We sat down and discussed general things first – sort of like making an outline. We got a rough idea of when we wanted to do it, how many guests, and location.  Then we came up with a budget. We agreed on a number we thought we could save up that was also reasonable. We talked with parents to find out if they would be contributing as well. That gave us our max budget.  I then spent a lot of time researching venues in our area. We visited 4 total, which helped us pinpoint the things we wanted and those we didn’t want or care too much about. Venue was the first thing we booked, and gave us a jumping off point for finding vendors.  The MOST helpful tool I’ve used is a simple binder that I made myself. It has a monthly calendar where I can write in ALL wedding related dates and deadlines. I have tabs for contracts, a folder for brochures, and I keep all business cards for my vendors in the clear plastic pockets inside.  I am also a fan of weddingwire.com and theknot.com because it let us make our wedding website for free, and it has a useful checklist that helps me feel like we are on top of everything.

You should be meeting with all your best friends and have a get together with bridal magazines and some wine to talk about it. You should start looking for location and think about what you like colors, patterns, styles so you can focus on that while you are looking for locations, good luck.

Our first decision was that we wanted to be kid friendly and have an adjoining room for the kids during the reception. Then came the date. We chose an off season date 18 months away so knew we would likely get it. Date was key because it affected the costs for the venue and other vendors. Next came general budget. We had an idea of total budget and then used an excel wedding budget tool that broke each area down (e.g. venue) by percentage (i think from service canada). Then we made a “must invite” list to see what the minimum number of guests could be. Then came the venue. That really shaped the theme of the wedding and dictated how many guests we could afford/have room for.
Tl dr: date, budget, skeleton guest list, venue full guest list.

I think the first thing we decided on was the date. We picked what is already our anniversary date, it seemed like the easiest choice especially since it landed on a Friday (slightly cheaper rates from vendors, woohoo!). Our wedding party came together very quickly as well, but that was because our friends were there for the proposal and rightfully knew they’d be apart of it.  Picking the colors was next, while I spent quite a while researching venues. I think finding the right venue was the most difficult for us and I definitely recommend having at least an estimate of your guest list before you fall in love with a venue. I loved this gorgeous outdoor venue in the mountains while my FH and I entertained the idea of a small, 50 guests (max) wedding. We are having at least double that now. Which I thought was still okay for the mountain venue (their website said max 100) but when we actually checked it out it was definitely not equipped for more than 50. So be sure to see your venues in person! And try to envision your “wedding setup” when you go. Like where the head table would go, the dance floor, etc. I kept telling myself we could make it work because I loved the first venue we looked at, but it was very unrealistic.  And don’t be discouraged if it takes a while to find the venue! We found ours after some thorough googling and deciding to check it out one weekend on a whim. Our venue is right around the corner from our apartment and neither of us knew it was there! It’s very easy to get stressed about but just relax and breathe.