The 10 Stages of Wedding Planning
Every wedding is special and unique, but there’s a lot of planning between #JustSaidYes and “I Do.” We bet you’ll recognize yourself in one of these planning stages!
Photo: Cynthia Whiteside Photography
Every wedding is special and unique, but there’s a lot of common ground between #JustSaidYes and “I Do.” If you’re planning a wedding, we bet you’ll recognize yourself in one of these stages!
The Shiny and New Stage
Your heart is still aflutter from that romantic proposal, you can’t stop staring at that new bling from every angle, the word “fiancé(e)” is a very welcome addition to your vocabulary and you’ll find pretty much any excuse to address each other as such. “Congratulations” and “Best Wishes” are pouring in from every direction and pretty much every single human you encounter wants to treat you to a bottle of champagne. You couldn’t be more excited to start this new chapter!
The Info - and Inspo - Hoarding Stage
This phase is all about exploring your options and becoming oriented with the wedding planning world. You’re bookmarking planning tips, collecting photos, and soaking in all sorts of ideas. Excited friends and family members are sending a steady stream of helpful articles and inspirational images your way. Stacks of dog-eared wedding magazines have overtaken your home, your vision boards are jam-packed, and your wedding binder is overflowing with pamphlets and price sheets from prospective vendors.
The Narrowing Down Stage
You have a solid grasp on what’s out there and you’re ready to make some decisions! You may not have the exact date or venue selected at this point, but you do have a general idea of season and location. You’ve realized it wouldn’t really make sense to have that tropical beach ceremony and ask your bridesmaids to wear those adorable fur stoles—and you’ve picked one over the other. Time to commit to a color scheme and define your aesthetic.
The Logistics Stage
This phase is dedicated to the—ahem—less glamorous aspects of planning: crunching numbers, reading through contracts, fine-tuning the guest list, gathering addresses, and working through nitty-gritty details. Perhaps not the highlight of the planning process, but very important nonetheless!
The “OMG It’s Actually Happening!” Stage: Part I
You have booked the venue, hired your vendor team, put down those first deposits, visited a bridal salon or two (perhaps even chosen the dress of your dreams!), and dropped the Save-the-Dates in the mail. The excitement hits you all over again: it’s real! You’re getting married! Mind blown.
The Making it Pretty Stage
You’re busy making your vision come to life! When you’re not immersed in a debate about which linens to rent, you’re perusing the web in search of the perfect cake topper. Packages filled with paper products and decorative accents regularly arrive at your doorstep. Your lexicon now includes buzzwords like “gobo” and “Chiavari” and you think it’s totally normal to have recurring dreams about floral arrangements.
The “Wait, Where Did My Life Go?” Stage
OK, so this whole wedding planning thing is kiiiind of taking over your life. You try to remember the days when the topic of conversation didn’t revolve solely around The Big Day. Your small talk opener has shifted from weather (“Sooo...how ‘bout that rain?”) to wedding plans (“Sooo...ended up going dahlias over roses, and here’s why...”) Between engagement parties, showers, bachelor(ette) parties, and regular planning meetings, wedding prep has become all-encompassing. PS - Here are 14 signs wedding planning has totally taken over »
The Crunch Time Stage
Suddenly your wedding is right around the corner, and you can’t believe how quickly time has flown. Remember when it seemed like you had forever to get this all together? You’re a little bit overwhelmed by all those empty check boxes on the to-do list, but you know it can get done! Try not to stress and don’t be afraid to delegate.
The “OMG It’s Actually Happening!” Stage: Part 2
You’ve had your final gown fitting, practiced those first dance moves, picked up your wedding bands, and jotted “get marriage license” on your calendar. You’re almost there! Part of you wants to savor every last second of being engaged, while the other part of you is eager to get this show on the road. You and your fiancé(e) have permanent smiles plastered to your faces—you can’t believe how lucky you are!
The Let It Go Stage
You can count down to the wedding on one hand. All the decisions have been made and there is no sense in second guessing little details or sweating the small stuff. You’ve vowed to go with the flow and you know you'll be happiest if you avoid these five things. There’s nothing to do now but sit back and enjoy every moment!
