A Wedding Planner's Guide to Planning a Wedding

It's National Wedding Planning Day! Did you know that's even a thing? in 2017, theKnot named March 1 the end of engagement season and the official start of wedding planning season.

Are you planning a wedding? Where are you at in the process? Does it feel overwhelming at times? The biggest piece of advice I give to my clients, is to take it step by step. The big picture can feel daunting and send you down a rabbit hole of all the things you haven't done. Instead, break it down into smaller parts and focus on them piece by piece. For example, when thinking about flowers for your wedding - think about how you want to feel on your wedding day. How do the flowers help create that feeling? Is it a smell? A color? Maybe the shape of the arrangement? I often get asked "but what if it doesn't all go together? will it still fit the theme?" Here's the secret: you are the theme. If each element of your wedding captures how you feel and showcases your personality, then everything will come together perfectly. I like to say perfectly, imperfect.

When I started my wedding planning business, I took my wedding planning brain for granted. I thought everyone knew how to plan an event - which is silly, because if that we the case, I wouldn't have a job. But I quickly realized I needed to come up with a way to unpack the process and make it easy for my clients to make it their own. The planner in me wishes I had a plan, but I didn't and for that, I am so so grateful. My first year planning, I had the opportunity to work with some really great couples and we learned together how to organize this process. Everyone works through information differently, there is no right way to plan a wedding. When I introduce my process to my clients, I explain that this is a baseline and if something doesn't work for you, let's change it. Wedding planning should be stress-free, fun and most importantly, about you and your partner.

When I compiled this checklist, it was important to me to create a framework that was current and inclusive. I removed all heteronormative terms:

bride/groom = partner

bridal party = wedding party

suit/dress = wedding outfit, formalwear

Nomad Nixon practices creating safer spaces for LGBTQIA+ clients.

Download my wedding planning guide here:

WeddingPlanningChecklist.pdf

Download PDF • 2.16MB

Checklist for 10 - 12 months out:

Checklist for 6 - 9 months out:

Checklist for 3 - 5 months out:

Checklist for 6 - 8 weeks out:

Checklist for 3 - 5 weeks out:

Checklist for 1 - 2 weeks out:

Wedding Decor Checklist:

happy planning ♡