Planning the perfect wedding… Some people dream of their wedding from the time they are little, while others don’t give it a second thought until they’ve had a proposal! Whether you’ve been saving pictures of cakes and table centerpieces for years or you’re just starting to daydream about your big day, planning the perfect wedding should be a fun and romantic process! Here are some professional wedding planning tips to keep you focused and inspired!
Set A Wedding Budget
Not the most romantic way to kick things off, but setting a wedding budget is essential to ensure you stay on track! Talking about money with your partner can feel intimidating, but these talks will bring you closer together and get you started with a healthy financial framework! Set a time and place to talk so each of you can come prepared. Create a structure for your discussion, and set some goals for yourselves. Don’t try to create a line item budget in your initial conversation; just figure out where you’re both comfortable spending money, what your overall budget will be, and how you’ll prioritize different elements of your big day. Be sure you’re setting aside enough for the big ticket items that are most important to both of you.
Decide early on how you’ll keep track of your budget and wedding spending, discuss how often you want to check in on the money matters, how you’ll pay for the deposits along the way, and the final bill.
Picture Your Perfect Wedding… Together
Plan a date at your favorite quiet spot and talk the night away about how you want your big day to look and feel. Here are some conversation starters you can use to start things off!
- How big is your perfect wedding?
- When you picture us saying ‘I do,’ where are we? Indoors? Outdoors? Near home? Somewhere far away?
- What style of wedding are you picturing? Cozy and romantic? Elegant and formal? A wild party? Classic and traditional? Fresh and unexpected?
- Does your family have any wedding traditions you’d like to make sure we incorporate?
- What would make our wedding day the most meaningful for you?
- What are the most important elements of our wedding to you? The ceremony? The reception? The music? The food?
- How would you like to incorporate our family and friends into our big day?
- What do you want people to say about our wedding when they walk in?
- How can we step back and reconnect if wedding planning gets stressful?
Spend some time just talking about your hypothetical wedding without any expectations or stress. Figure out what’s important to both of you and come up with some creative ways to make your wedding day truly personal and romantic for you as a couple! Don’t worry about other people’s expectations or what you think you should do. Just spend the time daydreaming together and connecting. Write things down and save your notes to come back to throughout the planning process!
Start the Wedding Planning Process
Now that you’ve got some good direction and are on the same page with your partner, you can get serious about your wedding planning! You have your budget and your perfect wedding day ideas jotted down, so let’s turn them into a reality!
Find a Wedding Venue
When you and your partner were daydreaming together, you should have touched on the size, overall look and feel, and general location for your perfect wedding. You’ll need to know roughly how many guests you want to invite, what time of year you’d like to get married, and a general idea of the setting you’d like to host your wedding so that you can book your wedding venue!
We know we’re a little biased, but we can’t think of a more perfect setting for your wedding than right here in Lake Tahoe! No matter your ideal wedding aesthetic, we have something for everyone on the shores of Lake Tahoe. Our wedding venue partners can help you plan the most perfect wedding day, so be sure to explore them today on our site, then reach out and see how they can help you plan your big day!
Set the Date
Winter, spring, summer, or fall, there’s no wrong time to get married, so choose a season that meets your needs and feels the best for you and your partner. Many couples choose a date based on their favorite things to do together, special events or memories, or their favorite seasons. Once you have a general idea of when you want your wedding to be, you can work with your venue to pick the perfect date! Make sure to get Save the Date reminders out to everyone on your guest list, the general rule of thumb is to give guests at least eight months’ notice so they can be sure to mark it on their calendars!
Pick Your Party
Planning your perfect wedding with your partner is great, but if you’re going to have a wedding party, pick them early on in the planning process! Have a little fun asking them to be a part of your big day, whatever that means to you! From custom “Will you be my bridesmaid/groomsmen” gifts to a fun get-together where you ask everyone at once to meaningful one-on-one time with your nearest and dearest, asking people to be in your wedding party is a fun step in the planning process, so enjoy it!
