FAQ Friday; Where to Start Wedding Planning

{The Question} I'm engaged. Now what?

I'm not sure I quite remember the moment I started planning my own wedding. Perhaps it's tough to recall since I started collecting inspirations in a manila envelope back in eighth grade. By the time it came around for me to finally start creating my own big day I drew a blank. Fast forward nearly two and a half years to our wedding day and it's next to impossible for me to fathom how I managed to plan it all together by myself. For those of you who have a little sparkle on your ring finger but aren't sure where to turn next here's a little advice for you to pour over from the heart and soul of yours truly! Photo via The Loveliest Day.

{Just Be Engaged} Unless there is some sort of impeding reason for your and your fiance to get married stat (for example one of you is in the military, there's a fatal illness in the family, or you could care less about a wedding therefore 'heading-down-to-city-hall-this-weekend-will-do') then sit back and enjoy just being engaged. So many couples feel the increasing pressure to get married as quickly as their friends and family suggest is appropriate but in the midst of this the bride and groom to be's feelings are hardly considered. Long engagements aren't for everyone but they sure do give you a little time to enjoy this new chapter of your life as a fiance before you become a wife (and in some cases allow you to score the best vendors and save a little cash).

{Talk Money First} There's nothing like a nice good talk about the green stuff to dampen the mood on the girly, pretty parts of wedding planning, right? But I can promise you that setting a budget up front with either or both your fiance and both sets of parents (or whoever will be funding the celebration) is the best decision to avoid running into disappointment along the way. Nothing is worse than having no clue what you're willing to spend when you're trying on your dream dress/corresponding with your fave photog/booking your ultimate florist/scoring the best venue/ and someone gives you a price that absolutely you can not afford. Give yourself a budget to work within and do your best to be realistic with selecting anything that costs money for your wedding day. A budget will not only help you avoid going into debt, but will really allow you to hone in on what elements are most important to you and your fiance.

{Pick A Date} And then a venue. And while this seems sort of obvious make sure you sort of do things in this order. As soon as a date is set, then the season of the year is in place and it's much easier to look at how much time you have to put this whole wedding thing together. People book venues right away so places can fill up sometimes two years in advance both for Friday and Saturday weddings. If a venue you love is booked on the date you had in mind, you may have to be flexible on the days they have available. Once you've picked your date and selected your venue everything else sort of falls into place regarding colours, themes, styles and decor that best represents the celebration; imagine buying a beautiful heavy lace, beaded trumpet gown and sky high heels only to find you'll be getting married on a beach somewhere on the west coast? In the middle of the hottest summer months? Date and venue first.

{Ask for Help} This was so very hard for me to do. And as a result of my relentless stubbornness I ended up taking on the burden of an entire wedding all by myself. While I wouldn't have changed a thing about our wedding day, I wish I would have had someone to bounce ideas off of in the early stages of our engagement and someone to help me avoid feeling so stressed in the days leading up to the actual wedding. If you need help, ask for it. Friends, family, professionals that you can hire to help you; all of these people are your best resources for allowing your wedding planning process to be enjoyable, memorable and above all, as much of a positive stress-free experience as possible. Plan on blogettes!

My lovely readers, where did you turn to when you started planning your wedding?