The first days and weeks after the engagement can be a stressful time for brides and grooms. Don’t know what step to take first in the wedding planning process? Follow this quick list to get the major decisions out of the way, so you and your sweetie don’t resort to eloping due to post-engagement planning shock!

Know your budget

This one is pretty straight-forward. Sit down with your fiance and family (if they plan to help financially) and know each others’ monetary limits for the wedding. You can’t start shopping until you know how much you have to spend. Once you know your wedding budget, do a few quick calculations to see how much you should be spending on each vendor. Check out our previous post here, to get breakdown percentages to guide your calculations.  Make sure everyone paying for the wedding is on the same page before moving forward.

Secure a venue and date

This wedding planning step comes with great relief. Once you pick your venue and date, other logistics and wedding planning pieces become easier to tackle. You can’t book a DJ, photographer or caterer until you have a date. And you can’t secure a date until you chose a venue with that date available. Depending on how long your engagement is and the time of year you are planning your wedding, you may have to adjust the location if you have your heart set on a certain date (or vice versa).  Here in Michigan, our peak season runs mid-April through mid-September. Many venues are only open for those months, so know your options and consider a Friday or Sunday wedding.

Hire your wedding planner

We might be a little biased on this subject, but we have also had our fair share of experiences at weddings without a wedding planner or coordinator. We see a lot of unwanted stress and disorder. Many brides say, “ I can’t afford a wedding planner” or “I will just have a friend take care of the planning.” While these are fair and valid options, a wedding planner can save you time and money because they have an extensive network in the business. They are also there to help YOU, without throwing in unwanted opinions. You are spending money on an fabulous photographer to capture the day, and a DJ to get the party started, and many other vendors who you want to do an exceptional job. A wedding planner will be the one to guide all of the pieces together – it can be pretty difficult to get everyone on the same page come your wedding day. We as planners do everything from helping you find vendors, to executing your wildest tablescape dreams. Trying to juggle everyone’s opinions along with all your ideas and wedding checklists can be exhausting. Save yourself the headache of wedding planning and hire a professional, we don’t know of a single bride who has regretted it!

There are a few venues that will include a base coordination package when you book. Here at 1928 Planning Co., we have a wide variety of a la carte services, planning packages and a stellar rental collection. We also provide base coordination packages for these venues in Southwest Michigan. All of these venues also come with exclusive catering by CK Catering. Check them out!

The Veranda at The Whitcomb

Vineyard at 12 Corners

Sun ‘n Sand Resort