No idea where to start?

my boyfriend recently asked me to marry him.. i said yes! :)

i would like to have it late spring.. early summer.. when the lilacs come out (i'd like to have them for flowers they grow wild around here at that time of year)



anyways.. where does one start planning and getting everything ready? whats first?

No idea where to start?
Register on "www.theknot.com" or other wedding websites. They have budget planners, timelines, lots of tips and help for planning your wedding.



Some of the main "starters" you need to do:



Set a date. You have decided on late Spring...early summer. Typically Lilacs bloom between Mid May and early June. It depends on your area. I would do a little research with your local public gardens or your gardening supply store, or check online to find out what the lilac season is in your state/area.



Once a date is set, Determine budget. This is extremely important. You need to have a solid idea of how much money you can work with, and where that money is coming from, before you start shopping for venues, setting up vendors...you need a budget.



Then, as I mentioned above, try www.theknot.com or other wedding planning websites. You can plug in your budget number...Say $10,000. It will break that 10k down so you can see about how much money you have for different aspects of your wedding...and you can make adjustments as you go.



After the budget, get a preliminary guest list together. You need to have an idea of how many people you are inviting, before you look for a space to hold all of them. (You can't put a 200 person guest list into a church that holds 50, of course).



After that, get your church and reception venue dates reserved. They start booking up to a year in advance, so you want those two things decided before caterers, DJs, etc.



That should get you started. Congrats on the engagement!!! Good luck with your planning!



~Kat
Reply:You start with getting a minister/officiant and a church/location. Then you have your date. From then, you next book a caterer, venue, and band - depending upon where you live, they may need to be booked well in advance. Then, it's invitations, flowers, your gown, attendants and their attire, wedding cake, -- etc.
Reply:Daydreamer is right. Look for your wedding %26amp; reception site, and fix the date. The locations determine so many other details, you cant do anything until you do that! ----- except start looking for your dress!

Then start getting ideas based on your location. You can also use magazines and the internet to get inspiration. But since youve already chosen lilacs, it sounds like youre on the right track!
Reply:holy crap!! YAY!! Congratulations!! That is soooooo overly exciting. Must have been all that wedding stuff you did on your vacation. Got him thinking. That is extremely exciting. I am sooo happy for you :D



Ok, for your question...I have no idea how to plan a wedding. I am having a hard enough time trying to be my Cousins Maid of Honor hehehe.

I would think, you should start with who you want to invite. Once you have a number of how many people will be there, you can look for a place for the wedding to be held.

It really all depends on the size of the wedding you want.



Man, I know I am not much help, but I am excited!! YAY!
Reply:I just planned my whole wedding. First, you need to set a date. Then begin the planning. Start by choosing the location of your wedding and reception. Mail off your invitations, then go from there! You'll need to pick out a dress, etc. Pick your colors or theme... get your boquet ready and your bridesmaids boquets... Buy your decorations and order your cake. Pick vows or write your own. Pick out what music you want played, etc. If you are having trouble your girlfriends will help you. I hope this helps!
Reply:First fix the date and the place.Then the guest list,everything else will follow.
Reply:start now you need to find the place you are going to hold it and reserve it. Buy weddings for Dummies it will tell you every thing step by step
Reply:I had the same problem too when i started planning, now everything is coming along very nice! what helped me was theknot.com because it has a lot of info about planning, but I didnt like always going online for everything so I got a wedding planning book where I can keep notes, etc in it and it has a lot of good info too. I would start with picking some dates that would work for you and your family, then look for venues. having a few dates in mind will be better because then you will more likely get the places you want. since you said that you want lilacs for your wedding you already have a color pallate to work from so you can vision your wedding! after finding venues start working on your guest list. remember that each place has a different capacity so keep that in mind. I think this will give you a good start. if you have any more questions just search wedding planning or wedding planning and the name of your area. good luck and gongrats to you and your fiancee!
Reply:congratulations! i was in the same situation as i didn't know where to start either. you could buy a wedding planner/ organizer at your local book store. It should have a list of things for you to do each month before your wedding.
Reply:There is a great checklist available at theknot.com check it out for help in planning and finding local places for everything from the dress, to the flowers and photographer. It's really helpful!
Reply:well you need to try and pick a date but you have to know how many people you plan to invite before you can realistically choose a venue... If you find a cute space that can accomodate 80 people and you book it... what are you going to do if you decide you are going to invite 150 guests? and vice versa...



also go to a wedding website...

there are also many organization books that have lists of things in order at your local bookstore
Reply:First comes your date and location. They happen simultaneously because you can't plan one without the other. You'll need to have a fairly good idea of how big of a party you're having before you book your location(s), so you make sure there's enough space.



After that, you'll start with caterers, photographers, florists, dresses and all the other good stuff. The reception site may give you a list of preferred vendors which is generally a pretty good starting point. If they don't, ask them who other brides use regularly. Or go to a bridal show in your area for more ideas.
Reply:Get a wedding orgainzer. They are so helpful and make a good keepsake.



This is the one I am using,I love it:



http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Wedding-W...
Reply:First figure out where you want to have it %26amp; book it now %26amp; that will help you figure out the date, find the dress, then figure out what colors you want to go with it, maybe lilac, then figure out where you want the reception %26amp; then see a caterer if you are going big %26amp; figure out your menu, you'll need a cake a dependable photographer plus have disposable cameras or a family member taking photo's cause you never know what will happen. Get a videographer the photographer may do this also, don't forget the priest or what ever.Don't forget the florist.
Reply:first you need to set a date then book the church and look for halls they book 1 yr or more in advance. plan a guest list and decide on a budget weddings are expensive. decide how many in your bridal party and who will be the ushers and bridesmaids etc. you will need to look for music and photography as well money is the biggest problem if you dont have it then do a low key wedding no children at the reception and no more than closest family and friends. you also need to decide on colors for dresses and decorations. i hope i helped you a little
Reply:The first step it to set a budget... w/o a budget to base your purchases on you will be lost. Once you have a budget you can determine the type.. size.. location. As a planner in MD I have seen many couple go over budget with extras... or with no budget to start as the time gets closer they are in panic mode as to how they will pay off vendors. PLEASE take my advice and set a budget 1st. Congats and good luck !!!
Reply:First decide how much you can spend then, what you will need, flowers, pictures, food, cost for sites. Then how much you can spend on each item. You have a great start with your lilacs, why not go with a varity of purples, lavenders and white and you can use vases of lilacs for your centerpiecesm, maybe add some votive candles around the vases. silk flowers cost less and can be ordered ahead of time, and payments can be made till they need shipped. Best wishes.