Your head is spinning with visions of your glorious wedding day. Your heart skips a beat every time you think about it. Your mind is going a mile a minute with ideas and plans. You are soooo excited. Now don’t get ahead of yourself. Before doing anything you should grab a pen and paper and follow these simple steps.

First you need to make a list of the things you need to discuss with your fiancée. Don’t go any further until you’ve done this. Although you might be inclined to rush out and start planning. Remember this is his big day too, and he should have a say in the planning of it.

You’ll need to discuss: • the maximum amount your going to spend • How many people your going to invite • How you are going to finance your wedding • What type of wedding your going to have – big, small, formal, informal • How many people will be in your wedding party

Once you’ve got some of the basics covered you’ll want to meet with both sets of parents to further discuss the items above. You need to find out how much, if any, finances parents will be contributing. You’ll need to know who is important to them to place on the invite list, and you’ll need to fill them in on the type of wedding your planning.

Third, you’ll need to set your wedding date. These days it’s advisable to book facilities such as churches and reception halls a year in advance. You’ll want to take into consideration the time of year you plan to get married, any holidays, vacations, or family events that might not work with your date. Once you’ve determined a date that works for your bridal party and family members, as well as yourself, you can move ahead. It never hurts to have a couple of date options

Now you can get those creative juices flowing. Your wedding should fit both your style and your fiancée’s style. Will it be a trendy wedding, traditional, beach, park?? Get ideas from bridal magazines, books, and the internet which has a wealth of free information available. Start a scrap book. Add items and ideas you like to the scrap book. Then you can use your scrap book for reference as you start to fine tune.

Get yourself organized. The more organized you are the easier it will be to plan, and you’ll be under a lot less stress. Keep a day timer of what you’ve done and what needs to be done on or before specific days. Use to do lists – scratch completed tasks and add new tasks. It’s important to keep your list up to date. There’s also some very good wedding management software packages available on the market.

Your wedding is one of the most important events in your life. Be prepared and enjoy planning for this very special day!

© Copyright Sher Matsen, All Rights Reserved.