Engagement: Surviving Wedding Planning 

Congratulations! You’re engaged! How many times have you heard those words since that magical moment that changed your lives and propelled you down a new path and on a real journey of a lifetime? Enough to make you feel like royalty? Or, enough to drive you to the edge of an anxiety attack?

Now is the perfect time for a deep breath and a little reflection. It’s true. You do have a lot to do in a finite period of time.

This is going to blow your mind… ready? It takes roughly 450 hours to plan a wedding! That is 37.5 hours a month if you have a yearlong engagement, or about 10 hours per week. Add that to your 40-hour workweek, hobbies, date nights (because you have to have those to keep from going wedding crazy!), school (many of our brides are pursuing their Masters degrees, taking the bar, or prepping for their MCats while they are engaged), and you’ll quickly become overwhelmed.

Excerpt from the Make It Posh Guest Column on Southern Weddings Blog (08/10/2016) 

What needs to be done may be totally foreign to you and that can add to the tension. The engagement period is also an emotional time, full of dancing-on-clouds highs and pit-of-despair lows. In fact, it’s a pretty decent metaphor for life.

Consider this a practice session – your married life rehearsal so to speak. How you navigate through the next several weeks and months will reflect your ability to problem solve together. It will test your empathy for each other, your dignity under fire and your reaction to a whole host of different social situations. If you stumble a little, give yourselves credit for recognizing an area in need of work. Be kind to each other. Wedding planning survival can be an excellent first step towards a beautiful and successful marriage.

 

Where to Begin

If you are reading this, you’ve already taken one of the best possible first steps down the aisle. We are honored to play a role in making your wedding a magical event for you and for your guests. You may be wondering what happens next, so below is a very brief overview of the major milestones ahead.

Following your initial personal conversations about priorities, budget and your guest list, you’ll need to address these major decisions (the order may vary):

• Visit and select your ceremony and reception venues.
• Select your caterer (if not included with your venue).
• Choose your wedding party. 
• Consider establishing a wedding website to help share information with your invitees and wedding party.
• Gather design ideas from websites, magazines, home décor catalogs, and other creative inspiration sources.
• Interview and select your photographer and videographers.
• Start your attire search – wedding gowns and some custom suits can take 6 months or more to order.
• If major rentals are necessary (i.e. tents), choose a provider and make reservations.
  

  PC: Jose Villa

• Consult with your design team to select a florist, lighting designer and linen rental company.
• Select your ceremony musicians and reception entertainers.
• Choose and order your invitations and other specialty printed goods.
• Attend cake tastings and select your baker.
• Communicate your vision for your attendants’ attire and help with the selection process.
• Choose an officiant and fulfill any pre-marriage requirements.
• Research and reserve your honeymoon travel arrangements and accommodations.
• Refine and finalize your guest list. Gather all of the necessary contact information.
• Address and mail invitations.
• Make wedding day transportation arrangements.
• Complete a run-through with your hair and makeup artist.
• Write and review your ceremony together and with your officiant.
• Purchase any additional accessories, ceremony or reception items you need for your wedding day.
• Send final guest count, meal selections and rental numbers to your vendors.
• Follow your packing list and check to ensure you have delivered everything necessary to your vendors and venues.
• Review your contracts and confirm wedding day details with vendors.
• Obtain your marriage license.
• Attend the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner.
• Relax and enjoy your big day!

Need help anywhere in the planning process? Make it Posh would love to help! Reach out to us today.