe it’s too rustic.

Wedding Show – Attend the Annual Fall Wedding Show that usually takes place in October. It’s a good place to start to “kill two birds with one stone.” You can get in front of photographers, venues, caterers, wedding planners, etc. all in one place and get the preliminary information that you need, or even book a vendor.

Vendors – And last but not least, once you have the date, book your vendors’ stat! Especially if you have a favorite that you can’t live without. Again, if you want a summer wedding you’re picking a popular time and competing with a lot of other couples.

Follow these steps and you’ll be headed in the right direction!

P.S. Don’t forget to book your wedding planner, it will be so worth it, trust me! 🙂