Get Your Wedding Planning Efforts Organized

There are hundreds of minute details that go into planning a wedding. Some details are more important than others, but the first wedding task you need to tackle when planning your wedding is to get organized.

Get organized and then plan

Planning a wedding isn't any different from other major projects. Whether you're planning a vacation or writing a research paper, the first thing you have to do is organize the project into doable tasks. After you get organized, it's imperative that you stay organized. It makes your wedding planning experience more enjoyable and allows you get everything you need to get done completed.

There are a variety of ways you can organize wedding planning. There are wedding planners for sale in your local bookstores and online. These books contain checklists, pockets to store items and everything you need to know about planning a wedding. Each chapter covers a specific area of the wedding and walks you through what you need to do to cover this area of planning your wedding. Wedding planners range in pricing from $27.95 to $100. Some cost even more.

There are also websites online where you can take care of every detail of your wedding from building a wedding website for guests to follow to a complete set of wedding planning tools (all at your fingertips). Wedding Tracker by The Knot offers bridal couples a premium wedding website package that includes:

* Choice of 30+ customizable designs, including HTML and Flash templates
* Personal .com address (i.e. stephanandnicole.com)
* Gift registries upload – all gift registries on one page
* Events calendar with accommodations info
* Upload photos, music and video
* Advanced planning tools including a guest list manager, seating chart, gift tracker, task checklists and more

You can even test the site out before committing to using it for all of your planning needs. Start your Wedding Tracker free trial today!
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There are also free resources where you can build your own wedding website. These free sites do not offer as comprehensive of a package of planning tools as the paid versions, but sites such as MyWedding.com do offer you:

* Designer website templates
* Blog
* Online RSVP system
* Online gift registry
* The ability to send group emails

And last, but not least, you can create your own wedding planner. Buy a big three ring binder, sheet protectors, business card holders for binders, and a plastic pencil case for binders. Use the dividers to separate your notebook into sections that represent each aspect of the wedding.

Sample sections include:

• Budget
• Guest List
• Churches/Ceremony Locations
• Reception Venues/Locations
• Food/Beverages
• Invitations/Wedding Stationary
• Attire (Dress, Tuxedos, Bridesmaid Dresses)
• Decorations
• Flowers
• Linens
• Favors
• Photographer
• Videographer
• Wedding Contacts
• Wedding Vows
• Music
• Honeymoon
• Entertainment (Non-music)
• Transportation
• Calendar

Use the sheet protectors to hold pictures of items and ideas, swatches of fabrics and ribbons you like. Use the business card holders to store the business cards of wedding vendors you meet or want to schedule an appointment with. Place pens, pencils and highlighters in the pencil case so you'll always have a writing instrument handy when you take your wedding notebook along with you. You can create your own spreadsheets and checklists.

Whether you buy a pre-made wedding planner, use an online website as a resource, or create your own wedding notebook, the key to getting through the wedding planning process with your sanity is to get organized and stay that way.