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Getting engaged is SO overwhelming! I woke up this morning with my mind racing. I felt like a computer with 100 tabs open… To ease my mind I have to find the perfect planner that can help me answer these questions and start planning our big day.

Do we tell people?

How do we tell them?

Who do we tell first?

Do we have an engagement party?

What is the point of an engagement party?

Who is going to pay for all this?

When will we get married?

Will we have kids together?

I’m not exaggerating when I say my thoughts totally spun out of control in a matter of minutes. Then it hit me, like when you are speeding down Main Street and you see a cop, I have got to hit the brakes! I spent the next two or so hours, between cooking, eating breakfast and reading reviews on wedding planners. Thankfully, I had already scoped out a few as a gift for another bride who got engaged six months before me. But, for those of you who haven’t scoped them out and don’t want to waste the time reading reviews, here is the breakdown:

What do you want out of  the perfect planner?

My answer: I want a solid book that I can write everything in, file ideas and quotes in, and then save for years to come. (to show my kids and remember all the fun I had planning my special day!)

Which Planner Do I Need:

• “solid book” translates to hardcover, will last through the planning process and look nice on my bookcase.
• “write everything in” translates to any kind of planner that has designated open fields for me to write in, and by everything, I mean everything. I want my engagement party, my wedding budget, my vendor contact information, my honeymoon travel plans, checklists for things I need to do (and when!), pages to compare possible places or vendors I like, a place to write my guests’ names, addresses, and any presents they buy us, and a registry section.
• “file ideas and quotes in” translates to a three ring binder planner so that I can add folders and pages to it as needed.

There are hundreds of different kinds of planners out there. Some of them in binding, some with soft covers, some that only focus on one part of your wedding (such as the budget), some that are meant to be read, and not written in. So your first question is what do I want out of a planner?

Keep in mind, you may not find the perfect planner or one that has absolutely everything you need. If you buy three ring versions you could combine pages out of multiple planners into a planner that suits your specific needs and wants.

What I am Going to Try:

Today I purchased “The Wedding Planner & Organizer” ring-bound by Mindy Weiss. I scored it on Amazon for $17.06 with Prime shipping, a $13.00 savings from my local bookstore. This planner does not have quite everything I want so I plan on adding some honeymoon pages (location/events/features comparison pages) to it.

I also ordered the book “The Broke-Ass Bride’s Wedding Guide: Hundreds of Tips and Tricks for Hitting Your Budget” for $11.42 and “The Knot Book of Wedding Lists: The Ultimate Guide to the Perfect Day, Down to the Smallest Detail” for $7.91. I don’t know how much I will use the guide because the previews seem like it is very specific to the type of wedding the author planned, but it does have some interesting tips, websites, and ideas I plan on checking out. As for the book from The Knot, I have dreamed of creating my wedding page on TheKnot.com for YEARS and I am excited to have a big book of lists. I think the lists will help me think of things that I might forget or small details I have never paid attention to at weddings I have attended.

So you know, TheKnot.com is a great place to daydream, store ideas, and check out vendors. And yes, I know that Pinterest exists but Pinterest’s formatting is MUCH too broad to plan your wedding from it.  I’m not saying you can’t look at Pinterest for ideas but take the ideas and write them down or print them out and put them in your wedding planner. And let’s be honest, if you are anything like me, you have had a “Dream Wedding” board on your Pinterest for years and it’s already chock full of ideas. But the planner and websites like TheKnot are going to help figure out what ideas are actually viable, which ones are actually enjoyable, and then sort out the rest.

Number one rule of planning a party: The bigger the party, the more organized you need to be.

Can’t wait to share more with you in future posts.

Author Bio:

My name is Chelsey Cloward and I am a DIY-er. I’m twenty-seven and I work as a design specialist for the largest power plant on the west side of the Mississippi. For those of you who don’t know, design specialist is a fancy term for industrial drafter. Between the hours I work and commute to work, I am gone for 11 to 12 hours a day. I am also the President of the Activities Committee for the plant, which means I plan and coordinate each and every event for the 350 employees we have (picnics, golf tournaments, poker runs, Christmas parties, etc). Because of this, I have become highly organized and efficient, both in my event planning abilities and my personal life. In my personal life, I am extremely creative. I grew up wanting to be an interior designer or an inventor and spent my time as a child constantly drawing, painting, and creating things. So each and every chance I get I customize my home, my camper, and anything else I can get my hands on!

On March 18th, 2017 my best friend proposed to me and now I am getting to plan my biggest, most stressful party yet: My Wedding. I’m going to take you, my reader, on this wild, scary, fun journey with me. I’ll break down everything I can so you can see the ins and outs of planning your own wedding, learn from my failures and my triumphs, and hopefully, be entertained!