First off let me be the first to congratulate you on this major step in your relationship! After the excitement of the proposal has started to come down and you are left with having to plan the wedding of your dreams you might get bombarded with the question "now what?"
It is so easy to get swept up and overwhelmed when it comes to wedding planning, there are hundreds of apps and your grandma is asking you to set a date so she can invite everyone. It can start to feel like it's way too much and you might think is it even worth it? Take a deep breath and relax. You have some time the average length of an engagement is over a year and in that time you can take it at your pace but keep in mind that there are certain vendors that do book out very very quickly.
What I tell all my brides and I will die on this hill these are my two most important tips before you start trying to get everything all at once. Are you ready for the magic?
Tip one, Make a list of all the vendors you want for your big day just keep it basic (photographer, catering, venue, bartender, etc.), and then from there rank them from most important to least. Personally, I view catering and photography as my two big-ticket vendors, those are the ones I refuse to skimp on the price so, in my budget planning, those are going to have the highest budgets. Not everyone values the same things and maybe you're not a food person and prefer you have a higher florist budget AND THAT'S OKAY! but making that list to see what vendors are most important gives you a starting point to start searching. I recommend that you start some conversations with vendors as soon as you have your list ready just reaching out and finding out times to meet and discuss your vision.
This brings me to tip number two. DO A VISION BOARD!!! it might feel silly but seeing everything together just makes the most sense. Pinterest is amazing for this, instead of making a binder and filling it with clippings from magazines you can pull from so many different places and put them in your board. When making your board nothing is too small. Put everything in there even fonts that you like, it might sound so small but as a photographer, I can even tell what type of style of photography you would like based on the types of fonts that speak to you! This is also a starting point for you to share with your vendors exactly what you want. Photography since it is art is subjective. So you could say you're into moody editorial style and that will look different in everyone's mind! When you have a set list of exactly what speaks to you it makes nailing down the perfect vendor even easier.
Wedding planning is never easy and if someone tells you it is they are lying. But the end is so worth it all those months of planning and anticipation will all make for the most perfect day in your life, plus having a solid vendor list will make it that much sweeter. So don't worry darling you got this!
