~ In need of help...

~ I just got engaged and now i have to pick a date and place ...what is the best way to start everything because im getting different answers from all my friends that are married and now i feel overwhelmed and my fiance is now going crazy as well and i want the both of us to have fun and enjoy everything with out getting stressed out and money is a BIG factor as well ...and is it a good idea to get a wedding planner??? I just need a step in the right direction..please help anyone

I think first you should take a deep breath. Enjoy your engagement this is a happy time. I think you also need to come up with a budget and try your hardest to stick to it.

Once you have a budget decide on a guest list. You can get ideas of how much reception halls are per person by looking at weddingsitesandservices,com. There is also a reception hall guide on here as well. When you click on my wedding at the top of the screen you should see the reception hall guide.

If money is an issue off-season months(jan-mar) can save you money as well a a Thursday, Friday Saturday morning or Sunday can save you money.

Congrats on your engagement and happy planning!

definitely relax and enjoy being engaged! soak up that cloud 9 feeling!

when you're ready to start planning narrow down places this way:

do you want a place that only does one wedding at a time? or are you willing to have it at a place that does more than 1 at a time?

figure out your guestlist- make sure you are looking at places that can handle your guest count!

COST! how much do you want to spend? remember that base prices do not include tax/tip so factor that in- most places charge 20% gratuity

Location- nassau, suffolk, nyc or doesn't matter

Ambiance- on the water, gardens, mansions, vintage, modern etc.


and look at the planning link on this site- it is a great place to start, narrow down some choices!

and of course we are all here to help!

congrats!

First of all CONGRATS!!!! Second enjoy your engagement a little before starting the planning process. First thing that needs to be done is figuring out your budget. I hired a wedding planner to help me plan everything for me from start to finish. Im only in the beginning stage of planning but so far they have helped me tremendously. I finally booked a venue!!! Deciding to book one depends on your needs (I really didnt have anyone to really help me and that knew what they were doing). If you decide to look into booking a coordinator expect to pay them 10% of your budget and higher depending on their experience. Also DOC is much less than hiring one that will be with you from start to finish. Also DOC are not just the day of they usually help in the weeks leading up to your wedding and will handle anything that could go wrong. Most importantly they will help you ENJOY your day (you will not know if something is wrong on your day because they will handle it!!!) Shop around before making your final decision because you have to make sure you like them and trust them with your wedding. FM if you would like the info of my girls. I know they offer various packages and services and would be able to work with your budget. good luck.

I agree with the other girls - make sure you have fun.

I will say though that within a month of being engaged I had booked the church and hall.

Pick a day to look at some halls get an idea of what you like and the budget. If your getting married in a church find out what dates they have so you have an idea of what date for the RH.

Have fun and do what you want.

Remember - your married friends are just that - married. It's your turn to do what you want and how you want it.

Have fun!

I would first think about what's important to you. Before you pick a date make a quick guest list to figure out how many people you might be inviting.

Then sit down and figure out a budget. Is it more important to you to invite everyone you can, or are you looking for something more intimate.

Then start researching online the types of halls you would like (1 wedding at a time, beach, golf course, park, etc).

THEN you can start going there and getting prices for different times of year. I'd then start making your decisions and narrowing down dates.

Congratss

guest list guest list guest list

and then you can figure out how much this is going to cost you per person so you can figure out a budget.

Pick a time of year you dont need a solid date.

its always good to be flexible .

you have plenty of time! so take a deep breath and take a step back from the planning.
some questions to ask yourself. do you want to start planning right away ot do you want to wait a while? If you are getting married in 10/12 you have plenty of time to book all of your vendors, and i wouldn't ook with them just yet because you never know. business can go out of business. although if the company has been around forever, i would feel more comortable doing so.

first things first. figure out how many people you will want to invite to the wedding. you don't need to make this your final list, just a rough draft. this will let you know how many people will be going. so when you start looking at RH's and they ask you how many people you will be having, you can tell them. They will also tell you that certain rooms have a min amoount of people to book and you will know if you meet those requirements.

