New bride! Feeling Overwhelmed!

First of all, breathe. You have a year and a half until your wedding, so you have plenty of time. Use some of the tools here on WW. The checklist will let you know around when you should be doing what (might be empty for you right now). The budget tool is great to keep you on track. The inspiration boards can help you figure out what you want your day to look like, and give you pictures of dresses you can take to a shop to see how they actually look on you.

Stick around the boards, you can get plenty of help around here. I see you're from North Port -- I'm in Tampa, parents in Ft. Myers, there's quite a few FL brides on here that can help you. Oh, and don't forget to change your avatar picture so we can remember you in your future posts!

Welcome JC. I KNOW how you feel. I thought I'd be happy finally planning my wedding but in the beginning it was overwhelming. Once we locked down a venue (which helped us narrow down a date), a coordinator, the DJ he really wanted and the photographer I really wanted, everything calmed down.

I would suggest you figure out (if you haven't) budget, theme and a venue or date. I think once most women had the basics in place they feel mush better about the planning. Just remember its about YOU TWO, so if midway through you hate planning, just do what feels best to both of you and maybe your parents.

Good luck

Oh yes. First things first~ congrarts!! Now, get an estimate for your guest list and determine your budget. Those 2 details are prolly where you should start, b/c they determine the size, scale and scope of your wedding. Then once you get an idea for those, find your venues and book them~ the rest of the stuff will come, but you should just get your dates set down b/c it gives you a very specific time line to work w/and helps w/your budget planning (if you need to do that) and then start pluggin away on the WW budget tool and ckeck list- they're awesome and has kept me right on track! Good luck!!! And welcome.

Congratulations, JC (and fiance)! What aspect are you overwhelmed about? Getting married or just the planning of it?

As far as the actual planning thing goes....I'm not sure if you'll experience the same things I did but I did a good bit of mental planning growing up as well and a very large portion of what I thought I wanted or thought I just HAD to have just didn't play a part in my actual wedding plans. Things change, taste and style preferences chage and you have to consider your fiance's opinions and preferences. I'd say, keep an open mind. Just because you thought things one way for so many years doesn't mean they can't be another way and make you just as happy, if not more.

Have fun with it! It's your wedding! And of course there will be stressful times but don't let it consume you. Easier said than done for some i'm sure, but try! :o)

Thanks so much!! Looking forward to this whole process!

Take all the advice above... and it gets better! When I got engaged, I was losing sleep -- but I calmed down. I was getting nuts over planning a wedding. Its starting to come together and I am much calmer and not overwhelmed. It gets better.

Welcome JC! Congratulations! I second what Reenski said, you have a year and a half which is plenty of time! Remember to breathe, and enjoy being engaged with your FH! Focus on one thing at a time, and it will go smoothly. Remember it is your day as a couple, and pick a few things you and he may want to focus on (family traditions, the setting, etc). The forums on here are awesome and will help you no matter what you are doing through - they definitely let you know you aren't alone!

I would suggest book shopping. The two best that I have found are "The Wedding Book: Your Big Book for Your Big Day," and "Bridal Bargains." The money thing for weddings is totally insane -- it often feels to me like I am at the mercy of people making a fortune off of my feelings of wanting to make the event really special. The Bridal Bargains book is terrific for suggesting alternatives to save thousands of dollars -- I think their best suggestion is buying gowns direct from China instead of spending 5 to 10 times (or more) for the same gown at a bridal studio. And find other bridal websites -- this one can feed real craziness. Try IndieBride or OffBeat bride for other perspectives.

Wow great advice and such kind words from everyone! I'm feeling better already!

I second what Nicki B said about books -- particularly Bridal Bargains.. in addition to a lot of insight on budget and such.. it has a ton of great ideas ... we also looked at every magazine out there for the first month or so..I've cut down a bit now...

Hi and welcome. December 7th is a great day for a wedding!!! Set a budget and a guest number. Those are the two hardest things. Everything just falls in place after that.

Hello, I wouldn't start stressing about wedding details just yet, like Reenski said there's plenty of time for that but I know a lot of people like to start planning early on so, they know what they want and have everything done so, they aren't so busy and stressed a couple months before the big day.

This is a great website, I know I'm glad I found it, it's like a wedding planner.. there's lots of wonderful tools on here that will help you step by step so, you don't have to do it all on your own. Under the vendors you can search for everything you need in your area and read reviews of the places you'd wanna go to make your decision much easier.

My advice, just enjoy being engaged right now.The planning process will come soon enough and when it does it's good to surround yourself with close people who are willing to help you during the planning process and give you their honest opinion so, all the weight is not on your shoulders.

All the best of luck to you!!!

Welcome to the WeddingWire forums @Jacinda! Feel free to ask any and all the questions you like! No concern, question, or worry is off limits. We're always happy to help!

Feel free to also search through past discussions for YEARS of feedback and advice from our wonderful community members on an infinite range of topics.

Happy posting ... and congratulations!

Well welcome. I appreciate that you have a profile pic and congratulations on your upcoming nuptuals.

Advice. Use a budget planner I think theres one here and also on Martha Stewart Weddings that are very helpful.

Also use a checklist, they make it not as overwhelming.

Hi! Congrats!

My advice is...

-make lots of lists!

-ask for help! or just advice in general. It really does make a difference to get real opinions from family and friends!

-take time with your FH to relax and have fun!

-there really isn't enough time even when you have 2 years to plan! If you can work on the wedding now, I would! Random real life situations cause your wedding deadlines to come and go sometimes!

Welcome, congrats, youll find tons of advise on here

make lists & check them twice