I am officially less than 6 months away from my wedding date! Which means I now have some wedding planning under my belt (9 months worth). Hopefully, these 5 wedding planning tips will help make your wedding planning experience a little easier!

1. Hire a planner

Whether you’re organized or not, hiring a planner is one of the smartest things you could do. There are so many different types of planners, so find one that fits your needs. We had originally thought we needed a planner to help me through the whole wedding process but since my mom is SUPER amazing at planning we decided to go with a day-of planner instead. And although they will be there for the day-of only, they have been so helpful with any questions I have had along the way and they also have provided me with a wedding planning site I can utilize to stay organized. Also, be sure to make a mood board with inspirational photos to show your planner how you want your day to look. A wedding planner will ensure you have the wedding of your dreams while taking a lot off your plate.

2. Keep documents in one place

I can’t stress enough how important this is! I started out being on top of all of my documents but got a little lazy as time went on and more vendors were booked. I recently spent time organizing all of my documents and contracts so I know exactly where each one is. Future Jaime will be so thankful I did this! It’ll save you so much time in the future so you aren’t scrambling to find where each one is in your full inbox. Rename each document to something you’d search for too. Example: “Photography Contract.”

3. Check the big things off first

This may be obvious, but be sure to get the bigger things out of the way first. Typically the first thing a bride books is the venue, followed by the photographer. Then things like catering, bar, DJ, hair/makeup to follow. Don’t forget about the little details too after you have those checked off. Like what earrings will you wear, what colors are you wanting to incorporate, what will your invites look like?

4. Make your day unique to you

Don’t get wrapped up in the perfect photos you see on Pinterest. Do something different you haven’t seen before, incorporate things that are special to you as a couple, or add in special heirloom pieces. There are so many things I am doing to make my wedding unique and special to us and it truly is my favorite part!

5. Communicate

Be sure to communicate to your fiancé the things you’re booking or the vision you have for your big day. We look at wedding planning like it’s always the girl’s duty but I think it’s super important to incorporate the guy into the ideas too because it’s both of your big days. Ty let me have creative control over basically everything which I loved, but I also wanted to make sure he was happy with the choices I was making. For example, we both did lots of research together to find our venue, but I did all the research for photographers because that was most important to me. I did not want to leave him out of that choice so I made sure I showed him my top choices and asked for his thoughts! We determined early on that I would do most of the wedding planning and he would do most of the honeymoon planning. Do what works best for you as a couple but also make sure to communicate so you know who’s doing what!

Thanks so much for taking the time to read my 5 wedding planning tips! I am so happy you’re here! If you would love to see some of my work click here. If you would like to get in touch with me, fill out the contact sheet below!