What I Have Learned: Wedding Planning

#1 Research!!!!

This is soooooo important. I have called over a dozen venues, 5 caterers (for quotes only on 1 venue), gone shopping for dresses twice so far (with many more shopping trips in the future) and all with the plan of knowledge gathering, I'm not going to buy. My wedding is over a year away but I plan on being an expert and knowing all the different options we have and their price points.

Each vendor asks me questions that I don't know the answers to or makes me think about things in a different way.  A lot of the time I end up back where I started but different options never hurt.  For example, one venue we are looking for is not all inclusive so then I started to get quotes and research day of wedding coordinators.

Throughout this process, it has been tough to research prices because none of the vendors make it visible. Vendors websites won't even give me a range.  Sadly, this is wasting more of the vendors time than mine. I'm not paying someone to call me, make a proposal, for the customer to look at the quote and it's double my budget.  I'm doing all this work to save money.


#2 Don't care if people think you are going overboard with the wedding.

If you went to your job with a plan that didn't have every single option outlined and ready to go they would say you aren't prepared. With the budget of this event so high it should be a job.  For most people wedding average over $27,000.  After taxes, that is close to the average persons net yearly salary.

#3 If your partner cares more about marrying you than the one day event: be grateful, not frustrated.

I was extremely frustrated and disappointed that he didn't want to help plan the tiny details -  get quotes, and plan this extremely important day.  After multiple people told me to calm down, I realized something. Not everyone loves doing this, I have a passion for it and that is ok.

It's not only about me. I love planning (it's why I do event logistics at my actual job) I can do the very minor details planning myself (for example flowers) and ask him what is important to him.  (Ms. Pacman machine tournament) It's his day too.