Guide To Becoming A Wedding Planner: Steps To Success

Planning a wedding can be an overwhelming task, especially for those without professional experience. One of the best ways to stay on top of everything is to keep all your information in one place, such as a DIY wedding binder or a physical wedding planner. This can include checklists, receipts, and pages for wedding inspiration. It's also a great resource to give to your vendors so that they can understand your vision.

To make a DIY wedding binder, you'll need to buy a binder, binder paper, a hole punch, plastic dividers, and insertable folders. You may also want to add flair like stickers and fun-coloured pens to help you stay organised.

Based on your checklist, there are a few ways to organise your binder. One way is to organise your to-dos by time, spacing them out by month as your wedding approaches. Another way is to organise your binder by categories, such as decor, food, dress, etc. This way, all your resources and must-dos about a specific aspect of the wedding are in one spot.

Supplies for your planner

The first step to creating a wedding planner is to gather your supplies. Head to your local craft store to find everything you need.

Divider tabs or folders

You'll want to divide your planner into sections, so buy some divider tabs or folders. You can colour-code each section for consistency and clarity.

Paper and writing utensils

Paper, pens and highlighters are essential for jotting down ideas and taking notes. The more colours, the better.

Binder

The binder is the most important part of your planner. Pick a cute one in a pretty print, or one with a clear front cover so you can customise it yourself. Be realistic about the size—if you're collecting brochures and magazines, you'll need a bigger binder.

Envelopes and pouches

Envelopes or zipper pouches are handy for storing fabric swatches, size charts and other small items.

Sticky notes

Keep sticky notes on hand to flag certain pages and leave reminders for yourself.

Portable charger

You'll want to keep your phone charged so you can take photos and stay connected with vendors and your bridal party.

Calendar or timeline

Place an 18- to 24-month calendar, a wedding timeline, and a wedding planner checklist at the front of your binder. As tasks are completed, check them off so you have a simple at-a-glance reminder of what's left to do.

Budget reminder

Also keep a budget reminder at the front of your binder. As the budget allocations adjust with finalised vendor agreements, you can help yourself and your clients stay on track.

Tape measure

A mini tape measure will come in handy for all kinds of wedding-planning tasks.

Sections and organisation

The first step in the wedding planning process is to create a comprehensive checklist, which will help you to visualise and prioritise your goals. This can be done using checklists, spreadsheets, Word, Excel, Google Docs, or online tools and apps.

Permanent Wedding Planner Books

These books are anchored by the personal resource network you’ve built as a professional wedding planner. They should include sections on:

• Cocktail hour musicians
• Tuxedo rental companies
• Seamstresses and tailors
• Food trucks and food carts and specialty cuisine displays
• Live stream contacts
• Event lighting companies
• Companies that specialise in event design, such as creating lounges and gathering spaces

Rotating DIY Wedding Planners

These should be dedicated to each specific wedding, with one binder per couple. They should include sections on:

• Preferred method of communication
• Social media handles
• Other critical details
• Pre-wedding activities like a sail or trolley tour
• Hair and make-up trials, invitation orders, and alteration dates
• Guest list and RSVPs
• Bridesmaids’ gown and bridal gown orders
• Marriage license information
• Honeymoon details
• Travel documents
• Budget reminders
• Payment schedules
• Guest accommodation details
• Wedding timeline
• Wedding checklist

Wedding Website

A wedding website is an essential communication tool that will keep your loved ones up to date. It’s also a wonderful place to share your engagement and wedding photo albums.

Wedding Budget

A wedding budget will be the driving factor for many of your decisions, so this should be one of the first things you tackle. If any family members will be contributing, chat with them about what they’re comfortable spending. If you’re footing the bill yourself, be sure to take a hard look at your finances and prepare for any life changes you may need to make.

Wedding Style and Theme

Find a few resources of bridal inspiration and start researching. Have a good sense of the type of wedding style you want before you begin meeting with potential vendors.

Wedding Vendors

Research and hire vendors, including:

• Venue
• Caterer
• Photographer
• Florist
• Band/DJ
• Officiant
• Transportation company
• Photo booth

Wedding Attire

Begin searching for wedding attire, including:

• Wedding dress
• Suit/tuxedo
• Bridal party ensembles
• Accessories

Wedding Rings

Select your wedding rings. These can be matching bands, or two distinct styles.

Wedding Website and Social Media

Create a wedding website and social media hashtags. This will help to keep guests up to date on wedding details, and is especially useful for out-of-town guests.

Wedding Timeline

Create a comprehensive wedding-day schedule to ensure everyone is on the same page about timing and location.

