Planning A Wedding? Create A Homemade Book To Guide You

Planning a wedding can be a daunting task, but creating a wedding planning book can help you stay organized and on track. Whether you're working with a professional planner or going the DIY route, a wedding planning book can be a great tool to keep all your ideas, inspiration, and important information in one place. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to make a homemade wedding planning book:

Step 1: Gather Your Supplies

Start by getting a binder that suits your style and personality. You can opt for a cute print or a clear front cover that you can customize. Don't forget to choose a size that will accommodate all your planning materials, especially if you plan on including magazines or brochures. Divider tabs or folders, pens, and highlighters in various colors will also come in handy.

Step 2: Set Up Your Binder

Create a cover page with the names of the bride and groom, and your wedding date if you've set one. Use your dividers to create sections for all the important categories, such as budget, guest list, venue, wedding party, and more. You can even add sub-dividers within each section for extra organization. Include lined paper in each section for notes and a few folders or clear sheet protectors to store important documents.

Step 3: Start Adding Important Info

Place the most crucial information at the front of your binder, such as a calendar, wedding planning checklist, and budget. This will ensure you stay on top of deadlines and finances throughout the planning process.

Step 4: Fill It In As You Go

Use your binder to store ideas and inspiration in the early stages of planning. As you make decisions and choose vendors, make sure to keep your binder updated and organized. Remove any unnecessary information to avoid clutter and overload.

Step 5: Incorporate Your Digital Inspirations

If you have digital resources, like Pinterest boards or Excel spreadsheets, periodically print them out and add them to your binder. Alternatively, create QR codes that link to your digital resources and add them to your binder for easy access.

With these steps, you'll be well on your way to creating a comprehensive and stylish wedding planning book that will help you navigate the exciting journey ahead!

Choosing a binder and gathering supplies

• Choose a binder that reflects your style: Select a binder with a cute design or a clear front cover that you can customise yourself. Consider your wedding colours or theme when making your choice. Don't forget to choose something durable that can hold all your planning materials.
• Divider tabs and folders: Divide your binder into sections using divider tabs or folders. Create tabs for important categories such as "Budget", "Guest List", "Vendors", "Timeline", and any other categories that are relevant to your planning process. You can also add sub-dividers within each section for more detailed organisation.
• Paper and writing utensils: Include lined paper in each section for taking notes. You can also use highlighters and pens in various colours to colour-code your notes and make important information stand out.
• Protective sheets: Add clear sheet protectors or folders to each section to store important documents, such as contracts, receipts, and other paperwork. This will help keep your binder organised and ensure that important documents don't get lost or damaged.
• Customise the cover: Add a fun cover insert with the names of the bride and groom and your wedding date, if you've set one. You can also decorate the outside of your binder with stickers, photos, or other embellishments to make it unique and reflect your personality.
• Envelopes and pouches: Include envelopes or zipper pouches in your binder to store small items such as colour swatches, fabric samples, or other mementos.
• Digital inspiration: If you have digital inspiration, such as Pinterest boards or Excel spreadsheets, periodically print them out and add them to your binder. Alternatively, create QR codes that link to your digital resources and print them out so you can easily access your inspiration on your phone.
• Sticky notes: Keep sticky notes handy to flag important pages or leave reminders for yourself.
• Be realistic about the size: If you plan on storing a lot of information, brochures, and magazines in your binder, choose a larger size to ensure everything fits comfortably.
• Ask for help: Don't hesitate to delegate tasks to your bridal party or family members. They are there to support you, so take advantage of their help to make the planning process more manageable.

Setting up your binder

First, you'll want to add a cover insert with a fun design that includes the names of the bride and groom, and the wedding date if you've already set one. If you're obsessed with planning your wedding, there's a good chance this binder will be attached to your hip until the moment you say, "I do", so design the outside however you want. You can get one with a clear front cover so that you can customise it yourself.

Next, use your dividers to create sections for all of the most important categories. A typical wedding planner binder has sections like:

• Wedding party contact information
• Wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner
• Budget
• Guest list
• Vendors
• Venue
• Decorations
• Food
• Cake
• Photography
• Flowers
• Music/entertainment
• Bridal party gifts
• Thank-you notes

If you want to be extra organised, you can create separate tabs for everything. You can also add sub-dividers within each section. For example, in the "reception" tab, you can have subsections for decorations, food, and cake.

Add lined paper to each divided section so that you can make notes while you plan. Include a few folders or clear sheet protectors into each section, too. This gives you a place to hold important documents for safekeeping.

Adding important information

Now that your binder is organised, it's time to start filling it up! Here are some ideas for what to include:

• Place the most important information at the front of the book. This could include a calendar and a wedding planning checklist.
• Include your budget at the front of the binder. Planning a wedding can be expensive, so keep a close eye on your budget throughout the process.
• Add a wedding budget worksheet to outline how much you can spend on each aspect of your special day.
• In the early stages, use your binder to store ideas and inspiration.
• As you add new pages, make sure to put things where they belong. For example, keep all of your venue information in the "venue" section.
• Once you choose a location, remove all the information from the venues you passed on.
• Periodically print out your digital spreadsheets (like guest lists, budgets, etc.) and add them to your binder.
• If you make additions on paper, make sure to copy them over to your spreadsheets.
• Choose some favourite images from your Pinterest boards and incorporate them just like you would a magazine cut-out.
• Include envelopes or zipper pouches for carrying colour swatches, size charts, and fabric samples.
• Keep sticky notes on hand to flag certain pages and leave reminders for yourself.

Filling in the binder as you go

Filling in your binder as you go is an important part of staying organised and ensuring your wedding planning process is as stress-free as possible. Here are some tips to help you with this:

• Use your binder to store ideas and inspiration: In the early stages of your wedding planning, use your binder as a place to keep ideas and inspiration. This could be in the form of magazine cut-outs, print-outs from Pinterest, or notes from your own thoughts and brainstorming sessions.
• Keep your binder organised: It's easy to overload your binder with to-do lists and business cards. That's okay, as long as you keep your binder neatly organised. Make sure to put things in their designated sections. For example, when shopping for venues, keep all the information in the "venue" section.
• Remove unnecessary information: Once you choose a vendor, venue, etc., remove all the information from the options you passed on. Throw it away so that you don't overload yourself with useless scraps of paper. This will help keep your binder light and easy to carry around.
• Incorporate digital inspirations: If you have digital assets, such as Pinterest boards or Excel spreadsheets, periodically print them out and add them to your binder. If you make additions on paper, be sure to copy them over to your digital versions as well. Alternatively, create QR codes that link to your digital assets and print those out instead.
• Ask for help: Don't be afraid to ask for help from your bridal party or other supporters. Delegate tasks so that you can take some things off your plate.

Incorporating digital inspirations

Whether you're a tech-savvy couple or not, it's likely that you'll be using some form of digital tools to help plan your wedding. Here are some tips for incorporating digital inspirations into your homemade wedding planning book:

• Use digital tools to gather inspiration and ideas: Create a Pinterest board or an Instagram collection to save images and ideas that inspire you. You can also follow wedding-related accounts on social media to stay inspired and informed about the latest trends.
• Utilize wedding planning websites and apps: There are many websites and apps specifically designed to help with wedding planning, such as WeddingWire, Carats & Cake, and WeddingHappy. These tools can provide checklists, budget trackers, vendor searches, and more.
• Incorporate digital assets into your binder: Print out your digital spreadsheets, such as guest lists and budgets, and add them to your binder. You can also select some of your favourite Pinterest pins or Instagram posts and include them in your binder, just like you would with magazine cut-outs.
• Create QR codes: Instead of printing out all your digital inspirations, you can create QR codes that link to your Pinterest boards, spreadsheets, or other online resources. This way, you can quickly scan the code with your phone and access your digital inspirations whenever you need them.
• Use digital tools for communication and collaboration: Google Drive and Trello are great tools for staying organized and sharing information with your planning crew. You can also use temporary phone number apps like Burner to manage the flood of communications and collect RSVPs without giving out your personal phone number.
• Go paperless with digital invitations and RSVPs: Consider using digital invitations and online RSVP systems to streamline the guest management process. This eliminates the need for manual data entry and reduces the risk of errors.
• Utilize email marketing: Craft attention-grabbing emails with personalized content to keep your planning crew and vendors in the loop. Automation tools can also help with timely follow-ups and lead nurturing.

Frequently asked questions