Wedding Planning

you start with:
budget!!! that defines everything that follows…
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By Forlorn Hope on Nov 3, 2009

My fiancee got a lot of planning ideas from this site, its like an online scrapbooking thing.
http://www.weddingbycolor.com
careful though its highly addictive.
Congrats!
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By Hooahh on Nov 3, 2009

http://www.weddingwire.com
http://orientaltrading.com
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By I'll Get You My Pretty on Nov 3, 2009

You have plenty of time. You shouldn’t feel overwhelmed yet you are getting a great head start. First off you need to budget that’s the mose important thing. After that book everything that needs book. Shop around for ceremony and reception sites, Djs, Photographers, florists, caterer, etc. theknot.com is the most amazing wedding website you will ever find. It’s free to register. They give you a detailed time line to planning and they also have a lot of venues on there for your consideration. Good luck and congrats! Have fun!
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By squishy7 on Nov 3, 2009

Do not waste your time with dated wedding books and magazines.

The best resource for weddings, budgetm timetables, etiquette advice, inspiration ideas, time table’s etc. is

http://www.theknot.com

It is free and you can even send e-save the date cards, and it will give youreminders of things to do.

Good luck and congratulations
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By Blunt on Nov 3, 2009

This is the best website I used:
http://www.theknot.com

it has a ton of ideas, not to mention a checklist, budget calculator and a guest list manager! It was a lifesaver!!
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By Mrs♥B on Nov 3, 2009

The first steps should always be budget and guest list! There are a LOT of sites online that have detailed checklists of things you need to at least consider if you want included in your wedding or not. I would definitely take advantage of the web before spending $20-$60 on a book, but that’s just me .

theknot.com
weddingwire.com
onewed.com
perfectweddingguide.com
weddinginsight.com
weddingdetails.com
bridalocity.com

The list just goes on and on!
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currenlty planning my wedding!

By It's Me the BTB 10-1-10!! on Nov 3, 2009

Start with the dress! That’s where I started.

I also picked out the bridesmaids dresses early, and figured out the groomsmen attire not long after that. Surprisingly, the groom was the hardest!

Well, I should correct myself… we picked the venue first, but had it in mind 2 years before we got married. The venue and the clothes provided inspiration for everything else. So did the engagement photos.
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By Libby on Nov 3, 2009

There are lots of wedding planning books, with lists of deadlines for doing things. You can check them out of the library or purchase one at a book store. Most of them include the basic starters: Pick a site for your reception first and put a deposit down to book it (you might want to figure out how many people you’ll be inviting, too, ’cause it’s expensive. But figure in that 10% of the people invited will not be able to come. Usually you divide the guest list into thirds: one third for your friends and associates, one third for your family and their best friends, and one third for the fiance’s family and their best friends). Then check with your church office or the person you want to perform the ceremony and book that. Those are the two most important steps. After those steps, when you have a date set, you put a photo of the two of you and an engagement announcement in the local newspaper stating that you will wed in (example) September, 2011.

After that, over the next year or so, you need to select bridesmaid’s attire, groom men’s attire, flowers, photographer, videographer, the cake, the menu, etc. You can do that a little at a time. Book the date at a reception place, and find the officiant, and you can do the rest over the next year.
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By Wiser1 on Nov 3, 2009

Check out http://www.theknot.com . It is a great resourse for everything you could possibly have questions on, and even some things you may never have thought of! They have separate sections for each of the items you’ve listed (included where to start) and more!
Good luck, congratulations, and happy planning!
References :
http://www.theknot.com/

By SophiesMom on Nov 3, 2009

I remember when I first got engaged. I was totally clueless on how to plan my wedding that I can look back on and appreciate. I found a site that offers some tips on how to plan a wedding on a budget.
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http://www.contemporaryweddingplanning.com

By Desiree on Nov 3, 2009

Congratulations on your engagement! As others have mentioned, the best place to start is with your budget. You are very smart to plan to DIY. You can save so much money that way and really give your wedding a personal touch.

Below is a site that has everything you need from a printable budget, to timelines, to DIY ideas, and tons of ways to save money on your wedding. There is also a link for a website that offers free invitation templates that you can print from home.
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http://www.cheap-wedding-success.co.uk
http://www.wedding-invitation-ideas.com/

By StickyWicky on Nov 3, 2009

When my fiance and I got engaged we had 9 months to plan and now going on 3 months we’ve finally started to crack down and make things happen. Try to do as much as you can early, even if its super super simple, like making your "card box" (mines a vintage birdcage decorated with tulle so the cards don’t fall out) or picking colors you like.
Go ahead and pick up a few wedding magazines (the bookstore will have 10x the variety the drugstore does) but beware they are addictive (and expensive)!

