POV: You’re engaged, in love, over the moon, and then… the panic sets in. Where do you even begin planning the wedding? From endless Pinterest boards to conflicting advice, wedding planning can quickly feel overwhelming. But fear not! Our friends at Zola, the all-in-one wedding planning powerhouse, are here to guide you through every step. From preparation techniques to setting a timeline to creating a checklist to simple tips—We’ll cover everything you need to know about planning a wedding to keep you organized and stress-free. Let’s dive in!
Preparation is key
The first step in wedding planning is to prepare, prepare, prepare. But how do you do that? Here are important ways you can prepare before you begin your wedding planning journey:
Define your vision
Ever heard of a vision board? It’s essentially putting together a board of different colors, patterns, wedding photos, and other images to get the overall vision of how you want your wedding to feel. With a vision board, you should determine the style (rustic, modern, etc.), theme (whimsical, vintage, etc.), and feel (intimate, formal, etc.).
Set a realistic budget
You need to set a budget to allow everything else to fall into place. Once you set a budget, you can start determining how much you can allocate to each part of the wedding—venue, catering, music, etc. In fact, Zola has a budget management tool that guides your planning decisions and ensures you stay within your means.
Create the initial guest list
You will want to start jotting down your non-negotiables (the people who absolutely must be there). From there, you can determine if that’s enough or if you want to add more, or even shave some off. You can download Zola’s guest list template to help with this step.
Setting a wedding planning timeline
One of the most important aspects of wedding planning is creating a timeline. We’re talking about planning out the timeline for when you need to secure the final guest list, land the venue, book the catering, etc. As soon as you get engaged, you should start thinking about this timeline.
The first step in setting the schedule is to break down the timeline. What should happen 12+ months out, 9-12 months out, 6-8 months out, 3-5 months out, 1-2 months out, and then the final week countdown. With each one, there should also be key milestones laid out for each phase. For example, at the 9-12 months mark, the venue and the guest list should be done.
The good news? Zola has tools to help with this. Zola’s platform provides customizable timelines to help you break down your unique wedding planning timeline. Using a digital timeline allows you to be flexible, set up alerts, and stay organized the whole time!
Your wedding planning checklist
Now, let’s get into setting up a wedding planning checklist. If you’re anything like us, you love a good checklist (nothing beats crossing something off the list, am I right?!). Everyone’s wedding planning checklist will be slightly different depending on the type of wedding they’re having (destination wedding, casual wedding, formal wedding, etc.).
Here are some core checklist items you’ll want to include:
- Guest list
- Venue selection
- Vendor booking (catering, photography, entertainment)
- Wedding attire
- Invitations and stationery
- Registry creation
- Get a prenup
And guess what? Zola has a tool for that, too! You can utilize Zola’s digital wedding checklist to help provide you with ideas on what to add and help you track your progress.
Wedding planning tips from Zola
Now that we’ve covered how to prepare, how to set a timeline, and creating your wedding planning checklist, let’s talk about some general tips from our friends over at Zola.
Organization
This one seems obvious, but it’s actually crucial. Staying organized will significantly reduce your stress levels and ensure you use your time efficiently. And Zola has tools to help you stay organized (checklists, guest list templates, timeline planners, and more).
Communication!!!
Don’t underestimate the power of communication. Communication with your future spouse, your wedding planner, your bridal party, your guests, and your wedding vendors. Zola offers a guest communication tool that allows you to disseminate info quickly to hundreds of people.
Prioritization
Prioritize what matters to you most. Do you daydream over the venue but could care less about the food? Or maybe you’re a foodie who couldn’t imagine a wedding without a top-notch meal. Whatever your priorities are, make sure those get your attention first.
Delegation
You don’t have to do this alone. In fact, you shouldn’t. If you have people willing and able to help, you should (respectfully) tell them what they need to do. If you’re struggling to do this, no worries. Zola’s got you covered with their delegation tool, which makes passing out tasks a breeze.
Flexibility
A key aspect of wedding planning is staying flexible. Being rigid will only cause you more stress. It’s almost a guarantee that things will not go 100% exactly how you envisioned, and that’s okay! Focus on what matters and try to adapt to the process.
Have fun
Okay, corny, we know. But having fun and making your time planning your wedding as enjoyable as possible is key to making it through. Whether you set up fancy dinner dates with your future spouse to review wedding planning tasks or meet regularly with your bridal party to update them on plans, you should have a little fun along the way!
Don’t forget the prenup!
And along your wedding planning journey, don’t forget the prenup! A prenup has so many benefits beyond financial protection. With a prenup, you can facilitate tough conversations to improve your relationship communication, get on the same page as your spouse regarding life and financial goals, and create a solid foundation to get your marriage started on the right foot. Just make sure to follow the rules in your state to get a valid and enforceable agreement, and you’ll be well on your way to a happy wedding day and lifelong marriage.
The bottom line
There you have it, folks! Everything you need to know about planning a wedding from our friends over at Zola. From preparing to planning out a timeline to creating a wedding checklist, there are so many tools in your toolbelt to make wedding planning a breeze. The best tip? Enjoy it. You’ll (hopefully) never have to do this again, so make it fun and memorable. And don’t forget that Zola has some amazing wedding planning tools to help you get through the process.
Cynthia Xiao is a Growth Marketing Senior Associate. She studied economics at the University of Chicago and began her career in consulting, where she developed expertise in market analysis and strategic decision-making. Now, she applies her analytical mindset to growth marketing, leveraging data-driven insights to drive engagement and business growth.
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