how i planned my wedding without a wedding planner

The gutsy brides guide to planning a wedding without the help of a professional.

I warn you now, planning your wedding without a planner is not for everyone! If you have the room in your budget for it, I would say do it. This post is for the couple who might want to save some money and feels they have the time and energy to take on the planning of this special day! Part of the reason why I decided to plan my wedding without a wedding planner was because I have an event planning background...but that is not to get confused with being a wedding planner. I knew absolutely nothing about weddings before going into this, with the help of friends and family we were able to figure it out together.

So here are some tips and tricks I learned along the way!

The internet can be your greatest resource!

To begin the planning process I used theknot.com & weddingwire.com. Between these two sites you can find all of the local vendors you might need with reviews from couples in your area. They both also offer amazing interactive tools such as a wedding website, planning and "day of" timelines, budget sheets, address book, etc. The two sites are very similar in the type of content they provide...I do suggest checking out both and seeing which platform you prefer. It is all about personal preference because you will be utilizing this site at least once a week throughout the planning process!

Spend time getting to know the venue team you will be working with.

Before making the final decision on your venue, it is VITAL to make sure that you "click" with your wedding coordinator. You will be working with this person a whole lot from the day that you sign that contract. 1) Make sure that your personalities mesh 2) Make sure that you have a clear understanding of what they will help you with and what is not part of their job description 3) Ask your venue what they offer as far as linen, chairs and tables in house. You might be okay with the chairs that they offer, and it will more than likely save you some money and the hassle of having to bring an outside vendor in for another delivery. (The white chivari chairs in the pic above were from the hotel where we had the wedding...there was a cost associated, but it was minimal) 4) Be upfront about the fact that you are planning your special day without a wedding planner...this is something they will want to know. You might notice some panic on their face but do not worry, just mention my next tip and they will be at ease.

Hire a "day of wedding coordinator"

The day of coordinator is key, they will take the pressure off of you on the big day. The last thing you want to do is have to worry about what time the chairs are getting delivered when you should be relaxing with a mimosa in hand. Normally this person would get involved about a month before the wedding. They would gain an understanding of your vision, connect with your vendors and help in creating & managing the day of timeline. Make sure that you understand what their services include as many planners inclusions will slightly vary.

When friends and family offer to help you, take the help!

I understand not wanting to burden your loved ones or maybe you just don't want so many people involved. But wedding planning will become a part time job while you are most likely still working your "real job", so take all of the help you can get! The secret to this is playing off of your volunteers strengths. For me I just strategically divided the tasks...my sister Madison who is super organized and computer savvy was in charge of my guest list and creating my seating chart, while my mom who is a master shopper was in charge of hunting down the perfect modern card box that I couldn't find anywhere online. I kept a pack of $10 Starbucks gift cards on hand and gave them as a little thank you when my family and friends helped out!

Amazon Prime will be your BFF

You do not need to purchase everything off of creative outlets such as Etsy! Yes, they have some very unique items that will be difficult to find elsewhere, but it will get very expensive very fast. I would suggest that you do your research first to see if you might be able to find a similar item on a site like Amazon for a better deal. I was shocked at the amount of super creative unique pieces I was able to find on Amazon Prime. I found some signage for my photo guest book, the guest book itself, my cake stand and so much more. You do not realize all of the little things you will need and that 2-day shipping saved me in many instances! I also got a little sad when the wedding was over and there weren't any Amazon packages at the front door when I got home from work...pathetic I know! :) PS- A great time to sign up for prime is over Black Friday or Cyber Monday, they usually have really great discounted rates!

Most importantly make sure the day stays true to you and your vision!

My husband and I did not originally plan to get married at our chosen venue...we had originally chosen a local golf course which was a more formal venue. When we started diving into the planning process I did not feel super comfortable with my coordinator from the venue and as we got started I just realized it wasn't for me. We had already sent out our save the dates but kept them as vague as possible knowing that we might make a change. After throwing out the idea of eloping in Hawaii and then realizing that it was important to have all of our family present, we decided on a local resort that we were familiar with. There was a personal connection there and they offered two beautiful outdoor venues that would perfectly accommodate the relaxed, modern vision we were now looking to achieve. If it doesn't feel right than it probably isn't!

I hope that this helped and wish you a beautiful wedding and a planning process that is as stress free as possible! :) Please comment or send me a message with any thoughts or questions you might have! XOXO- T

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