Photo Credit: Bryant Dog Photography

With so many newly engaged couples this holiday season, I thought I would go back to the basics and offer a few bits of advice on where to start after he pops the question:

1. Figure out your wedding budget (yikes!) – Before you choose a venue, a theme, or a dress, you need to determine how much money you can spend on each facet of the wedding and who will be paying for what. 

WeddingWire’s Budget Tool allows you to enter a total budget number, allocate funds to each category and also keep track of payments. So easy!

2. Choose your wedding date – Take a look at the calendar and figure out the best time of year for your wedding. Once you have a date, you are ready to find a location! However, for those who already have a location in mind, the venue’s availability calendar may dictate your wedding date. Keep in mind that most people plan vacations around holiday weekends, so if you are planning a memorial day or labor day weekend wedding, send the save-the-dates out to your guests early!

3. Select your team of experts – Choosing wedding vendors can be a bit overwhelming, but WeddingWire is here to help! The Vendor Search Tool will help you find vendors in your local area and can even match you to vendors based on your preferences. You will also want to read reviews of these vendors written by past clients. 

If you have friends who have recently been married, ask them for recommendations on vendors they have used or heard about.

4. Compile your wedding guest list – Sit down with your fiancé and parents to determine who will be on the A List or the B List. Your budget will definitely be a factor in the number of invited guests. Begin to collect addresses of invited guests now as this may take a while if you haven’t kept good records! 

Keep track of names, addresses, lists, and other wedding-related events with WeddingWire’s My Guests Tool.

5. Get inspiration – Wedding blogs are such a great resource for inspiration and advice. Check out BridalBuds.com to follow brides as they go through their own wedding planning process!

Good luck!

Martha Stewart Weddings

The Fall 2008 issue of Martha Stewart Weddings showcases this beautiful color palette and I just had to share it with you! The boldness of the teal or aqua color is so nicely complimented by the gold and together create a sophisticated, yet feminine, combination. You can easily coordinate the invitations to the decor to design an amazing event!

From top left: J.Crew Dress; InStyle Weddings Table Display; J.Crew Shoes, Clutch, and Dress; InStyle Weddings Anchor Placecard; Brides.com Nautical Cake; Dolce Press Letterpress; The Knot Bouquet

Now I may be a bit partial to this theme as my husband is in the Navy, but I really love the combination of navy blue and yellow. If you are planning a spring or summer wedding near the water, keep this in mind! There are so many fun accents you could use to dress up your day. The lighthouse cake might be a bit overboard (pun intended), but you could use fresh blueberries and yellow flowers on a white cake to subtly tie in the theme!

Did you use this color palette for your wedding?

The Games of the 29th Olympiad are here! Go Team USA!

You can get so much done while you watch the Olympic Games……address save the dates/invitations, build your wedding website, manage your RSVPs, make favors, or create welcome bags for your guests. You can be so productive over the next few weeks!