Getting started and staying on track

Happy New Year! It has been a while since my last post, but what better way than to kick off 2014 with a post on planning staying on track for your upcoming wedding? The holiday season is one of the biggest times of the year for people to get engaged! Following the hype of engagement comes the task of planning the wedding!

My hairstylist and I were talking about her upcoming wedding the other day. We were talking about what decisions have been made and what tasks were left to do. She mentioned how hard it was to get started after they got engaged and to then keep track of all the tasks to do during the planning process.

It got me thinking on how important wedding checklists and timelines are! As a planner, nothing feels better than checking a task off my to do list. Not everyone is a visual learner, but when planning a wedding there are just too many things to keep track of to not have a list to go off of.

Here are some of my favorite wedding checklists:

Wedding Wire    Real Simple    The Knot    My Wedding

If you aren't typically organized or like to plan ahead you will want to seriously consider hiring a wedding planner. And for any bride they will become your lifesaver.

Here are 5 reasons to hire a wedding planner:

• Saves you time- Many people are procrastinators or just don't have the urgency to get things done all the time. Hiring a planner will then make it their job to stay up on your planning timeline.

• Saves you money- It may be hard to swallow the cost at first, but in perspective the time and stress it saves you will pay for itself! Also, wedding planners have connections with many vendors. They can help find the right companies that fit your wedding.

• Saves relationships- Planning a wedding is stressful no matter how prepared you are. Weddings also involve many friends and family. Wedding planners help alleviate the tension and stress with the delegation of tasks and communication of details.

• Serves as the liaison- Wedding planners will serve as your vendors 'go-to' person throughout the planning process and on the big day.

• Solves problems- Your wedding planner will foresee and prevent problems that may come your way. They will also serve as the problem solver if problems do arise during the planning process and on the wedding day.

An alternative option for you girls who want to be as involved as possible but alleviate some stress would be to hire a wedding coordinator for the day of the wedding! They still solve problems, act as the 'go-to' for your vendors, delegate tasks and keep everyone calm. Some venues may provide a coordinator with your booking or give you the option to select one in your package.

Today officially marks 4 months to go for my wedding on May 3rd! I have been checking my lists, taking care of tasks and well, starting to stress on all the things still left to do! But I wouldn't have it any other way;  the feeling that I am getting closer to marrying my fiancé, Matt, couldn't make me happier. It also doesn't hurt that I love planning events!

This is going to be a busy year for many of you! Don't be afraid to seek advice or ask for help. There are so many outlets to help keep you on track. Most importantly, always remember why you are doing this! "A life without love, is no life at all".

Until next time!

XO,
Brittney