**how I planned for my wedding**
I have been planning this video for months because I wanted to publish it in the week
after I got married, so I could tell you whether my organization methods worked or not.
If you've watched last week's video than you know that because of all of this crisis I
*did not get married* and I'm actually planning a lot of things all over again because the
wedding got postponed to a different time of the year.
But despite the fact that the wedding did *not* happen, 10 months of planning *did*
happen and because I now have all the extra planning to do, I thought this would be a
good video to publish in case there are more people out there facing the same issues I'm
facing today.
[pause]
**Pre-planning**
Pre-planning is what you do when you're still trying to figure out what you want your wedding
to look like.
You only have to make one big final decision during this initial phase which is d**efining
your budget**.
Talk to people around you who got married recently to find about current prices, or
search for information online from vendors who don't mind revealing their price range.
After setting your budget, your second task is **gathering information**, inspiration
and examples about the style of your wedding.
First of all, maybe you have already decides on a specific date - if you did, this process
should take into account the date you've picked.
The pre-planning phase should include everything, from overarching images of the space of the
reception or ceremony, to details of your centerpieces or the invites.
I did all of my pre-planning using Pinterest - I basically created one big album and then
smaller sections dedicated to different parts of the event.
Sometimes the information I gathered was completely contradictory - I wasn't looking for any specific
color scheme, flower arrangements or dresses - I just saved all the images that I liked
in organized albums.
After you feel like you can't save any more images in your wedding collection it's time
to **filter**.
You'll start feeling naturally inclined towards something now - a certain style or vibe, or
a color scheme.
This process can take hours, days, or weeks - don't try to force yourself to pick the
general look of your wedding two hours after you get engaged.
Gather the information, then let your brain passively do its magic.
Review your albums from time to time and picture yourself in those situations.
There will come a day when you know the type of wedding you want.
That means it's time to delete all of those Pinterest pictures that have nothing to do
with what you've imagined - you're probably going to discard the ice statues if you're
picturing a wedding at the beach.
You'll end up with a curated library of inspiration pictures that you can now use for reference
- and this is going to be crucial when you start contacting vendors.
Also, if you still haven't picked a specific date, this is the time to do so - based on
logistics or simply the kind of weather you would enjoy on your big day.
Now that you've found your major wedding style, it's time to **start gathering contacts for
vendors**.
Your wedding can be as simple or as complex as it gets but you'll probably need:
- A place for the ceremony: - A place for the reception;
- A wedding dress; - Music;
- Photography and/or videography services; - Catering service;
- A cake, - Flowers or other decoration.
- And of course, you can also get a bridal car, customized stationery, a wedding planner
and so on.
Unless you have already figured out the exact photographer or band for your wedding, do
the same thing you've done for your wedding inspiration - start gathering contacts, prices
and examples of the service provided by your vendors.
You can use websites like The Knot, Wedding Wire, Zankyou or any equivalent in your country.
Short list that main brain dump according to your budget or the type of services provided
until you have no more than five candidates for each category.
And now this is the time when you get out of the pre-planning stage and enter **the
planning stage.** The fun part about this stage is that you can actually start writing
things down - I recommend the Moleskine Wedding Planner or a powerful planning tool like Notion.
I actually used both.
During the planning stage you should start consolidating your findings - write down in
clear words what you want your wedding to be about - the date, the colors, any fixed
ideas for location, flowers or music.
Write details about the vendors you've shortlisted and start creating pros and cons for each
one.
**[managing vendors]**
After your pros and cons lists for vendors are written down, start calling or sending
e-mails and ask for availability, prices, payment conditions and any other terms they
would like discussing.
Also, feel free to request pictures, or testimonies of people who've used their services before,
as well as a Skype or in-person meeting prior to signing a contract, in case they're comfortable
with that.
When you've finally picked your vendors, look at your calendar and schedule meetings with
everyone over the span of one month.
I recommend you to do your meetings back-to-back so you're able to hand out accurate and recent
information from some of the vendors to the other vendors.
Ask for phone numbers and e-mail addresses and start compiling their contacts into lists.
**[setting the details]**
Things like a detailed schedule of your day, the sitting chart, contacts of other vendors
or even information related to flower placement or music cues, can be compiled into physical
or digital files that can be sent to both your vendors as well as family members or
friends helping out with the organization of the wedding.
Some extra tips:
- It's important to keep your budget regularly updated, remembering to track any new expenses
(even the small ones will add up pretty fast) and remember to record any payments you make,
as well as the receipts and proof of payment.
- Filtering e-mails during the planning process is easier if you create a specific label for
wedding related e-mails and just create a folder in your inbox that can keep these messages
neatly organized.
You can also create a dedicated e-mail address for this purpose.
- Besides the sitting plan, remember to plan out where the buffet and cake tables will
be, as well as the place where your band or DJ will be playing, the dance floor or any
entrances or doors.
You can easily map out a complex sitting chart using simple tools like Microsoft Excel or
a photo editor.
- Don't forget to plan for the worst possible weather - even in summer it may rain, so making
sure that there's a space indoors or a tent that is able to hold your entire wedding party
is important.
Same thing applies to budgeting in advance for heaters or buying umbrellas for your guests.
- If you're not into wedding favors, you can make a donation in the name of all of your
guests to a local charity or other association you support.
- Download templates of wedding task lists that actually organize everything you have
to do by week and month until your big day arrives, print them and stick them in your
planner so you can keep track of everything.
If you want to improve your organization system during this time, online classes are a fantastic
way to manage your time **and** budget, since they are affordable and allow you to decide
when you are learning, and how.
And the best place to learn more about these things is today's sponsor, Skillshare.
Skillshare allows you to learn almost anything for less than 10 dollars a month.
They have thousands of courses on management and business, productivity, photography, writing,
languages, illustration and design, music, cooking and so on.
And if you want to start illustrating your own wedding invitations you can take this
illustrated lettering class that will teach you how to draw intricate flower patterns.
And even if you're not willing to start paying 10 dollars a month for classes, that's not
a problem because the first five hundred people using my promo code will have two months of
classes for free, no strings attached.
Using this promo code also tells Skillshare that you came from my channel which is always
nice if you enjoy my content and want to keep supporting our study corner.
I hope you enjoyed today's video and I will see you next week.
Bye guys.