TIPS ON HOW TO BE AN ORGANIZED BRIDE?

I have not booked my hall yet.. hoping to book soon but I was wondering....

How did you guys stay organized with your wedding planning?

What do you think is the BEST wedding planning book out?

i never bought a book

just used LIW and a binder with folders.

Simple but effective

I have SO many planning books. After awhile it really is same old same old. The one book I've consulted the most has been Emily Post's Wedding Etiquette. If you have to get a planner planner, I like the BRIDE's planner.

Also, I LOVE ,my binder. I got the organized bride planning set from exclusivelyweddings.com. LOVE IT

i made my own. i got a binder, and created inserts entitled hall, ceremony, dj, photographer, videographer, dress, hair/makeup, favors, officiants, etc etc, guest list, etc. and i put everything related to those categories inthere. i created my guest list on excel and numbered them!!! that helped me keep them updtaed. i bought the magazines and any pics, i tore out and put in the binder, too. i downloaded the planner off of bliss.com (i'm sure it was that site) and kept th epages i needed. any readings i felt were special i printed out and put in there too.

in terms of other tips...i numbered all my response cards according to the guest list. in a secret spot in pencil, i put their number in case a guest didn't right their name. it helped. i had a monthly calender and that kept me up to date a lot!!!

the planner has 86 pages, but print only what you need. bliss wedding planner

I didn't buy a formal wedding planning book, but I did read a lot of magazines and tore out a lot of the checklists they supplied. I'm very neurotic about details, so for me, I knew that I would think of most of the 'checklist' issues anyway, so I didn't think I needed an actual planner. I did get a month-at-a-glance calendar though to help me keep track of various appointments.

One suggestion I have, especially when looking at halls, is to keep a spreadsheet with all the information and your general impression of the place. I did this with all the places I visited as soon as I got home, so it was fresh in my mind. When it came down to selecting a hall, it was easy to look at my spreadsheet to compare the different minimums each hall had, what their prices were, what dates were available, etc.

In term of keeping your 'ideas' organized, I know that a lot of girls have binders. I have a notebook divided into different sections (favors, OOT guest boxes, DIY projects) where I write notes and questions. I also have one of those clear plastic envelope folders and I keep a lot of clippings from magazines and swatches in there.

hope this helps

I too never used a planner. I made my own binder with inserts for e/ vendor (hall, photog, flowers, etc.) and then listed q's to ask e/ one when we went & put all relevant answers/info in that section.

I also made an index card for every person invited to my wedding, along with their address. I'll update with (attended shower, gift: _________, thank you sent & same for the wedding). This is also good to keep on hand after the wedding.

I also invested in a daily planner listing all appts & times.

Yeah I have a card box with the names of people we're inviting, color coded by whether they are my family, his family of friends. They could also be A list, B list and C list, but I figured that's fluid so I didn't want to color code that.

Also, I made a list of questions for each vendor, and I typed it up and I print out a blank one for each vendor appointment, ask the question and fill it in as I go. Sometimes I type it back into the form and save it on the computer so I can pass the info to other LIW brides. Also, you will defintiely need a date book, and I think a binder is the best way because you're going to get a lot of papers from vendors

Sounds good....

I actually started a binder a while ago but I think I need to start over and update it.

So far I need to get:

A binder

A date book

I bought a binder from staples and labeled them with budget, hall, photo, limo, hotel, etc...

I also have the brides essential wedding planner book which i consulted with regularly in the beginning.

After a while I just picked up my own routine that worked for me...and took it from there.

And, of course, LIW has been a tremendous resource guide.

Happy Planning

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Posted by JPC1125

i never bought a book

just used LIW and a binder with folders.

Simple but effective

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i agree, and i've made tons of lists of stuff to remember to do, and cross them off when they're done, everytime i think of something i have to do, even something so simple as checking a web site for something i write it down!!!!!!!!!

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Posted by JPC1125

i never bought a book

just used LIW and a binder with folders.

Simple but effective

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Exactly what I am using!

I'm hoping that I get my planner for my e-party

But as far as guests, I have everything on an Excel spreadsheet. (e-party gift/thank you sent/etc.) I will make anthoer for the shower, and another for the wedding.

I created MS Word Documents with checklists and questions to ask all vendors.

I START my hall search this weekend - I'm a bridezilla in training!!!

I have a planner, and thus far its only purpose has been to store important papers (contracts, contact info, etc.). I can see that it will be more useful to me in the future, though.

I plan to create an Access database when it comes time to do Save the Dates/invitations. I think it will make it much easier to keep track of RSVPs, addresses, etc.

(Yes, I'm aware that the Access database is extremely anal. )

Thanks.. good tips!!

You can print a planner from Bliss.com for free! You should use the tools here @ liweddings , etc.

When did you get engaged when do you want to get married?

I keep a small notebook in my purse at all times and write down ideas, good websites and contact info in the book whenever and where ever.
I also have the Hallmark binder which has folders in it to put cutouts from magazines and contracts. There are a bunch of websites on the knot which have templates for Guest Lists, Contact Sheets and program templates you can copy.