To-Do List Mania

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I wish I could just show you the to-do list my mom has thrown at me.

Addresses for the save-the-dates, bridesmaids dresses, engagement pictures, caterer, cake bakers, music, decor for the ceremony...

System. Overload.

What has to be done and when does it have to be done by? If you're like me, you probably have 50 wedding planning books complete with printable calendars. You probably also have the Knot's wedding planner app programmed on your phone. Yet, like mine, they're unchecked and unused.

Bride to Bride, here's my tips on what should be planned from first and foremost:

• date and time- simple enough but it really does make a difference in your planning (food, flowers, themes are all affected by the time of your wedding).

• VENUE- this is probably just as important, if not more, as the date. The venue sets the mood for everything. When we found our venue, it had a real Tuscany theme to it. That really set the foundation for the rest of the decor.

• food and cake- sadly, I did not think about these as soon as I should have. I'm less than 4 months away from my wedding day and I still don't have a caterer or someone to make our cakes! EEK! I tell you this because I'm learning the hard way; the really good places out there will fill up fast, especially if you're smack dab in the middle of wedding peak season.

• flowers- good gracious alive. Don't plan your wedding around a major flower holiday like, let's say Mother's Day! I don't know what I was thinking but take it from me, spring is the best time to get married if you are big into the flowers BUT make sure you avoid prom season and Mother's Day. I know David Tutera would gasp at me for doing this but we're actually having a florist from Harris Teeter do our flowers. If you're on a budget, this is a super reasonable route to go. Trust me. My mom and I were going to go with just picking up flowers at our local farmer's market but we noticed that the flowers didn't last very long (just about a day or so), we didn't have a cool place to store them, and that we have no idea how to assemble the flowers professionally. By going with a talented, professional, and experienced florist (who happens to be a close friend of my mom's), we're able to avoid the outrageous costs and the problem of storing them.

• Photographer- get a good one. No, get a GREAT one because at the end of the day, that's what you have left of one of the best days of your lives! We have Brian Treffeisen and he's fantastic. Although we spent more in this area than we had originally budgeted for, it is well worth it. We're head over heels in love with the engagement pictures- we can't wait to see wedding pictures!

Seriously though, if you have these things down, everything else is smooth sailing. Avoid yourself a headache and heartache and book these things first- trust me!

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