The First Seven Steps of Wedding Planning

The moment you get engaged, wedding planning begins. The start is always exciting! But it can quickly get frustrating if you don’t stay organized. Once you have a sense of what you, as a couple, are looking for on your special day, you can begin to plan an event that suits the two of you. In short, how you start your planning can set you up to maintain the excitement and minimize the stress.

Seven of the first steps of successful wedding planning

1. Establish a Budget

One of the first steps you should take is to determine your budget. If family members are going to help financially, have an early conversation about their expectations and what they can provide. Ensure that you are very clear with them about how much they can expect to contribute. Then, write down a loose outline that illustrates approximately how much you can afford to put toward the basic elements of your wedding. The outline should include components such as venue, food, flowers, music, and attire.

2. Be Yourselves

Don’t fall into the trap of trying to create the wedding you think you should have. Forget about what everyone else is doing, including your friends, relatives, and the impossibly perfect couples portrayed in bridal magazines. Just do what feels right for the two of you.

3. Set a Comfortable Date

Make sure to allow yourselves plenty of time to plan according to your wishes. If you wish to get married in just a few months, be aware that you may need to be flexible in your choice of venue and vendors. Wedding vendors can be booked months in advance! Set the date far enough in advance to complete everything you need to do in the style you want to do it. You might even dive into venue research before you pick the exact date. At Commodore, the date and size of the party drive what yachts we may have available for charter, for instance.

4. Talk to Each Other

You will never be on the same page if you don’t discuss the necessary details with each other. Be sure to examine the more significant aspects of your plans early on, such as the size of the event and who should be on the guest list. You can adjust as you go, but shared expectations reduce stress!

5. Explore the Options

If you’re unsure about what you want for the big day, start exploring the possibilities. You will find a wealth of wedding planning resources online and in magazines. Use them to spark your sense of creativity, and then you can begin to narrow down the choices.

6. Use a Checklist

After you have begun to develop an image of what you want, put it on paper or use an online checklist to solidify your ideas. Describe the tasks that need to be done, and mark each of them off as you complete them. By marking each task as done, you can keep yourself from becoming overwhelmed. This will also help you to stay focused.

7. Match the Theme to Your Vision

If you both seek a relaxed, casual feel for the occasion, don’t allow anyone to pressure you into booking the most expensive wedding venue in the Bay Area. If you are dreaming of a magical day, with everyone dressed in formal attire, be sure that your venue, catering, and floral arrangements can accommodate your desires.

Commodore Events offers EventEverything wedding planning services

No matter what kind of wedding you and your partner seek, rely on us to help with the planning. Commodore Cruises & Events provides the ultimate wedding experience, a yacht charter on San Francisco Bay, and includes our EventEverything planning service. Our knowledgeable staff can help you manage all the organizational details so you have more time to enjoy the process of creating the wedding of your dreams.

Please call us at 510-263-9790 or complete our online contact form for more information.