Waiting to plan is killing me!

Don't forget to have a nice engagement period with your FI. Make romantic memories for a lifetime. If you have never done much formal entertaining, have a couple of dinner parties where you cook for 10-16, and do every step involved from menu to furnishings , table centerpieces and napery to how to properly serve some fancy foods you rarely prepare. If you do not have room at home, plan it for a vacation time, at a rented cottage. Do some floral arrangements yourself. I am always surprised at how little experience alot of brides on WW have,but so many go frm school to shared apts, always going out, and have rarely had a finner party, or other, that has not been bring your own. Or else the come from a house with a lot of entertaining, but mom does it all. Even the simple process of doing a casual invitation, is new to many. Getting a head start on wedding planning, by doing min or party ventures first is a help if you have not done it. If you have not done it yet, start with opening 2 throwaway email accounts so when you sign up for catalogs and mailing lists, who sell your mame to 91 companies, it is not mixed with neal necessary mail. And a second just for serious bids, vendors, down the line maybe email invitations to engagement or shopping or small RD or other things. Not junk, but things you want to find right not, not mixed with home. And if you have never done it, get a real old fashioned etiquette book
with a chapter on weddings. Etiquette is agreed on good manners, or ways of doing things. You may not follow specific things you have heard are rules. Because most is not rules, but explanations of why most people find this or that pleasing, the right way, while they are upset or take offense at another way. Online forums ar fine for specific questions, after you know the questions to ask. But a book that is like a cookbook for manners, laying out each thing to do, with an explanation why, and what to do, gives you starting points. And when you come up with issues and write here on the forums, you do not know if the people answering have each watched 40 wedding TV shows, but never been to one or worked on one. Or people who have married before, or been in 10 bridal parties. So having a familiar reference helps.
Have a great time in the next 2.5 years!

Haha definitely wait or you'll burn out. I had a 1.5 year engagement and I hate wedding planning now and never want to plan an event again

Definitely start planning now! You may notice like many brides that what you wanted today may change six months before the wedding. It’s good to explore all possible avenues now that way you know exactly what you want on your wedding day

I'm at that point too, except I'm at like a year and a half away. I have my venue booked and my menu picked, colors picked out, have an officiant just need to ask him, MOH asked, her dress is kinda picked out just not bought, have an idea of favors. I need to figure out dress, centerpieces, hair/makeup, flowers and photography - transportation, accessories and shoes.

Really don't know what else. Its good to get idea and maybe book your venue so you can start paying on it!

The biggest thing is getting that venue- you may have a date you want but it’s not yours until you get that venue. If you’re planning on doing a lot of DIY, I’d start getting ideas & planning on when you’re going to start.

Hi Nicole, one thing I wish I had 2 years to work on was my timeline 😂 if I were in your shoes, start an excel spreadsheet of the entire day (7am - wake up, 8am hair appointment, 2pm florist arrives, etc.). I would have loved to have that on hand early on when I first met with vendors to document when they would arrive, how much time they need to setup, etc. I placed their contact info next to each line so if any vendors needed to connect day of, it was at their fingertips! ❤️

Enjoy the engagement period with your future spouse

I feel ya girl but wedding planning is very stressful, especially right now. Take this time to enjoy your engagement with your FH. Most people miss that time period a lot once it’s gone

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This is interesting. So you sent the spreadsheet to each vendor? It didn't even occur to me that they might need to get in contact with each other but it makes sense.

View Quoted Comment My fiancé and I don’t do anything anyways. He works a full time job. And Im a delivery driver so I have so much free time this is the only thing I have to do. I’m not like actively planning. I’ve only spoken to 1 venue. Other than that, it’s just me wanting to put stuff together. Like make the party favors, the save the dates and my bridal party proposals. As for enjoying our engagement, we’re not really actively doing anything to celebrate it. We’re going to hopefully do an engagement party on our 1 year engagement anniversary but that’s all we got.

View Quoted Comment We looked at a venue that we both really like that’s really nice and reasonably priced. The director I’ve been speaking to has okayed our date and we’re just waiting for the 13 month mark to put down our deposit. As for the diy stuff, most of want I want decoration wise I’ve found on Amazon. I’m not a fan of real flowers so we’re doing faux flowers. My fiancé’s step mom already found my bouquet. My current DIY project is the party favors. Which are just going to be little boxes with a sticker on the lid that has our names and wedding date. And then candy on the inside. I wanted to keep that part cheap bc I hear that most people don’t even take the party favors home.

Start making Pinterest boards of what you're envisioning! This way you have some starting off points for when you do start planning in earnest but you're not locked in to anything too early. One of the best things to start planning early is your budget! Figure out what aspects are super important to you and what you'd be willing to splurge on and what you want to save money on.

View Quoted Comment Hi Bethany! Yes, you are correct- I gave the same spreadsheet to all my vendors which worked so well! In cases such as where florist had to put flowers on our cake, she knew when the cake was being delivered, who was delivering it, etc. so I wouldn’t have to play the middle man 👍 my husband’s aunt gave me her template that wedding planners use. It was a God send!!
My DJ had to do early setup, so having the contact phone number at the venue if the doors were locked, he was able to contact them directly. Both parties understood what time he would be arriving and set the expectations for the vendors not to call me 😂 Hope this helps and best of luck on your wedding!! ❤️