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Get Organized
for Wedding Planning!
by Stacey Agin
Murray
You've had
friends to your home for dinner. Maybe you've hosted a Super
Bowl party or two. But have you ever planned and coordinated an
event for 50-300 guests?
If you
haven't, then welcome to the world of wedding planning.
Caterers,
florists, and other wedding-related companies will be banging
down your door to get your business. Friends and relatives will
offer advice, phone numbers, and web sites for you to check out.
How will you juggle the multitudes of research and information
from those who want your day to be special? The key to smooth
and stress-reducing wedding planning is...
Being
Organized
Being
organized is the art of having the things you need when you need
them whether it is a brochure, a phone number, or a picture of
your ultimate bridal bouquet. And no one recognizes the need to
be organized more than someone who is planning a wedding. A few
organizing techniques you can use to help you plan your wedding
are the consistent use of a calendar/PDA and making 'to-do
lists.' But what about all of those wedding-related papers
you've accumulated? Estimates from caterers, song sheets from
bands, and all of those pictures you tore out of magazines--how
are you supposed to keep them all organized?
The
Wedding Binder
The top
tool for organized wedding planning is a 'Wedding Binder.'
Besides your future spouse, your 'Wedding Binder' will be the
closest thing to a best friend you'll have during your
engagement period. The wedding binder is essentially a 'home'
for all wedding-related information. Each topic will have a
specific area in the binder allowing for quick referencing and
retrieval.
How should
you build your wedding binder to work best for you?
The size
of your wedding and how many 'extras' you incorporate into your
wedding day (ex. ice sculptures, doves) will determine the size
of your binder. If you are having a small, simple gathering or
you're not doing much research, you may not need more than a 1"
spine. Large gatherings with many 'extras' will probably require
a binder with upwards of a 3" spine.
Besides
the binder itself, you will need:
-
three hole punched, two-sided pocket folders
-
extra wide dividers or self adhesive divider tabs for
the pocket folders
-
three hole punched, zippered pocket for
pen/pencils/paper clips (optional)
One,
two-sided pocket folder is usually enough room for the paperwork
of one vendor. One side of the pocket folder is for ideas and
research and the other side is for estimates and contracts.
Keeping these different types of information separate will allow
you to locate them and retrieve at a moment's notice.
Examples
of some categories for your pocket folders are...
-
Catering
-
Photography
-
Bridal Gown
-
Transportation
-
Ceremony/Officiant(s)
-
Honeymoon
Assemble
the pocket folders in order of importance to you. If you are
constantly making calls to your caterer, place that folder
towards the front of the binder. Already know what favors you
want to give out? Place that folder towards the back.
What other
information can be stored in your wedding binder?
-
Guest lists/gift lists
-
E-mail/phone list of bridal party members
-
Seating charts
-
A print-out of your registry
Benefits
to using a wedding binder:
-
Money-saving benefit: You're always prepared when a
vendor wants to talk about price. If someone quotes you a
price in writing and you can't produce the paper it's
written on, they could try to charge you more money for
their services.
-
Time-saving benefit: Since all of your information has
a 'home,' you won't be wasting your time printing duplicate
information off the internet or repeatedly asking for the
addresses of your guests.
-
Sanity-saving benefit: All of your wedding information
is in one place. No need to take apart your living room
looking for what you need.
Tips for
keeping an organized wedding binder:
-
Label the pocket folders clearly
-
Place new papers/information in the correct pocket of
your binder as soon as you receive them.
-
Sort and purge your binder once a month. Toss any
information that is no longer relevant in the trash or in a
folder for a friend or relative who may need it in the
future.
Always
bring your wedding binder with you when meeting with your
vendors. You'll have all the information you need to compare
prices and make educated decisions. You will be organized,
prepared and in control of your special day.
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