Choose Your Vendors
Many vendors are associated with wedding planning, from flowers to music to food to photos. You may want to hand the reigns over to the right wedding planner or take care of all the contracts and vendor meetings yourselves! However you choose to select your wedding vendors, be sure you’re both comfortable and happy with every partnership. Not every wedding needs all of these vendors, but here’s a quick checklist to think through when you’re planning your big day:
- Bakery
- Caterer
- DJ or Band
- Florist
- Hotel Accommodations
- Makeup/Hair
- Officiant
- Photographer
- Stationary
- Transportation
- Videographer
- Wedding Attire
- Wedding Planner
Don’t forget to talk to your venue about preferred wedding vendors for their location. They will have great insight into the partners that do the best work in their space and will have lots of inside information for you!
Find Your Style
From your wedding day attire to the decor throughout your ceremony and reception, find a wedding day style that showcases your love! Start with a mood board or list of adjectives, and start shopping!
When it comes to clothes, make sure you find something you both love and are comfortable in! Your wedding day will be a blur, and you don’t want your memories to be of uncomfortable dresses or aching feet. Find a style that fits your personality as a couple, and find ways to add bits of your love story into every detail! From favorite colors to hidden notes, there are many ways to add character and meaning to your wedding day looks!
Once you’ve settled on what to wear, you can design the look and feel of your wedding venue. Whether you want to keep things simple and fresh or over-the-top romantic, create the wedding day aesthetic of your dreams with the help of your venue and vendors! Be as specific as possible when describing your perfect wedding, don’t be afraid to ask questions and send inspirational photos, and of course, reference your budget often, so you’re sure to keep on track!
Plan Your Itinerary
As your wedding day gets closer, you’ll need to start helping others plan for the big day! Put together a wedding itinerary and send it out to family and friends ahead of time. Let them know what to expect in plenty of time so they can make travel arrangements, know what to pack, and start looking forward to your big day!
Along with the itinerary, make sure to include notes and ideas on what to do in their downtime. Help everyone fall in love with your wedding location by sharing tips and ideas on your favorite things to do, places to eat, shops, sights, and more! While everyone gathers for your wedding, give them some ideas on how to pass the time when they aren’t with you, to make their trip all the more enjoyable!
Put Together A Seating Chart
A seating chart is one of the most critical parts of your wedding day. You’ll want your guests to be comfortable at the reception, surrounded by people that know them. You can use online tools to help you plan a seating chart, allowing you to add or take away guests. DIY escort cards and table numbers for your venue and guests.
Plan The Honeymoon
Although you’re focused on planning your wedding day, don’t forget the post-wedding details. This is where the fun begins – the honeymoon! Add this to part of your wedding budget or factor in the amount you’ll be spending separately. Planning the perfect wedding is a great way to connect with your partner, but being able to spend some much-needed one-on-one time with your partner after the I do’s is just as important! Whether you book tickets out of town for the night of your wedding or you plan a relaxing staycation right in town, planning your honeymoon can be a fun distraction from the details of your big day!
Lake Tahoe is the perfect honeymoon destination! The perfect mix of romance and adventure, there’s truly something for everyone here. Whether you’re getting married here in Lake Tahoe and just need to extend your stay for the perfect honeymoon, or you’re getting married elsewhere but want to celebrate as newlyweds here, there’s no better place to start your next chapter than Lake Tahoe!
Make it Legal
Make sure you’re taking care of the paperwork, so your marriage is legal after your perfect wedding! Talk to your wedding planner or research when you need to get a marriage license (where you get married will determine where and when you can get this). Understand the duties of your officiant, the responsibilities of your witnesses, and any costs associated with getting married in your state, so you’re fully prepared to dot your i’s and cross your t’s on the big day!
Get Married!
You’ve put in the work, and at some point, all that’s left is to say, “I do!” Stay in the moment as much as possible in the days and weeks ahead of your wedding, and enjoy your big day to the fullest! With some intentional planning and preparation, your wedding day is sure to be perfect.
At Tahoe Wedding Sites, your wedding day is as important to us as it is to you! If your perfect wedding is a Lake Tahoe wedding, we’re here to help you find the best Lake Tahoe wedding venue. Contact us if you need help or are looking for a wedding package that can match what you’re looking for! We would love to make your wedding dreams come true!