Try to set a date. I know you might be tempted to clear this date with EVERYONE on your guest list but really, you just need immediate family and some are smaller or larger than others. This would include, you, your future husband, both sets of parents, siblings and surviving grandparents. Really, everyone else is just icing on the cupcake.
Start by picking a season, then a month then choose a day Traditionally weddings take place on Saturday afternoons however it can be *whenever* you and your fiance want (Friday evening service, Sunday morning in the park, Sunday afternoon brunch?) Hosting a wedding on a day other than Saturday also tends to make your venue cheaper.
Second, pick a venue. You can’t plan any kind of guest list till you know how many people can fit in the room (you *can* plan your guest list first but people tend to have a much larger number that way then expected).

Make a to-do list (I have one on Excel at work and check it every other day) and write down EVERYTHING you think of that you and your fiance need to think about/ talk about/ decide on. And the great thing is that after you talk about it, type what you decided on next to it and change the font color on that, so that you know that task is complete, it really can help you if you feel out of control.

sites that help
theknot.com (really great for ideas but generally catered to women with higher budgets than $10,000)
weddingbee.com (basically a networking site for brides, really great when looking for advice and understanding brides)
2000dollarwedding.com (an actual one woman blog, she posts all sorts of things from how life is with her husband and adorable dog to how to save a ton on weddings – she’s also quick to reply to email!)
lazybridesblog.com (also subscribe to her emails, they’re a great way to stay in touch with the wedding world)

- beware what many wedding bloggers call the WIC (It’s likely not what you think it is). It’s the Wedding Industry Complex. It’s where you see all those fancy fancy place settings and dresses and registry’s at Lenox and realize you just cant have it. And it hurts. And yet the "WIC" keeps reminding you how cool it all is even though you can’t afford it or don’t want it. Fight it but don’t really let it get to you. There are millions of other women and brides out there dealing with exactly the same things you are, you just have to look for them

Hope I helped and good luck!
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By Miss Kitty on Nov 3, 2009

i am doing everything myself for my wedding. i used the knot.com and used their budget calculater and their checklist. they have so many ideas for everything on there. i also used http://www.designedbythebride.com to design my flowers, cake and center pieces. good luck!
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By aah8520 on Nov 3, 2009

BUDGET! You can also go online and look for a plan your wedding schedule! it will break it down for you months before the wedding. . . I just got engaged in March and I am getting Married October of next year so i had a long time but still the schedule is very good! try it out and let me know if you think it will work for you!
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By Morgan on Nov 3, 2009

theknot.com has a budgeter as well as resources for everything. They do have a terrible WNY resource page, you’re better off looking locally, I’m happy to help if I can…

Congrats Cat, the hockey section misses you!
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By Freckles: Bloodthirsty Creep FTW on Nov 3, 2009

First of all, congratulations!! You can never start planning too early. Now that doesn’t mean you have to have the whole thing planned out in the next few months, but if I were you, I would make a list of all the items and services I need, and try to tackle a couple each month or so just to get a head start. That way, you will pretty much be assured that you won’t be scrambling for stuff once the actual date starts approaching in a couple years. As a side note, depending on the location you choose for you reception and ceremony, some places sell out certain dates years in advance, so that may be one of the first things you start narrowing down. If you would like, you can visit the website I just launched last week –

http://www.mybridalcenter.com

You can actually post a free ad and vendors in your area will be able to contact you (via email only). As a result, you might get a better deal on some services because they will be competing for your business. Once again, congratulations and good luck!
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I own a wedding planning company and just started a full service networking website for brides and vendors throughout the United States.

By mbcexpert on Nov 3, 2009

This site lists dozens of wedding sites with discounts and coupons:
http://www.cheapweddingcoupons.com

Here is a great place to start:
http://www.cheapweddingcoupons.com/waystosavemoneyonawedding.asp

The groom must read this:
http://www.cheapweddingcoupons.com/howtobuyadiamondring.asp

Best of luck!
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By CuriousDave on Nov 3, 2009

Hello and congratulations on your engagement! I could help you with a free engagement shoot on Long Island – free, no obligation.

By Florio on Nov 27, 2009