I asked on my poll on Instagram what you all wanted to see MOST this week for our #WeddingWednesday, and the responses were SO not expected. Y’all are so amazing for not only asking questions constantly, but for voting too! It does NOT go unnoticed and I am constantly so thankful for YOU.
I got so many repeat questions like wedding dress shopping, flowers, venue details, bridesmaids gifts, and the list goes on! Don’t worry, those posts are coming. Some things I want to keep as a surprise, and that is SO hard for me to do! I’m so excited to share with you all every little detail about the wedding. BUT, for now, I think the best post I can write is what I’ve done so far, what I’ve been learning, and my tips for enjoying the process (got a ton of requests for this too).
What I’ve Done So Far
I got engaged the end of December….how is it ALREADY April?! The average time to plan a wedding is anywhere from 10-18 months…which seems like so much time. However, once you start the planning process, it becomes super easy to see WHY people take a year or more to plan their special day! So many things go into it that you might have heard before, but it isn’t real until it is your reality.
First thing I did, 3 days after I got engaged, is I bought my wedding planner. LOVE it. Not only is it good for organization, but it is like a wedding scrapbook that I will cherish forever. Check that post out here.
January:
January was a whirl-wind for me. I had no idea where to start. I let Christmas and NYE pass before I got into the whole “Wedding Planning” stuff because I just wanted to take it all in, enjoy the moment, and relax.
After a week of doing nothing (I highly recommend), I decided to finally create a Pinterest Board. I had one, years ago (lol in high school and college), but then deleted it once I met my fiancé. I know that sounds like the opposite thing one does, but I just wanted to make the whole engagement process really special…not pre-planned.
Because I hadn’t been dreaming of my perfect day, I was slightly overwhelmed at first. Y’all, there are SO many different themes, venues, dresses, flowers, and just straight inspiration out there now days. It can be completely daunting. I felt like I had to please everyone….and…also myself? But I didn’t want to be a Bridezilla or “extravagant”, but I also wanted my fairytale wedding? Yes…I was drowning lol.
Venue & Date Selection
I called and set up my first 2 wedding venue tours. This was SO exciting. I had no idea what to expect. These were both set up in the beginning of the month, a couple days apart. BEST TIP: DO NOT SCHEDULE YOUR TOURS THE SAME DAY. You need time to process the information, sleep on it, talk with your parents/friends, etc. I didn’t want be exhausted by round 4 of tours in the same day and just not care anymore. Let this engagement stage just soak in and have fun! You DO NOT need to have it all planned in one month.
I talked to my fiancé and asked him roughly how many people he wanted to invite to the wedding. Once we both had a (super) rough estimate, I was able to then go into the venue selecting process with some idea to give the venue coordinator. We also discussed our wedding timeline and roughly the month we would want to get married in.
I decided to start the venue tour process with the venues that I **thought** were really budget friendly, not my dream place but doable, and an adequate location. So, in short, not my dream venue. I had low expectations, but tried to be open minded. I had no idea how much these things cost, what goes into the venue, or anything like that.
The first two venues were NOT ideal. Location was subpar, the venue itself was crammed and not ideal for our guests, and parking was difficult (again, not good for our guests). Even just simply how the venues were decorated didn’t scream ME. Additionally, both venues had no Saturdays in ANY month in the fall left. Only Fridays and random Sundays. Again, not ideal for our guests. To top it off, they were E X P E N S I V E . I actually left feeling a little disappointed. If these “budget friendly” venues were still too expensive (and I didn’t like them at all), how would I be able to find a gorgeous venue with a good price…with a good date for Fall?
I saved my favorite venue for last, and let’s just say, it blew my mind. Not only me, but my mom was in love. You could just tell, we both absolutely lit up when we just parked our car. When the venue coordinator showed us the ceremony spot, I knew that this was the place. It went above and beyond my expectations, and most importantly, I knew my guests would be comfortable, too. Then, we saw the Reception area and again, I knew without a doubt that this was the place. It hit every checkbox and more.
We started talking about prices and MAN, my eyes were opened. After you calculate the ceremony spot, getting ready area, reception area, food, drink, and waitstaff, all the venues in my area amount to around the same. CRAZY. The main difference was how it is worded on the website/in person. One venue tries to make it look like you are getting an amazing deal on the space, but the hidden fee is the super expensive food and the reception is not included in the package! After you do your research, it really becomes personal preference.
Before we left our tour, the venue coordinator told us that there were actually TWO Saturdays in the Fall still open. I knew right there, it was a sign from God..haha.
We went home after our visit and thought about it for a few days. We even went on one more venue tour…but left knowing even more that venue #3 was our spot. We signed the contract a week later and got the date we wanted!
Wedding Dress Shopping:
What we have all been waiting for, right?! As of right now, there will be a whole dedicated post just for the wedding dress shopping experience and all about the types of wedding dresses, so stay tuned.
