Things I Wish I Knew Before We Started Wedding Planning

When I got engaged, I had no idea what I was doing besides going straight to The Knot and starting. Little did I know that that was only the start of things. Planning a wedding is honestly a lot of fun, stressful, emotional in all types of ways, and overall, honestly, very overwhelming. I’m here to tell you that you’re not alone in planning a wedding. These are the things I wish I knew before planning my own wedding.

I’m still planning my wedding up to this date. My wedding is not until February of 2027, but here are just a few of the things that I’ve learned throughout the journey.

Save Up!

Saving up for a wedding is an absolute must unless you choose to get married at court. If you choose court, that is perfectly fine. Now, if you are like me and you chose to hold a wedding vibe, I highly suggest you start saving up even before getting engaged.

Weddings are very expensive, and so far my wedding is about $15,000. I have yet to book at least two things. Saving up money before booking anything, before getting engaged, is a complete must. I highly suggest that you do this because things do get pretty pricey pretty quickly.

Also, I would suggest, even before getting engaged, that you start looking at venues and other things so you can somewhat get the feel of the cost of the venues, the DJs, the catering, and so on and so forth.

Hire a Coordinator!

I can’t stress this enough. I wish I did this sooner but sadly I didn’t until recently. If your budget allows it of course hire a coordinator. Trust me this is a blessing in disguise. I first thought that I didn’t need one and I almost convinced myself until one day it hit me. “Wait, I’m the bride and I refuse to be stressing the day of the wedding” and I don’t trust no one else to take over the calls and stuff.

Now, there are three tiers of coordination:

Full planner — They will plan everything for a fixed price that includes everything you need and want. They do the stressing for you while you enjoy the engagement phase.

Partial coordination — This starts 4-6 months before the wedding. They help you find the last few things you need and they start connecting with the vendors that you hired yourself.

Day-of coordination — This is never really the day of. They actually start working with you one to two months prior to the wedding. They help finalize everything and create your timeline for your big day.

Catering

Yes, each person that attends your wedding you will have to pay for. So please keep in mind how many you are inviting. Your final count for the catering has to be 1-2 weeks prior to the wedding. That’s when the price can change.

Guest List

The guest list is one of the biggest things that I do believe you should also be starting with, right next to saving up money. You want to ask your fiancé questions like: Do you want to have kids at our wedding? Are we going to be allowing guests to have plus-ones at our wedding?

The more people that you actually invite, believe it or not, the more money it’s going to cost you per head. Kids alone have separate, different pricing. Also, remember about the plus-ones. Don’t just allow one of your guests to add a one-night stand type of date, because they’re going to be in your wedding pictures. Make sure that your guest’s plus-one is somebody that is meaningful to them.

Time

Time is not your friend when it comes to planning a wedding, trust me. Plan your wedding accordingly. The more out your wedding is the more you have to plan things. If you are using websites like The Knot or Zola, keep in mind it will tell you to send save-the-dates and the invites a few months before the wedding. I don’t suggest it. Send things out 6 months prior so out-of-state guests have time to book flights.

Venue

I love the venue that my fiancé and I picked out, but sometimes I do think back and wish I would have seen a few more venues that offer both catering and the ceremony all in one place. Take your time and look for a venue that you absolutely love. Ask the questions that you want to ask. Ask, “Do they offer catering?” and “What’s included in their packaging?” A lot of venues, for a fixed price of maybe $20,000 and up, do include a lot of things — ceremony decoration, reception decoration, catering, a photographer/videographer, a DJ.

If you have any more questions or if you have tips on something that I might have missed, don’t forget to leave a comment down below. I will make sure to respond to you as soon as possible.