How to Plan a Wedding

DIY or hire a Wedding Planner? If hiring a Wedding Planner is “not in the budget,” the Do It Yourself method may not be as hard as you think. The very thought of planning a wedding, may be quite overwhelming, but being thorough and organized from beginning to end definitely helps to iron out the panic and worry for the big day. I planned my wedding from my California home for the ceremony, reception and honeymoon to take place in Hawaii. Although I grew up in Honolulu, I had never planned a wedding and I quickly learned that it was going to be a learning experience of my life. Not knowing any resources and not having wedding industry contacts, the internet and my organizational skills were forced to step up to the plate. How did I survive? I created my own Wedding Binder, which was an actual binder that contained “every” detail of my wedding plans. Here’s how I planned my overseas, island wedding and survived with flying colors:

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Map out and list general events per day. Ex: April 30th last minute preparations, May 1st ceremony, and May 1st reception.
2. Start from the end (your last event) and backtrack a detailed time block for your reception.
   Ex: 11:30pm – 11:00pm Designated persons retrieve and deliver as specified; all wedding paraphernalia
   10:30pm – 11:00pm Thank you and farewell speech to guests, Bride, Groom and wedding party may leave
   8:30pm – 10:30pm Dancing and/or Entertainment
   7:00pm – 8:30pm Dinner (with or without Entertainment)
   6:00pm – 7:00pm Arrival of guests
   6:30pm – 7:00pm Arrival of bride, groom and wedding party
   
   Repeat the above for ceremony and any other events.
3. Make a list of vendors you will need/use and separate the vendors to have their own sheet/page. Once you have contacted and obtained pricing and/or complete booking information, add the detailed information to your vendor contact sheet and edit if necessary as you go along. Ex: ABC Catering
   1234 Food Lane
   My City, USA 12345
   [phone]
   Jane Doe is main contact
   (Include menu items, and anything applicable to this vendor)
4. Make a list of key family members with contact info, i.e. cell phone numbers etc. If these key members are coming from out of town, include arrival, departure and hotel info.
5. Organizing your Wedding Planner Binder. You’ll want to place your sheets in sheet protectors. Then, place family member contact info at the beginning, followed by, vendors, specific instructions, etc. Including photos of particular items such as the wedding cake etc, will be helpful along with floor plans of your reception, i.e. placing of tables and seating arrangements.

Tips & Warnings

• Planning your own wedding can be quite stressful. But, being thorough and organized can certainly help to alleviate the chaos. Keep your wedding planner binder with you at all times and making a couple extra copies for key people who may be helping you is definitely a must. Remember, you’re planning one of the most precious events of your life; enjoy this time and rest assured it will be memorable.