I can’t believe it’s here: my first Wedding101 post: First Steps to Planning a Wedding — which is kind of funny, because I know nothing, and I mean NOTHING, about planning a wedding.  I’m the first to get married in my family so we’re all a bit of a cluster.

Getting engaged to J was so exciting for all of us, but when the excitement was over, we were like “Sh*t. What do we do now?”

I knew that since I was the first to get married that I would definitely need a wedding planner.  It’s helpful that I work from home and can tackle a lot of wedding planning on my own, but I *truly* need a professional to guide me.

I was so excited to find that Giselle Callahan, a wedding planner and florist based out of KY and TX, was free on my wedding date.  She has been killer in helping me with all of the wedding planning.

So, here are a few tid bits that I’ve learned from her.  These were the first steps to planning a wedding that I’ve taken {thanks to Giselle’s advice} and things have been running smoothly since!

Hire a Wedding Planner: Giselle has made my life 100x easier. Plus, she has a great understanding of the style that I’m going for, so I trust her to make decisions.

Pick a Venue & Date: this should be the very first thing to do! Our ceremony is in a Catholic Church and the reception is elsewhere. Coordinating dates is harder than you think.  I was adamant about the ceremony location, and I really wanted our priest to be free {because I didn’t want anyone else marrying us!}.  I wanted to walk down the aisle of the church I’ve belonged to my whole life AND the church that J converted in.  That was the most meaningful to both of us, and then, luckily, the venue lined up.

Choose a Style: Honestly, I would like think I’ve got decent taste in my personal style, but decorating a wedding is another ball game.  Giselle was able to pin point the type of style I like {all through photos, because I’m horrible with words}.  We decided to go with ‘minimalist’ to match my personal style and venue {which is a museum}.  I’ve also always wanted the bridesmaids in black, navy, or neutral — simple, classic, and not a color we’ll regret in 30 years. {J let me take control of this thankfully ha!}

Set a Budget: Don’t be afraid of Excel/Numbers.  I immediately set a budget, downloaded a free wedding budget Excel template {there are tons if you google} and started setting budgets for venue, floral, attire, etc.  There are times to splurge and there are times to cut back, all depending on your priorities.

Book the Main Vendors: Photographers, Videographers, Catering, and Bands book quickly.  I can see why it takes a year to plan a wedding! Luckily, I was able to coordinate with Erin Trimble {who is no stranger to A Southern Drawl} for our wedding date. We had a few close calls with the videographer that we wanted, but somehow we managed to snag them.  We also *really* wanted 12South Band out of Nashville to perform at our wedding.  They were booked for a little bit, then they weren’t booked, then they were booked, but once again, the stars seem to be aligned in our favor — we nailed them down and cannot wait!

Rough Guest List: I started writing down names in my ‘Notes’ section of my phone from the weekend we got engaged.  When someone comes to mind, I quickly write them down.  Then, I transfer them over to an Excel sheet for invites that includes addresses, # invited, # attending, etc.  There’s still plenty of time to send out save the dates, so I don’t need to have anything finalized just yet.

Pick a Wedding Dress: It takes 6-8 months to order a wedding dress and you need a lot of time for alterations.  If you’ve been following along on Instagram Story, then you know it has been *the struggle* for me.  I finally found the dress of my dreams last Sunday and cannot wait to walk down the aisle in it! J is going to flip!

Choose Bridesmaids/Groomsmen: I actually haven’t done this yet {and neither has Jordan}. We both know exactly who we want standing next to us, but just haven’t gotten the chance to ask.  I just ordered all of the cute presents for my gals though, and I *may* bawl my eyes out as I write the letters asking each to be my bridesmaid and maid of honor!

Hope these First Steps to Planning a Wedding are helpful!