Digital tools

Google Drive

Google Drive is a cloud-based file storage system that can be accessed across all devices at any time. It is the ultimate online tool when it comes to wedding file organisation. You can create new documents, upload photos and files on the go, and share folders with your partner and suppliers. Keep all of your wedding files together in one digital home, instead of chasing down invoices, contracts and receipts.

Wedding Website Builders

Building your own personalised wedding website allows you to give your guests all the information they need to plan and prepare for your day. It helps streamline communication and saves hours of time. Your wedding website can also be used to share your love story, introduce your bridal party, and set the tone for your event.

Pinterest

Pinterest is a clever platform that can be used to streamline your wedding planning. Collaborate with your different wedding suppliers using shared boards, or simply use the search function for specific planning queries like “wedding decor checklist” or “DIY bouquet tutorial”. You can also use the search function to scope out different wedding venues and vendors in your local area.

Budget Calculators

Creating a wedding budget can be stressful and confusing. An online budget calculator takes away the guesswork and provides estimates for each element of your wedding. Simply enter your overall budget, and the calculator will give you a rough breakdown to help you allocate funds accordingly.

Allseated

Allseated is a platform that allows you to create your own floor plan to scale, with the ability to customise dimensions to suit your venue and furniture. From long feasting tables to individual rounds, you’ll easily be able to see which seating plan is the most functional fit for your space.

Digital Wedding Planners

Keep your wedding tasks on track with a digital wedding planner to help you stay organised and productive. Create your own custom to-do list, add deadlines for each task, and set automated reminders so you can easily see what needs to be done next.

Printables and checklists

• Wedding Planning Timeline: A checklist to guide you through the wedding planning process, month by month.
• Wedding Budget Planner: A comprehensive table to help you stay on budget, with over 150 wedding-related costs to track.
• Wedding Vendor Contact List: A chart to keep the phone numbers, emails, and addresses of all your vendors.
• Wedding Guest List Tracker: A ready-made Excel file to manage names, addresses, and replies.
• Wedding Photography Checklist: A list of all the main shots you may want your photographer to capture on the big day.
• Wedding Orders Log: A place to keep track of all the things you need to order, such as invitations, save-the-dates, favours, etc.
• Wedding Appointments Log: A printable to keep track of all your wedding-related appointments.
• Wedding Notes Page: A plain notes page for writing down any extra thoughts or ideas.
• Wedding Sketches Page: A blank page for sketching out ideas.
• Wedding Payment Tracker: A detailed tracker to keep track of deposits, payments, and due dates.
• Wedding Stationery Guide: Includes a timeline tracker and checklists for all your wedding stationery.
• Wedding Ceremony and Reception Detail Trackers: To capture all the important details related to the ceremony and reception.
• Wedding Song List: A split list for the ceremony and reception to ensure the music is on point for each part of the day.
• Honeymoon Planning: A checklist to help you plan and book your honeymoon, including flights, accommodation, and excursions.
• Wedding Party Attire: A checklist to ensure you have all the outfits you need for the wedding party, including the wedding dress, groom's suit, bridesmaids' dresses, and groomsmen's attire.
• Wedding Day Emergency Kit: A list of items you may need on the day, such as a small sewing kit, pain relievers, and a phone charger.

You can also create your own printables and checklists to suit your specific needs and preferences.

Keeping it organised

Keeping your wedding planner organised is essential to staying on top of your planning process. One of the best ways to do this is to tend to your binder regularly and attentively. Here are some tips to keep your binder organised:

• Create a cover insert with a fun design that includes the names of the couple and the wedding date.
• Use dividers to create sections for the most important categories, such as wedding party contact information, the wedding rehearsal and dinner, the ceremony, reception, attire and beauty, the photographer, and the florist.
• You can also add sub-dividers within each section for more detailed organisation. For example, under "reception", you can have subsections for decorations, food, and cake.
• Add lined paper to each section so that you can make notes while you plan.
• Include folders or clear sheet protectors in each section to store important documents, such as contracts, brochures, business cards, and receipts.
• Place the most important information at the front of the book, such as a calendar, a wedding planning checklist, and your budget.
• As you gather information, store ideas and inspiration in your binder. The further you get into the planning process, the more specific your binder should become.
• Make sure to put things in their designated sections to keep your binder neatly organised. For example, keep all of your venue information in the "venue" section.
• Remove any unnecessary information to avoid overloading your binder with useless scraps of paper.
• Incorporate your digital inspirations by periodically printing out your spreadsheets and adding them to your binder. You can also create QR codes that link to your Pinterest boards and spreadsheets and print those out.
• Include envelopes or zipper pouches to carry colour swatches, size charts, and fabric samples.
• Use sticky notes to flag certain pages and leave reminders for yourself.
• Don't be afraid to ask for help from your bridal party or delegate tasks to take some things off your plate.

Frequently asked questions