We Booked a Venue...What's next?
I love when a couple wants to jump right into wedding planning--there is definitely a lot to it, so the sooner you get going, the better you'll feel throughout the process! Hopefully before you went and looked at venues, you already discussed budget, who's paying for what, have an idea of the 'style' or 'look' you want for your wedding and an estimated head count. Then you found your perfect venue (most likely Westminster ;) and you put down your deposit to save your date! Yay!! One giant thing off the wedding planning list!
A lot of couples wonder where to go next and that is VENDORS! Get your vendors booked, especially if you have a popular fall or early summer date, it is NEVER too early to book your vendors. Luckily, if you booked with Westminster, we do a jump start meeting where we get the ball rolling on details, timeline and then we make recommendations for vendors to look into based off your budget and what you're looking for. It can be extremely overwhelming when your venue hands you an entire page of vendors to look into and that shouldn't be how your wedding planning starts! At Westminster, we like to recommend 3 of each vendor to look into first, this way you aren't coming out of the gate feeling like you have too much to do. From there, you give us your feedback and we can make more recommendations or determine the next course of action!
Now you start inquiring with vendors, reading reviews and booking appointments to meet. I can't emphasize enough that it is super important to stay organized and make a plan! Maybe you focus on one vendor at a time or plan to book one appointment a week to meet with vendors. It's always helpful to have a roadmap with goals and what you want to have done by a certain date. It will keep you on task and an end in sight! Please also keep in mind when you're trying to sit down with prospective vendors to be a little patient, especially if you're trying to meet on a weekend during their busy season! But do be conscious of how long it takes them to get back to your inquiry as you deserve timely responses and already you know you're going to have questions down the road that will need timely answers!
Another item that a lot of couples forget about is room blocks. Room blocks can book up during popular seasons, so the sooner, the better if you have out-of-town guests!! It's always a plus if you can find a hotel that has a shuttle your guests can use. It will most likely be small, but then you know they will get back to the hotel responsibly and not have to pay for it out of their pocket (or better yet, yours ;)!
Some couples like to relax a little bit once they have their DJ/band, photographer, officiant, videographer, florist, bakery, transportation, wedding day beauty preparations [make-up/hair] and room blocks done. {*Side note--you do not NEED every single one of these, but I just wanted to provide an accumulative list for those that do. Also, you do not need every single detail done with these vendors, just more so putting down deposits then you know they have you penciled in*} Relaxation can be needed throughout the planning process and that is totally ok if you need a break, but keep in mind looking for dresses/suits/tuxes should be done relatively early as well to leave time for ordering, shipping and alterations.
Don't freak out if everything isn't going exactly to plan, it's ok! At the end of the day, this isn't just a wedding that's solely about all the details, but rather a marriage between you and your best friend! This is a new chapter of your lives that you're embarking on together and it's just the start of your happily ever after!