Wedding Planning is STRESSFUL. We totally get it – that’s exactly why we decided to elope. While taking care of our Brides the past year we have learned a few things that may be helpful. In Honor of National Wedding Planning day – we compiled a short list to help you get started.

10 things to consider when you begin planning a wedding

• Pick a few dates – especially if you are within a year of your desired dates. Vendors fill up quickly and sometimes your ideal venue is not available on that day. Have a list of backup venues just in case.

• Set your budget VERY early on because things add up quickly and it’s easy to get carried away if you don’t have the big picture in mind.

• Narrow down your “Must Haves” and then put wants or wish items on a separate list so you can prioritize the things that are most important to you.

• Vendors to start with: Venue, Photographer, Planner – Once you have those you can set up your timeline and everything else will run a lot smoother.

• While its okay to think about the guest experience, remember that your day is about you, don’t waste time or money planning parts of your day that you don’t even want.

• Hire a planner if its within your budget – at the very least consider a day of coordinator to help things run smoothly.

• If you’re planning it by yourself – use free apps to help you stay organized. Some to consider: Pinterest for mood boards and inspiration, Mint for budgeting, Evernote for taking notes, Google Tasks for making sure you can always access and update your to do list

• We may be a bit biased but think about your day in terms of the photos you want. Example: If you want golden hour photos, don’t plan your ceremony 5 hours before sunset. If you want lots of photos of you and new spouse, do a first look and portraits after the ceremony.

• If you’re going to DIY anything – start early because those things take much longer than you anticipate. Also when shopping – look for alternatives that are not in the wedding section. As soon as someone associates a product with weddings the price goes way up. It may take you longer to shop, but it can save you tons of money.

• Lastly but most importantly – rest often. Put the planning down when it becomes overhwhelming and pick it back up when you can. The last thing you want is for the planning to be so stressful you forget to enjoy the bliss of being engaged!

Cirrus Gold is a Wedding Photography business based in Columbus Georgia and Phenix City Alabama area. We also do couples, engagements, business branding, and some family portraits. We are about to launch an entire drone video service so stay tuned for more information!