Planning and Staying Organized

I love the planning part and writing everything down. I bought a planner basically a binder and it breaks everything down. It even comes with cute little stickers lol. I've been good about writing everything down. We're using Zola for our website so I'm also using their checklist.

Honestly I feel that after my wedding I could be a wedding planner 😄

I use the checklist on here, the knot, and I have a physical planner that also has a checklist, vendor info sections, budgeting tools, tips and all that good stuff. Plus I have a separate notebook for all of my extra notes. I write down every little detail and it really helps.

Hiring a month of coordinator only. There is no reason to hire a planner if you want to have any input beyond just showing up.


Take advantage of the tools on Withjoy.com, rsvpify.com and Google spreadsheets.
Make your own binder from Office Depot with printouts of checklists that are less expensive. Use clear protectors for contracts and receipts. Most of the info in the premade binders you don't need.

I am using the checklist on The Knot, and also have my own lists written everywhere (post-it notes, scrap paper, binder with notes, etc). I didn't consider hiring a wedding planner, but I'm now considering hiring a Day Of Coordinator (not sure yet). One trick I learned about too late for me to do, but this may help someone else, is to create a separate email address to use just for wedding planning. That way, all of your wedding related documents and communications with vendors are in one place, and it would make it a lot easier than having to dig through a mix of wedding and non-wedding related emails to find the one you're looking for.

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Girl, same lol. Our wedding planner even told me she had never had a bride that was so organized and on top of things. I started thinking... I could probably do this for a living lol.

I put everything on google sheets so that i had a place where i could have a to do list, a to buy list, etc.

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The separate email address is great advice!

This is my favorite part and I have a physical planner, a notebook and I'm using the checklists on here, The Knot, & Zola. I created a wedding specific email. Our venue also guarantees a Day-Of-Coordinator. My FH has been bragging to everyone that I should do this for a living but idk if I would like the pressure lol.

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This is absolutely me too lol. Zola is my favorite wedding site but I love the forums on here.

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I read that before planning so I did it and it's so helpful. Also after the wedding I don't have to use it again. To make it extra special I made the email my full name since that'll be gone forever also lol

My mom knew we were getting engaged since my husband asked my dad's permission so she purchased The Knot wedding planner. I loved having a physical planner because I could take it with me for meetings with vendors. I also used the electronic planner on The Knot for our guest list. I made a separate folder within my email that all wedding related emails were saved to. On my desktop, I made a wedding folder so any contracts or specific files (like the form I had to fill out for our DJ about music) were saved. I made a board on Pinterest with different sections for each thing so like a section for bridesmaids, a section for flowers, etc.

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Lol yup I'm here for the forums

I used the checkist on wedding wire.

I bought a planner from Plum Paper ! I love it!

We bought a book before we were even engaged. (I'm a Ravenclaw.)

I'm glad we did, because it held notes we could both see, paperwork, and could also be kept private. ...Or dropped in DH's lap when he let anxiety take over and didn't do anything, because, "I don't know what to do!" Me: "...There is a ^%&%$$^&*& BOOK AT YOUR FEET."

Also used the checklists both here and at the Knot (they have different things and timelines and are customizable in different ways).

We did not hire the planner, though me being a planner was suggested as a side job after the wedding.

No. I hated planning the wedding, I did not find it fun in most ways, and that is the deep irony of how much I love this forum.