Congratulations!!!

You’re engaged!!! This is such a fun time to celebrate!
Take in the moments, share the news with friends and family and enjoy each other’s love!

Chances are, planning events is not your day job, so where do you start? When you have sufficiently celebrated this incredible decision and shared the news with your loved ones, there are a few things to start talking through before you begin planning your design, searching for a venue or locking in your vendors.

First things first…

WHAT IS MY BUDGET?

Setting your wedding budget is step number one when it comes to planning your wedding. Every choice you make will lead back to this decision and it will help you determine all aspects of your wedding from your guest count to venue choice, vendors, experiences and more.

Some questions to ask yourself:

Who’s footing the bill? Will you and your fiancé be covering costs yourselves? If so, what amount do each of you have available to allocate to your wedding budget? Do you have a gift coming from a family member or friend that will add to your wedding fund? Though it can be awkward to talk about money, it’s so important to have these honest conversations and set expectations ahead of time.
Are there any pieces of the wedding that will be covered for you? Sometimes a family member or friend will offer to cover specific costs of your wedding such as your wedding attire, the rehearsal dinner, maybe you have a friend that is a florist or cake designer. Think through any specific gifts so you can accurately determine your wedding budget. When it comes to gifts of service, make sure you can rely on that person offering the service. If you are not sure, politely decline and hire someone else!
What is included in your budget? Every wedding budget is going to be different, since it is based on the specific vision you have for your wedding. However, there are many common items that couples choose to include in their wedding budget. Some of these more common items include a venue, wedding planner or coordinator, photographer, food, florals, hair & make-up, officiant, rentals such as a tent, dance floor, etc., entertainment, signage, transportation, invitations and your wedding attire.
This may sound overwhelming, which is why we have included a template budget that you can copy into your own document to start editing. Add in your preferred budget at the bottom and start filling in some numbers to get an idea of where you might like to spend your money. Maybe you love florals and want to go all out here and cut back somewhere else, or maybe you know you want to work with a specific caterer or photographer. Here is where you can start to customize your budget based on your specific wedding vision and responses from vendors.
HERE is that budget template that you can copy to edit.

The next big questions is…

WHO DO I WANT TO CELEBRATE WITH?

Once you have determined your budget, you are going to want to think through your guest list. Maybe you have a smaller budget and want to trim your guest list to keep costs low. Maybe you have a HUGE family and a ton of friends that you just cannot pare down. This is such an important question since it will help determine what venue you can celebrate at. Most venues have a cap on the number of people they can accommodate, and some venues even have minimums on the number of guests required to attend. These venues with minimums usually offer on site catering, and therefore you will pay for a specific number of guests even if they do not attend. We do not have a minimum at The Maples Estate, though we do cap weddings around 150 guests.

Start creating that list of must have people at your wedding! Then think through those that may not be able to attend. There is usually some drop off from your invite list and often these includes individuals that will need to travel long distances to get to your wedding, maybe they have children and it’s harder for them to get away, or even a crazy job that is demanding of their time. Keep this in mind as you are looking at venues!

And now you wonder…

WHEN DO I GET MARRIED?

There are a lot of things to think through when it comes to setting a date. Here are some questions you may want to ask yourself.

Do you love the fall or maybe you enjoy the heat of the summer? Have you always dreamed of a winter wedding or love the refresh of the spring?
Do you absolutely hate sweating or maybe you are always cold?
Do you have a lucky number or favorite holiday?
Is there a time of year or specific date when you know your must have people are not available?
Do you know that your best friends are getting married on a specific date and you need to set your date accordingly to ensure you can attend?
Does your budget require you to look at off peak dates?
Do you want all the time you can get to plan your wedding or maybe you just want to put a ring on it like, yesterday?
Are you in the military or have a demanding job that you will need to work your date around?

All these questions can help determine what time of year or specific date(s) might be best for your wedding celebration! Remember to be flexible as your dream venue or dream vendors may not be available this date. It’s always good to have a couple back up dates just incase!

Now ask yourself…

WHERE SHOULD I GET MARRIED?

This is not just a question of venue, but also the location and setting that suites your vision.

Do you love the beach? The mountains? The woods? Historic buildings? Farm life? City life?
Do you love to gamble at the casino? What about adventure? Maybe you love intimate quality time with your family or dancing to your favorite music.
Where do you live? Where do your family and friends live? Do you love to travel? Are you connected to your hometown or have a favorite place to escape to?

Think about your personal tastes, where you like to travel, what you do for fun, where your family and friends are located, etc. This will help you to determine the best location for your wedding day, weekend or week!

I’m feeling overwhealmed…

I THINK I NEED A WEDDING PLANNER!

Planning a wedding can be a challenge! If it is way too overwhelming for you, you have no idea where to start, or you simply do not have the time, consider hiring a wedding planner. At The Maples Estate we offer wedding planning services and coaching as add ons. This means we can work with you to make your dreams come true, without the hassle of planning your own wedding.

For those of you that want to put the work in yourselves, we do include a digital wedding planning check list and comprehensive guide of talented wedding vendors by category so you have a starting point for your planning journey as soon as you book.

Now that you have all these questions out of the way…it’s time to lock in your venue!!