Before you start hardcore planning your wedding begin with these.

I recommend doing these before meeting with vendors as they will ask you these questions. It’s helpful and efficient to have these already figured out! These can also help prevent conflict down the road.

1. Sit down and begin to establish your guest list. Almost every vendor bases their quote on your guest count. Be realistic but note this is preliminary. You will revise this multiple times as you plan wedding day details. Involve your parents as they will have opinions of who they want to invite.
2. Determine your budget. Have an upfront conversation with your fiance about what you can afford for the wedding. Some couples choose to open a new bank account that is only for the wedding. If you are visual like me that helps to see a real-time depiction of your wedding budget. You can also use apps like You Need a Budget to help keep track.
3. Determine your priorities as a couple for your wedding. Are you most excited to dance the night away? Invest in a killer DJ. Have you dreamed of having a garden wedding in a ballroom? Invest in an excellent floral designer. Are you a foodie? Get a divine caterer. By prioritizing your wedding desires together you can allocate your budget accordingly. Make sure you communicate those priorities to other members of the planning like your wedding planner and your parents.
4. Set your date/location. It’s time to figure out the when and where! This can be super specific or a generalization. Sometimes your date is depicted by the venue’s availability or vice versa. That’s totally fine. Having at least an idea is helpful for vendors. Having a specific date is best.

Doing this legwork on the front end of planning can help you decide where to allocate your time, money, and other resources throughout planning everything

I hope these 4 things help reduce the amount of stress and give a clearer path towards planning the best wedding for both of you!