The two key details to finalize first when it comes to wedding planning
Engagement season is upon us, and to all the new brides-to-be out there: I congratulate you! Whether the moment completely caught you off guard or you knew it was coming (maybe because you dropped all kinds of hints … @me), it is such a special and exciting milestone in your life. Before you jump head first into the planning process, take some time to simply celebrate and soak in the start of this sweet season.
But once you are ready to begin, where do you even start?! It’s overwhelming, I know, and a whole new world to step into. After getting engaged, I somehow felt instantly behind when it came to planning. Maybe that was because social media makes inspiration — and comparison — readily available. If you feel anything like I did, let me be the one to tell you that you’re not behind and it’s not a race to the finish line. At this stage in the game, eliminate comparison and put your blinders on. You’ll dive into the inspiration part later, but for now, let’s focus on your two key details. These will anchor all of the other decisions for your day and give you the ability to book your team of vendors, another exciting task!
So first, you obviously need to know when you’re getting married (or when you would like to get married). For most, this isn’t too difficult to figure out, unless you’re marrying into a football family (heaven forbid your wedding day be on an OU game day!). I kid, but there’s a lot to consider for many couples. Maybe you’ve always dreamt of getting married at a certain time of year, or maybe it’s a matter of getting the family calendars to line up. As you start circling in on a date, it may feel like every friend or relative has an opinion on the matter, so I caution you against trying to please everyone in this choice. Do make sure your most important people can be there, though.
So let’s say that you’ve narrowed down your “when” to a preferable month, and maybe even a few days within it, so now let’s figure out your where. This is the fun part: your venue search! I’ll go in depth in another blog post on everything to consider when selecting a venue, but here are a few of the key bullet points to consider when visiting potential venues:
The overall vibe. This is the no.1 thing for a reason! How does it make you feel, and what kinds of design would it lend itself to? This doesn’t mean, for example, that getting married on a ranch designates a strictly country-themed wedding. But the venue does serve as a canvas on which you get to create. And it helps when whatever you select feels perfectly “you” + your future spouse.
The scale. Will it hold the number of people you anticipate having? Do you feel like you can fill the space, even with a smaller wedding? Maybe not a deal-breaking factor when selecting a venue, but it is important to consider.
Any amenities included. Does it have suites for the wedding party to get ready in? Is the location accessible to guests? Would you have options for a rain plan if you could no longer have your ceremony outside? All these questions and more.
Pictured: The venue we fell in love with— Arrowhead Hill. Located on the most beautiful land in Montgomery, Texas, with the most wonderful family behind it. Photo by Courtney Leigh Photography.
Personally, when on the venue hunt with my husband, we had a clear idea of the kind of place we wanted to get married. We wanted modern farmhouse vibes and a clean, white-walls canvas to fill with flowers (okay, maybe I wanted that). It was funny to discover that the venue we thought was perfect for us on paper was not actually the one we went with. I had found a new venue on Instagram (it wasn’t even finished being built yet) and added it to our search on a whim because it seemed to be in line with the vibe we were going for. Sure enough, we were blown away on our venue tour, and it felt like a puzzle piece that fit perfectly into place. When the light poured through the chapel windows, and I saw my groom-to-be standing at the front of the space, I got that feeling of “this is it—we have to get married here!”
You’ll get that feeling, too. And once you find that venue and can lock down a date, all of a sudden the planning process becomes much easier. You actually have a day to anchor every other detail and vendor to. And then you can really dive into wedding planning!
— LNC
*Pro tip: If you’re not dead set on a Saturday wedding, consider getting married on another day of the week. A Friday or Sunday, for example, typically comes with a price break. You’re still getting married at the venue of your dreams, but it’s a way to stretch that budget, especially if you have other priority items on your list.
Thumbnail photo: Courtney Leigh Photography