I recently got engaged in April with the notion that we were going to have a short engagement. Also, my fiancé was moving just a few months into the engagement – meaning anything I needed his help with needed to get completed FAST. I am no wedding expert, nor do I claim to have it all together, but I’ve compiled some quick tips and info on how I’ve managed to stay sane and have fun through the process.

1. Be. Organized.

Folders, lists, and excel sheets oh my!  Before I even started actually planning I sat down and made myself an excel sheet with all the possible things I would need to plan for. Whether you like to use technology or the old school planner method – get yourself organized before you start choosing things.

I narrowed down some of the major items needed first, and then created myself an excel sheet with meeting dates, who the vendor will be, price, etc.

I made it available on Google Drive – that way I had access on the go on my phone and if I was using someone else’s computer. This has been a huge lifesaver.

2. Make a Separate Email Address

One of the first things I did was to make an entirely separate email account that both my fiancé and I have access to. I made it solely to sign up for wedding sites, wedding apps (i.e. The Knot, Minted, and Bed, Bath, and Beyond). This came in handy per the fact I have about 5 personal email accounts that I have accumulated, as well as business ones. Also, I made it appropriate enough that we can unsubscribe from wedding things after the big day and use it as our combined email address for bills and such. Therefore, we having been making good use of Google Docs to keep track of things.

🌟Pro Tip: Make your fiancé add the email account to his phone that way you can add wedding events to the combined calendar and he can’t miss a thing! 

3. Give Yourself Options – but not too many!

It’s all about balance. You want to allow yourself to dream and have options but limit how many items you narrow things down to before deciding to approximately 2 – 3 options. This has saved me so much from getting overwhelmed. I narrow down 2 or 3 that I REALLY like and then I’m able to go from there. Trust me, it’s hard. But you have to make the decision and not look back – there are going to be 608 more sparkly tablecloths out there that you also think are just sooo you, but ya gotta stick to your guns, girl! I look at the quality, the price, and if it would fit the feel of the venue and the wedding altogether.

4. Go to a Wedding Expo!

Lastly – go to at least 1-2 wedding expos. Meet the vendors, try their food, say hello. I chose so many of my vendors just by going to a wedding expo. I was able to meet the people that would be a part of my day and compare them literally side by side on the same day. First impressions really do matter!

I was also able to get ideas for the look and feel of what I wanted our wedding to be. If a vendor was more sparkle and bling and I didn’t feel it, then I knew I wanted something more low-key.

I hope this helps you in your wedding endeavors! Any more questions about local vendors I’m using or ways I managed to handle everything? Shoot me an email: