Crafting A Stellar Wedding Planner: Tips And Insights

Planning a wedding can be an overwhelming experience, but creating a DIY wedding binder is a great way to stay organized and ensure that your special day is everything you want it to be. A wedding binder is a crucial tool to help you create a plan, get – and stay – organized, and save money. It can be as creative as you like, with decorations and color schemes, or a simple, functional tool to keep all your wedding plans in one place.

Organise your binder with dividers and sub-dividers

Dividers and sub-dividers are essential to creating a well-organised wedding planner. Dividers allow you to separate your wedding binder into distinct sections, while sub-dividers provide an extra layer of organisation within each section. This helps you to efficiently categorise and access information.

When setting up your binder, use dividers to create sections for key categories. Typical sections in a wedding planner include:

• Wedding party contact information
• Wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner
• Reception
• Vendors
• Budget
• Attire
• Beauty
• Photographer
• Florist

However, you can customise your sections to suit your needs and preferences. For example, you might prefer to give the photographer, florist, and music/entertainment their own tabs, or create a separate section for every individual element, such as bridal party gifts and thank-you notes.

To add an extra layer of organisation, use sub-dividers to create subsections within each section. For instance, within the "Reception" section, you can have subsections for decorations, food, and cake. Under "Vendors", create subsections for the photographer, florist, and DJ. You can organise your subsections in a way that makes sense to you.

When choosing your dividers and sub-dividers, opt for ones with pockets or clear sheet protectors. These will come in handy for storing important documents, such as contracts, receipts, and business cards. Additionally, include envelopes or zipper pouches in your binder for carrying colour swatches, size charts, and fabric samples.

By using dividers and sub-dividers to organise your wedding binder, you'll be able to efficiently categorise and access information, making the planning process smoother and less stressful.

Include a calendar and checklist

A calendar and checklist are essential components of a wedding planner. They help you stay on track with your planning, meet deadlines, and promptly make all your appointments.

The calendar is a crucial part of your wedding binder. Wedding planning is a busy time, and your calendar can quickly fill up with vendor appointments, fittings, and shower dates. It is important to write down all these events so you don't miss anything.

The checklist is another vital element. A comprehensive checklist will ensure you don't forget anything and help you stay organised. You can make a checklist of all the wedding planning tasks you have left to do, and organise them by time or category. For example, you could have a section for decor, food, dress, etc. This way, all your resources and must-dos about a specific aspect of the wedding are in one spot.

You can also use your calendar and checklist together to space out different checklist items by month, addressing a new section of the book as your wedding draws closer. This way, you can ensure you are prepared and not overwhelmed as the big day approaches.

You can find free printable calendars and checklists online, or create your own. It is a good idea to keep your calendar and checklist at the front of your wedding binder so you can easily refer to them and ensure you are on track with your planning.

Create sections for wedding party contacts, rehearsal dinner, and vendors

A good wedding planner should have sections dedicated to wedding party contacts, the rehearsal dinner, and vendors. These sections will help you stay organised and ensure that you have all the information you need at your fingertips.

Wedding Party Contacts

This section should include the names, phone numbers, and email addresses of the wedding party, including the bride and groom, bridesmaids and groomsmen, parents of the couple, and any other important participants such as the officiant. You may also want to include a brief description of each person's role in the wedding, as well as any special requirements or requests they may have. For example, if one of the bridesmaids is allergic to certain flowers, this is important information for the planner to have.

Rehearsal Dinner

The rehearsal dinner is a small celebration that usually takes place the night before the wedding, after the rehearsal of the ceremony. It is a time for the couple and their families to relax and express gratitude to those involved in the wedding. As a wedding planner, you should create a separate section in your planner specifically for the rehearsal dinner. This section should include a checklist to ensure nothing is forgotten, as well as details on the host, budget, theme, venue, guest list, menu, and decorations.

Vendors

Building strong relationships with vendors is crucial for a wedding planner. It is important to treat them with kindness and respect, and to trust in their expertise. A good way to do this is to ask how you can support them and set them up for success. You should also include their tags in your social media posts and show your gratitude with thank-you cards or small gifts. In your wedding planner, create a section dedicated to vendor contacts and details. This could include the names and contact information of florists, caterers, photographers, musicians, and any other vendors involved in the wedding. You may also want to include details of the services they are providing, as well as any relevant notes, such as dietary restrictions for the caterer.

Make it fun and useful with decorations and your own creative touches

Now that you've gathered your supplies and set up your binder, it's time to make it your own! Decorating your wedding binder can be a fun and creative process that reflects your unique style and personality. Here are some ideas to make your binder fun, useful, and visually appealing:

Choose a theme or colour scheme

Select a colour scheme that complements your wedding colours or choose a theme that you love. This can be anything from a rustic theme with earthy tones and natural elements to a glamorous theme with metallic accents and sparkles. You can also use specific themes for different sections of your binder, such as a floral theme for the "ceremony" section or a culinary theme for the "food" section.

Decorate the cover

Since you'll be carrying this binder around for a while, make the cover something you love to look at. You can decorate it with coloured paper, fabric, stickers, or even a collage of inspirational images. If you're feeling extra crafty, try decoupage techniques to create a unique and textured cover. Don't forget to include the names of the bride and groom and the wedding date.

Add personal touches

Incorporate your own creative touches throughout the binder. For example, you can create fun and decorative tabs for your dividers. Use decorative washi tape or colourful ribbons to mark important pages or sections. If you're artistic, try illustrating or hand-lettering quotes, titles, or decorations throughout the binder.

Include inspirational images

Incorporate images that inspire you and represent your wedding vision. You can print out photos from Pinterest, magazines, or online sources. Create a vision board or mood board for each section to help you visualise your ideas. You can also use clear sheet protectors to store inspirational images and fabric swatches.

Make it functional

While decorations are important, ensure that your binder remains functional and easy to use. Use clear labels and tabs to find information quickly. Add pockets or envelopes to store important documents, receipts, and business cards. Use paper with holes that fit your binder, or use sheet protectors to store loose papers.

Remember, this binder is your tool to stay organised and inspired during the wedding planning process. Make it something that excites you and reflects your personality. Enjoy the process of creating it, and don't be afraid to get creative!

Keep it updated and organised with printouts, receipts, and other important documents

Staying organised is key to wedding planning, and one of the best ways to do this is to keep all your important documents in one place. Whether you opt for a physical wedding planner or binder, or a digital spreadsheet, having a system in place will ensure you can easily access and update your plans.

Physical Wedding Planner

A physical wedding planner or binder is a great way to keep all your wedding-related documents together. You can include divider tabs or folders, as well as pens and highlighters of various colours to colour-code your sections. You can also add lined paper to jot down notes, and clear sheet protectors or folders to keep important documents safe.

Some sections you might want to include are:

• Wedding party contact information
• Wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner
• Budget
• Calendar
• Checklist
• Venue
• Vendors
• Ceremony
• Reception
• Decorations
• Guest list
• Attire
• Transportation
• Honeymoon
• Lodging/accommodations
• Music
• Timeline/schedule
• Seating
• Food
• Cake
• Photography
• Florist
• DJ
• Officiant
• Videographer
• Planner
• Stationery
• Gifts
• Favours
• Thank-you notes

Digital Wedding Planner

If you prefer digital planning, you can use a spreadsheet or an online planning tool to keep track of your wedding plans. Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel are great options for creating a custom wedding planning spreadsheet, and there are also free online tools available, such as The Knot's suite of planning tools, which include a customisable checklist, budget tool, vision board, guest list tool, and registry checklist.

Some things you might want to include in your digital wedding planner are:

• Budget
• Timeline/checklist
• Guest list
• Vendor contact list
• Wedding day schedule
• Photography shot list
• Alcohol calculator
• Registry checklist
• Honeymoon planning timeline and budgeter
• Packing checklist

Frequently asked questions