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Getting Started

Planning a wedding is definitely no piece of cake (no pun intended!), but with a little time spent learning the ropes and getting organized initially, the whole process can actually be quite fun and rewarding in the end. There will of course be many items along the way that will require varying amounts of your time in order to complete, but as long as you stay focused and just tackle one at a time, beginning with the basics below, you’ll be well on your way to pulling off the perfect day you’ve only dreamed about until now.

First Steps to Planning a Wedding

Once you have worked your way through the initial wedding planning steps above, you can continue on to each of the topics below…

25 of the Most Memorable Wedding Movies

Young happy couple at the movies eating popcorn.

Who can resist a great romcom about weddings when you’re planning a wedding? Seriously, if you need a break from wedding planning, choose a movie from this list, pair it with some popcorn and your fiancé or bestie, and take the night off. You deserve it!

Wedding Budget Breakdown and Spreadsheet

Little Wedding Guide's Wedding Budget Worksheet in Excel format.

In addition to having a good wedding checklist, a wedding budget breakdown and/or spreadsheet should be considered a mandatory tool for getting started with wedding planning. Before putting any deposits down or buying any wedding supplies, it’s very important to determine your overall wedding budget, starting with the maximum amount of money you and your Read more

Wedding Checklist and Planning Timeline

Simple starfish decorate an outdoor, beach-themed wedding.

Congrats — you’re engaged! 🙂 “So, now what?” you might ask. The key tool when you start out, and throughout your wedding planning journey, should be a good wedding check list or wedding to do list. So whether you’re just getting started planning a wedding or have most of the basics down but want to know what to do Read more

Wedding Themes: Brainstorming an Initial Concept

Rustic floral boxes serve as reception centerpieces at a rustic-themed wedding event.

The first stages of planning a wedding will inevitably seem like a challenge with so many things to plan and organize. Before contacting wedding vendors or venues, though, take some time to brainstorm and jot down some initial wedding ideas and/or wedding themes that you envision for the big day.

Creating a Wedding Website for RSVP’s and More

Web designer styling a wedding website at at her desk

Having a place to plan your wedding and stay in touch with your guests (without having to constantly send out updates through traditional means — telephone, snail mail, etc.) can be a huge time-saver, for both you AND your guests.

Wedding Planning 101: Get Ready, Get Set… Get Organized!

Rustic wooden wedding sign with a heart at an outdoor wedding.

Okay, okay, so you’ve been to your local bookstore, surveyed the rather large collection of wedding books and wondered how anyone even gets through this whole planning process… and why all those wedding planning books are so thick!!

How to Choose and Set Up Your Bridal Registry

A bridal bouquet of white daisies sits atop the grass.

Even though it’s “one more thing to do,” choosing a bridal registry should definitely be one of those FUN tasks to check off your wedding checklist. 🙂 Selecting multiple wedding registries is the norm these days, giving you options for your own needs and wishes while also providing some good gift choices for your guests. To Read more

Use Bridal Magazines to Get Wedding Ideas

Happy bride with bouquet in a wooded outdoor setting.

Even in this digital age, browsing through a printed bridal magazine is still a fantastic way to start collecting some great wedding ideas and inspiration. Not only is it a tactile experience with its glossy and gorgeous printed pages, but it’s also a great way to go “offline” for a bit and use this time Read more

5 Steps to Changing Your Last Name After Marriage

Bride carries a pink, green and white floral bouquet after the wedding ceremony.

If you’re planning on changing your last name once you’re married, there are a number of steps you’ll need to take to ensure that the process goes smoothly. You’ll want to start getting everything together no later than 1-2 months before the wedding to give yourself enough time to track down all the paperwork that Read more

Choosing Your Wedding Colors

Bride carries her elegant muted rose, violet and gold themed bouquet.

Colors, colors, colors. The more you see, the more you want to see. But when it comes to choosing your wedding colors – the unique palette that will bring together your choice of flowers, bridesmaids dresses and table linens – the possibilities can start to become a bit overwhelming. If you haven’t yet finalized your Read more

Revisiting Your Wedding Checklist

Newly married couple walks along the shoreline on a cool day.

If you’ve already begun planning your wedding, you’ve likely realized by now that this whole process can be quite an undertaking! In case you need a little recap on the basics, it might be a good time to revisit your wedding checklist. Have you reviewed your own to-do list in a while? If not – Read more

How to Plan a Wedding: Paper or Digital

Bride planning her wedding with a laptop and printed materials.

When full on wedding planning starts to kick in (and you’ll know when it does!), having a plan in place to organize all of the information that’s coming your way will be key to your wedding planning success, particularly if you’re planning the wedding yourself. Bridal show materials have sufficiently piled up, business cards are Read more

Creating a Wedding Planning Organizer

Wedding planning workspace with colorful binders and shelving.

One of the most important tasks in successful wedding planning is to stay on top of things and get as organized as possible early on. Not only will this save you time and stress when you need to find a key document quickly, but it will also help keep your budget on track since you’ll Read more

Three Steps to Creating Your Wedding Guest List

Bride and groom are showered with rose petals from their guests following the wedding ceremony.

Choosing a guest list for your wedding is one of those projects that can easily spiral out of control (as you can well imagine!) and we recommend starting on your list as soon as possible in the wedding planning process. This will not only help cross one important item off the list, but will help Read more

Selecting a Wedding Location

Wedding guests congregate as red wine is being served at the cocktail hour.

After choosing a wedding date, selecting a wedding location is the next major decision you’ll make in your early wedding planning stages. Again, this place should make you and your fiancé both feel comfortable and “at home”. Here are some questions to help narrow down your decision: If you’re planning a summer wedding, will you Read more

Choosing a Wedding Date

Locks adorn a snow-covered bridge as part of a traditional Russian wedding.

There are so many factors that can go into selecting a wedding date, but at the end of the day you and your fiancé should choose the time of year and date that just feels right. Perhaps it’s the day you met, or another date that holds special meaning. Tip: While Saturdays are generally the Read more