Congratulations on the great news! It’s wonderful that you have decided to embark on this exciting journey with your partner! In order to ensure that you get everything you need in plenty of time, we will be here to help you plan your wedding every step of the way.

We have created this step-by-step guide with your needs in mind with each step setting you up for the next. By following our wedding planning guide, you can feel confident that everything will fall into place perfectly. If you want to do a step out of order, don’t worry! We still have you covered. You can also refer to our helpful Wedding Checklist that simplifies the planning process.

We would really love to know your progress as you go through this exciting time! Keep us up-to-date in the comments – we might even have some ideas if you are struggling or debating.

1. Make the Engagement Announcement!

There will be a few different groups that will want to hear the wonderful news, but some people should be handled with care. Your parents and other close family members will want to hear the news directly from you. If your family lives far away, even a special phone call will do.

For the rest of your extended family and friends, it is up to you how you wish to spread the news. Today, one of the easiest ways that people share their engagement announcements is to post on your social media. You can even have some fun with this and create your own hashtag for your wedding! Whichever way you choose, it’s good to get everyone’s attention so they can be on the lookout when you actually set the wedding date in the future.

2. Pick a Wedding Season

Picking which season you want to hold your wedding is helpful for two reasons. First, knowing which season you will have your wedding ceremony will give you a better idea of how much time you have to plan after the engagement announcement. Second, if you live in a temperate climate with distinct seasons, choosing the season to have your wedding can help you with the next important step – the theme.

But deciding the best season or month to get married might not be as easy a decision as you think. Each season comes with its own benefits and challenges, and one of the biggest influences on these is the region you live.

As you can see, the most popular time of year to get married largely depends on where you live in the US. Those living in the South quite obviously differ from the trends in the other regions with a large dip in marriages between June and October when the summer months can be too hot to have a comfortable wedding.

Overall, the popularity to get married in all regions begins to rise after the July heat and peaks between the cool autumn temperatures of September and October. According to these findings, Autumn is the most popular time to get married due to its moderate temperatures and beautiful fall colors.

3. Decide Your Wedding Theme

If you have already decided on a season, this could come in handy when you are picking what you want your ceremony to look like. Gather inspiration from everywhere you can – magazines, books, blogs, and other wedding photos – and put them together on an inspiration board. Once your inspiration board comes to life, you will have a much clearer vision of what you want your ceremony to look and feel like.

4. Discuss How to Fund Your Wedding

This might be the most important step of them all. Having an idea of how much you will be willing to spend will dictate a lot of the decisions are coming your way. Traditions are not the same today as they used to be. It’s not as common for the bride’s parents to pick up the whole bill. This means it will up to the couple to decide their own bottom line. Have a discussion with both sets of parents to see if and how much they are willing to contribute. Once you have a better idea of where the funds will be coming from, and you are positive these are reliable sources, you can then start thinking more about where these funds will be allocated.

5. Set Your Wedding Budget

Setting a budget needs to come early on in the planning process because this will determine a lot of the decisions down the line. The cost of a wedding can fall within a very large range, but no matter what your wedding budget may be, this is typically how the money is divided. Of course, these are still just estimates to use as a guide and can be adjusted where ever you see fit to do so. For example, you might want to spend more on flowers and a bit less on your wedding dress, or more on food and less on the venue. You and your partner can each discuss your own visions for your wedding, and see if you can each get what you want. Remember, marriage is all about compromise!

6. How to be Organized

This piece of advice can not be stressed enough. You’ve sorted your money and set your budget. From now on, there will be an increasing amount of things to juggle. Planning a wedding is not a small task and even little things can add up to a mountain of tasks in no time – unless you get organized from the beginning!

Start by getting a notebook and separating it into sections for each category of your budget. As you go along, you can check off the tasks when you complete them, keep a status update on things that take more time to finish, and keep a record of the amount you are spending on each item. Tracking your money will be very helpful and assure that you are not getting too close to your budget limit – something that you will decide in the next step.

7. How to Practice Good Money Management

The average wedding in the US costs over $10,000, and the chart above shows the typical breakdown of these costs with the bulk of the funds coming from the venue, catering, and all the rentals. These are not definitive amounts but can offer a spyglass into the future of your spending costs.

Balancing a budget and keeping track of the costs of an event as big as a wedding will take a lot of organization. In fact, it’s even recommended to open a separate bank account to manage the wedding funds. It might sound a bit unnecessary, but it comes with the following benefits:

8. Consider Cutting Corners

Although weddings can put a bit of a dent in your savings, there are plenty of things you can do to make the dent as small as possible. Here are some tips on how to save money on your wedding:

9. Pick a Venue for the Ceremony

Finding the perfect venue for your ceremony might not be as simple as you think. The popular locations will book up quickly. It’s possible that you have a place in mind, like a local church or banquet hall that holds sentimental value. These options definitely make it to the top of the list, especially if you have family living close by. Just for the sake of convenience, couples often choose to keep it close to home. Of course, it is entirely up to you, and even a destination wedding might be more possible than you think.

10. Pick a Place for the Reception

When you are booking a venue for your wedding ceremony, you need to keep in mind where you want to hold your reception as well. Do you want people to travel or would you prefer them to be able to walk in between? It’s entirely up to you, and it’s important that each event has enough space and the appropriate atmosphere you are looking for. Does your venue have a garden or outdoor area you can use? What are some local options around where you live to host a large event?