Hope this helps!

You don't need a wedding planner. Just start looking at places...when you find the lace you want to get married in, you will find your date. Once that is booked, everything else will begin to fall into place.

ETA: I planned my wedding in 9 months and that was more than enough time!! You will be fine. Don't stress. We r here for you!

Welcome!!!

First of All CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Second of all WELCOME!!!!! All the girls said it best... enjoy your engagement for a little and then start the planning...

Start with your Budget and your Guest List. As many girls on here can tell you, your first draft of your guest list will be HUGE!!! When FH and i first made our guest list we were at 250... after we started looking around we realized we needed to shrink it down and we made our final guest list to 180.

Then start thinking of times of the year you would like to get married. Yes it is true different times of the year, different times of the day and different days will be more money than others. for example getting married on a Sunday in November will be much more affordable than a Sunday in June.

Then start researching some different Reception Halls... LIW is a great resource for starting the search... It will give you a better idea of what different types of halls are out there... Then start looking. When you have narrowed it down to a few that you really like look up some reviews on here! The girls are very honest and will give you their honest opinions on places....

Once you get these few steps out of the way everything else will start to fall into place! There is no need to rush! You have plenty of time to get things done! Also dont be nervous when you look at things people have done already... once you start on this site it makes it very easy to make certain desions and before you know it you will have a majority of your major planning done!


CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN AND GOOD LUCK!!!!! If you need anything we are all here to help!!!!!!

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Posted by Ecostello

~ I just got engaged and now i have to pick a date and place ...what is the best way to start everything because im getting different answers from all my friends that are married and now i feel overwhelmed and my fiance is now going crazy as well and i want the both of us to have fun and enjoy everything with out getting stressed out and money is a BIG factor as well ...and is it a good idea to get a wedding planner??? I just need a step in the right direction..please help anyone

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Enjoy your engagement! It's a wonderful time in your life. You have time to plan, unless you plan on getting married in a month and even that's possible I'm sure!

I literally JUST started the process about 2 weeks ago and have been engaged since May. The first thing I'd suggest is going to look at reception halls/ceremony areas. Decide on what area you want to be in, about how many guests you think you will have, and start researching online (this site is what started it for me).

The one thing we did before we did anything else is set our budget - decide how much you can spend up to and then that will make it easier to plan. Once you have your date and place, everything will fall into place. I have about 6 months to plan everything and it will work out, so I'm sure you have enough time as well.

Again, enjoy the moment - it's really a beautiful time in a relationship. Congrats again!

Thank you everyone for your advice and help...im gald im not alone and im going to start looking at places on wednesday oct. 20th ..watermill and swan club so see what happens...i really didnt even pick a date too ...still trying to work that out but it will be in the fall sometime ...right now im just going to enjoy and relax ....hopefully kevin will too LOL

You are so very welcome. You are never alone on these boards. The boards are a wealth of information. Good luck on the 20th let us know how it goes.

hi there,

to help save time you can make a list of things you want/don't want in a wedding venue and inquire over the phone with the venues whether or not they 'fit the bill,' so to speak. i made appointments at only those places that were:

- within our budget
- had a maximum number of affairs going on at once that i was okay with
- had guest minimums that we could make
- had the dates i needed available (we needed a weekend in july)
- were located in a spot that's easy to get to for most guests
- offered a basic menu package that would not need much upgrading
- were good about calling me back in a timely manner

when i looked at venues - there were 11 in all - the focus was not on which one fit what we were looking for; rather it was on which one BEST fit what we were looking for.

good luck getting started. i think once you have your venue selected, you'll feel a bit more at ease (at least that's what happened for me!)

Okay so i looked at the RH and let me tell you ...it was great doing that b/c now i think we are set on a date to get married ...march 17..and yes its going to be an irish wedding ...and the pricing is great too and it would be in 2013, which we will have enough money saved to do this ...im so happy...so we have one place in mind and looking at another on next thursday ....this is fun..LOL...i want to enjoy this alot b/c everyone is saying it goes quick ...but i will keep everyone updated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!