Ive just got engaged so where do I start on the wedding planning process?

Just want to know what do you take care of first when you are planning a wedding

Go to the book store. There are TONS of wedding planners for you to buy.

Book the hall first, then the church (or ceremony site), everything else will revolve around these two things.

First you come up with the date then you have to lock in your location for the wedding and reception. After that get all your catering taken care of. Then you can plan everything else like colors, your gown, etc. CONGRATS!!!

Brides. com has a good site. I used it when planning my wedding.

First, pick the time of year. Then pick where you want to get married. If you just HAVE to get married in the spring, the opennings that the place you want to get married at will dictate your date.
The rest will fall into place.

I would say get your dress first. That way, judging from the style you pick, you will kind of be able to tell what kind of wedding you should have, fancy, casual, big, small, etc. Also, if you already have your dress, you can pick out everything else to kind of match it. It's the hardest thing and it requires the most thought, so I would say get the dress first.

Pick the month -- go to person that you want to perform the ceremony, see what dates they have open, go to where you want the reception, see what dates they have open. Set the final date.

Go to www.theknot.com this is an awesome site and will help tons. They will give you advice on what to do and order.

Before you dive into the planning, you and your finance should talk about your ideas of the type of wedding you would like to have. (how much you can afford to spend, how many guests you'd like to invite, what time of day you'd prefer, formality, whether to include children, do you want to have alcohol, etc. Once you have a better idea of the style of the wedding you want to have and how much you think you can afford, then I'd begin looking at online wedding planners like Then I'd discuss setting a date after you determine what a good time frame would be based on your schedules and those most important to you (immediate family members, etc). Once I've done all that, I'd start using a online wedding planner like The Knot or Wedding Channel or purchase a wedding planning book as a beginning guide. Of course the first things you will want to book is your ceremony and reception hall.

Congrats!! I just got engaged a few months ago and I started with my reception hall. Honestly that is what detemined my wedding date! Once I got the hall, I took care of the church. We booked the church second because when knew exactly where we wanted to have our reception and the ceremony site was a more flexible decision. Once that was all done, we booked our photographer and videographer. I did not want to skimp on the photographer and the good ones are snatched up fairly quickly so try to snag one sooner rather than later. Our wedding is this July and I just got my dresss (Davids). It fits perfectly so I only have to get it hemmed. Now we are just getting things together like the florist, DJ and limo and our bands. My only advice is to give yourself plenty of time. Planning a wedding on your own is bit more complex than it seems. Good Luck!!

FIRST!!!!!!!!!!! PLAN THE HALL AND CHURCH ON THE SAME DAY....................if you wait any longer its sooo hard to get both. Make sure its what you want... Thats the VERYYYY FIRSTTTTT thing!!!!!!!!!!!!! After that you can pick up wedding planners and start all your budget planning and get you brides maides and maid of honor all ready. Have like a girls night out and just talk about whats cute to get lots of ideas. And the biggest tip of all. There are lots of people you may know and feel like you must make them a bridesmaide but the biggest thing is "who do you really want, that has been there and supported you?"

Good Luck!!! & COngratS!!! =)

i started at the bookstore and purchased a few wedding magazines that had some pictures and/or articles that interested me. then after i gathered a few ideas (which i organized in a binder), i started to put together a (reasonable) budget. i started off with a spreadsheet listing out how much i could put aside each week, each month, whatever (money from gifts, bdays, etc.) then i took into consideration what my parents were going to give us. i kept my spreadsheet with me at all times (in case i'd remember another expense, ie. tips for the orchestra, gifts for attendants), and then i'd continue to either add on to my "dream wedding".. or in order to be more reasonable, i'd have to take things out, and/or substitute other items... and that's how i got started...congratulations and good luck.

One person had it right: theknot.com

Everything you need. Period. Wonderful checklists with time frames...go there to register NOW. FREE. Do it. Go now!

The longer answer is that the reception hall and church should be booked/secured first. Ideally, you want to be on those a year before your wedding and get the date secure. Everything else falls right into place afterwards. Whatever you can't find on theknot.com get from books at bookstores or magazines but use that as your main source. In case you're wondering and I don't know if where you live has these stores but David's Bridal has gorgeous and very reasonably priced dresses. Mine was just under $600 and it's gorgeous. Strangers were complimenting me. All the girls in my family loved it, sincerely. You're sure to find something there.

congratulations on your engagement!
where to start with the planning? well, I suggest that you first think of what kind of wedding you want to have. then visiting the officiants, and of course create a budget and guest list.

once again, congrats on your engagement. happy planning!

You need to pick a date ASAP so that you can book the reception and ceremony locations. People book those early so you need to start as soon as you can in order to get both for the day you want. My fiance and i were checking places out about a year and a half before our wedding and the place we wanted already had one booking for our day! Also have a couple backup dates in mind just in case. My sister had to change her date 3 times before finding one on which both the church and reception place were available. Then you need to choose members of your wedding party and ask them, make a guest list, and figure out a basic budget so that you have an idea of what things cost and how much you want to spend. Then just go from there. If you google wedding checklists, you should find lists of all the things you need, such as DJ, cake, flowers, limo, photographer, invitations, etc. and how far in advance you need to plan/book them. The sooner you start, the better!

Contact a wedding coordinator. They can save you $$ and you can hire them for total planning, partial planning or just day of planning. Some think wedding planners are a waste of money.. but they can actually save you $ and they know how to budget and get the best price from your vendors. A very wise way to go

Check out the website- www.bride.com and www.theknot.com

These will give you a checklist if you want to do it without paying for a planner....

But the first thing you need to do is decide upon the season you want to get married, Sometimes you cant just pick a date b/c the church/or place you want to get married and your reception hall are already booked.


Congrats!!!!