Simply put, it pays to be organized.
We’ve all heard the term “running around like a chicken with her head cut off.” That’s what can happen if you are disorganized. Circumstances spiral out of control and you begin to spin your wheels (in other words, waste time) instead of making progress.
And time gets away from you.
Financially, the impact can be substantial.
When making decisions and working with your wedding professionals, the more time-efficient your interactions and more value you are likely to get from them, both in terms of how much their presence can add to your wedding and extra goodies they are willing to give.
Also, venues and vendors usually have a time limit on the day of. When you go over the agreed-upon time you must pay extra.
Other costs of disorganization include late fees and missing out on items because you waited too long to commit or order.
The key is to be organized from the start. Before venturing forth with your planning, get ready by completing the following steps.
1. Set up a wedding planner to schedule appointments, organize your to-dos, record deadlines, and remind you when critical milestones must be reached.
2. Create a binder for your physical swatches, samples, and contracts.
3. Find a comprehensive checklist or cheat sheet, like this one, to assure nothing falls through the cracks.
4. Open a Pinterest account to create inspiration boards. Then show them to your vendors to help explain what you have in mind and open conversations about what they can offer.
(My Pinterest account is here, to jumpstart your inspiration.)
5. Set up a way to communicate with your wedding party and guests. This may be an online group or app.
You will also want to be on top of your budget and wedding finances. Decide who will pay how much to get a budget. Then head over to the budget calculator to split your spending into line-item limits.