As for this process, just like the venue selection, I WAS CLUELESS. I had an idea of what I wanted my wedding dress to look like, but then I started getting washed away by others’ opinions and expectations of me. Some wanted this dress, others thought this was a better silhouette, etc. I also love fashion…so the wedding dress is really exciting for me! I added so many pretty ones to my Pinterest Board and started falling in love with so many of them. BUT, they were all a little different.
My mom, sister and I went to our first appointment in the middle of January. Just like wedding venues, don’t stack your dress experience back to back. You need time to breathe and think.
I was SO excited. However, my first appointment was lack luster. Long story short, my consultant wouldn’t let me try on any of the dresses I requested. Again, I left very disappointed. All the ones I tried on were pretty and “looked good” (besides maybe one or two….yikes), but non of them were Kelly Hoover.
I went to another bridal appointment and this time, I was able to try on more dresses that I chose and not some stranger…but the consultant was very pushy. Just trying to make a sale. She was trying to convince me to buy a certain dress that just didn’t sit right with me. I left that appointment wondering if she liked it, and my mom and sister loved it, what was wrong with me? Will any dress be MY dress or will I have to settle?
Finally, we went to our third appointment and the second I walked into the store, I fell in love. EVERY dress I saw was stunning. Elegant. My dream. My consultant was so patient, kind, but not too in your face. We totally meshed. After having the hardest time deciding between two dresses, I just went with my gut, not caring about WHAT ANYONE else would think, and said YES to my dress!
I can’t wait to do a whole post about this!! The most fun part of wedding planning BY FAR. At least for a girl who loves fashion…haha
Photography
ALSO, something really important to me is the photography. I connected with a high school friend who now lives in Atlanta. Her photography is amazing and, as an added bonus, she frequents Birmingham and Dallas often. We had talked and she was actually going to be in Birmingham when I was (visiting Andrew), so our timelines aligned. I took that as a sign as well!
Bridesmaids
This month, I also asked my bridesmaids! You can read a whole post dedicated to this here, as well as get some ideas for your own Bridesmaid boxes/proposals! This was a super fun way for me to say I LOVE YOU and thank you for being in my bridal party. It is a big time and money commitment, and that does not go unnoticed!
February
Ah…this month was more quite. I had the 3 big things I needed: Venue, Dress, and Future Husband. Everything else, could just fall into place.
In February, I started researching florists, decoration ideas, getting our guest list worked on, looking at save the dates, and just researching what I wanted our wedding to look like. February was a chill month.
We got our engagement photos back, so that was REALLY fun to look at.
March
Ah….another chill month HAHA.
I booked my florist by the end of the month! After several meetings with several florists, I finally found one who wasn’t trying to take my first born child (kidding…but it felt like that). My florist is SUPER cool, has great ideas, and is a dancer too! We instantly connected and I can’t wait to work with her.
This month I also started nailing down the entertainment and DJ service. Nothing signed yet…just talking and getting a feel for the price and what we get included in that.
March was also the month of me truly trying to figure out WHAT I wanted the wedding to be and feel like. I kept asking my fiancé his opinion, but what I’ve found out is that guys care…but not like girls. HAH!
I also started researching more seriously about Bridesmaids dresses. There are SO many on the market, so I really just wanted to get a good vision of what I wanted, what was out there, and what my gals would look the best (and feel the best) in.
Andrew and I also booked our H O N E Y M O O N !!!! WE ARE SO EXCITED. This was a fun process, but also stressful because there are so many great ideas and of course, everyone has an opinion. In the end, we just decided to go with our gut and remember that no matter what, we will be together so it will be a blast!
April
And here we are, April!! This month is the month of finalization for the BIG things.
- Finalize DJ and entertainment
- Start researching wedding bands for him&her
- Cake tasting!! Get an idea of what we want the cake to look and taste like
- Finalize Bridesmaids dresses
- My DRESS CAME IN!!! I need to go pay for the final installment and have my first fitting
- SEND those save the dates! We’ve had a few hiccups along the way.
- Start registry!
- Update Wedding Website
- Start getting a mock playlist going for ceremony and reception
What I’ve Learned
- Everyone has an opinion. Take them with gratitude, but stay true to yourself.
- You do NOT need to have your whole wedding planned the day after you get engaged. Stop and smell the roses. You are ENGAGED!!! Enjoy this moment.
- Don’t listen to the trends. As a blogger, that is all I see sometimes. But, when you close your eyes, what do you envision? Stick to that.
- Your fiancé will care about the wedding. He will be excited. But he doesn’t want to pick the shade of pink.
- Things are more expensive that what YouTube videos tell you. Google the average wedding cost not for the nation, but for YOUR CITY. That will give you a good idea on where to start with your budget. Then, do your own research so you can fully structure your budget knowing what to expect.
- When booking a photographer, look for a good package deal. Someone who can do your engagement photos, getting ready, ceremony, and reception is ideal. For starters, it gives you time to get to know each other as well as get comfortable with them while taking photos. Secondly, it’s a better deal (normally…but again, do your research).
Okay…. WOAH super long post. If you made it this far, thank you for reading!! I love talking about wedding planning and I’m glad y’all like it too.
