Walking in a wedding wonderland

 It's seven weeks until my big day.  Actually, 51 days to be exact! ...according to my wedding website, which, by the way, gives me a heart attack every time I look at it!  I'm deep in planning mode and I'm nailing down all the details for our fancy day!

Today, I wanted to share just a quick couple of tools and resources that I've really found helpful during my planning in hopes that engaged girls will walk away with some advice.  So here we go!

1. Ask yourself "Who do I know?"
When I started planning, I immediately thought of people in my life that I could go to for help.  The adult world is all about networking, and a wedding is the same way.  Who do you know that can help you?  Do you have someone with planning experience?  Do you know someone who does hair?  Do you know a photographer?  Once I started actually brainstorming the people in my life that I knew were somehow related to the wedding industry, I realized how many people I knew that could have a hand in my wedding!  The great thing about this is checking off vendors from your list right away!  I have a great friend that is a photographer, and I know girls from high school who run a family bridal boutique, my Mary Kay director is a makeup artist, and my hair dresser travels and does weddings, I even have a friend that sells jewelry!  When I really thought about it, I had a huge number of vendors that I could already check off my list.  This relieved a lot of stress when it came to attending bridal shows, since I was able to focus on only a few key vendors such as cake and floral.  Not to mention, I'm all about giving friends my business!

2. TheKnot.com
As soon as I was engaged, my photographer told me to register on the theknot.com and she was definitely right!  I've noticed there are lots of websites out there to help with weddings but it seems like the people at The Knot have done it correctly.  You can shop for vendors in your area, shop for everything from your dress to bridesmaid details, as well as utilize tools like their reminder emails, checklists and website builder.

3. Wedding Planning Binders & Books
It's really great having technology and the ability to access websites everywhere we go.  But some people may forget that having a physical place to keep your wedding ideas and info is SO important.  There are lots of choices out there... I actually refrained from buying one right away, because it's often given as an engagement gift nowadays, and yep, I received The Ultimate Wedding Planner & Organizer in the mail from my future sister-in-law.  In the end, it really seemed to be the only binder I needed!  I did purchase one book on my own and that was The Knot Complete Guide to Weddings.  Binders and books like these keep you organized but also have tons of checklists and guides for everything you need!  I might feel like a student again, carrying around my bag of books everywhere I go, but it has been so helpful!


4. Etsy and Pinterest
These tips are probably pretty self-explanatory.  These have been the two greatest inspiration websites in all of my planning.  Pinterest is great for ideas of decor.  This was the most helpful tool when meeting with my floral designer and expressing to her exactly the look I wanted.  It's also fabulous for things like cakes and photography ideas.  Etsy is fabulous for shopping for handmade items and detailed touches.  I have utilized it for things like Save-the-Date cards, invitations, cake toppers and handmade decor details for the reception.

5. Posh Bridal Show
Now, I could just recommend going to any and all bridal shows... and there's nothing wrong with that!  The more shows you attend, the more vendors you'll meet and I'm sure the more ideas you'll get.  But you'll also experience more calls from vendors following up than you may enjoy.  I was lucky enough to run across a local Bridal Show that does it differently.  My first bridal show I attended was the Posh Bridal Show in Fort Worth.  Posh shows are local here in North Texas and they travel to different parts of the metroplex every few months.  I didn't realize at first how different they were until I attended another show a few months later.  Posh Bridal Shows are a boutique-style show, with limited vendors.  Many bridal shows are completely overwhelming; there's dozens of vendors, all trying to grab your attention with prize wheels and deals.  Posh is different.  It was much more relaxed and, in my opinion, tastefully done.  Each vendor was amazing and friendly and you really get to go in depth with them on info.  I really appreciated the controlled environment and the classy feel of the event as opposed to mass chaos that can happen elsewhere.  This show is where I met my floral designer!  And not going to lie, I did enjoy the show a lot considering I ended up being the grand prize winner and receiving a gift from every vendor!  But despite the free stuff, I'd still recommend it as the best bridal show I attended!  I highly recommend shopping around for a smaller, more boutique-style event like this!  You'll surely get more accomplished and walk away feeling informed instead of more confused.

Wedding planning is a little crazy and can be completely overwhelming.  If you're not hiring a planner and doing everything yourself, like me, you need to be organized from day one and you most certainly need to utilize tools like these!  This is what I have found most helpful, and hopefully newly engaged women out there will find me helpful!  Happy planning, y'all!