I’m A {Wedding} Geek
Yup, its true. I’m a geek. I love to plan, and organize, and make lists, and check things off…
So, planning for the wedding is no different. I decided to put the wedding planning ideas onto paper and stay organized. There are so many thoughts bouncing around in my head right now, this was the only way to keep sane!
I checked into wedding planners. But, they seemed like a crazy waste of money, as they can be upwards of $50! Some are very cute, and yes, it is a great way to keep the memories of the process, and even pass the information along to other brides-to-be, but…
I decided (after very little debate) to make my own. I got a thin, white three-ring binder and put tabs in it. I labeled the tabs into categories I thought would be most helpful. These tabs have changed a few times, but I think I finally have it. I also bought some cute post-it notes and sticky tabs to make notes and mark things. I have scoured the blog world for ideas and inspiration, and have used these resources to put the information into the planner. Everything will be at my fingertips. I even found printable versions of budgets and timelines to keep the planner organized. Other images in the planner have come from various bridal magazines. As we get closer to the big day we won’t miss a single detail with my geeky planning skills and my beautiful, new, handmade, planner.
These are the tabs I have used so far:
- Guest List
- Budget
- Resources
- Dress Ideas
- Brides Maids
- Tuxes
- Invitations
- Music
- Food
- Reception Ideas
- Gifts
- Day Of
These tabs could be different for everyone, but since I am doing almost everything myself, I had to keep many different categories. I am also splitting some of the categories down further into sub-categories, such as Reception Ideas. There will be tabs for things such as cakes, flowers and tables. I also inserted to clear pocket pouches in the binder, one for contracts and one for reciepts. This way the items in the pockets do not need holes punched in them.
If any of you other planning brides-to-be out there need any help getting organized, or have helpful hints, feel free to send me a message!
All of my materials, magazines, and books spread out on the floor to work!
My Planner! I simply printed up this simple, but pretty cover on the computer, printed it, and inserted into the binder pocket.
The inside of the planner. This is a budget page. You can see the tabs as well as some post-it notes.
One of the images in the planner. I simply love this suit, the vintage pinstripes, and the bow tie! It is even in our colors. The boutonierre can be made with Martha Stewart's help. We might be reproducing the whole picture!
P.S. My materials for this planner all came from Wal-Mart. They are very inexpensive, and have a pretty good selection. Yes, there are beautiful papers online, but I was to impatient to wait for something to come in the mail. The black and white damask post-its are adoarable and affordable there. That print is also available in many other supplies!
And One More…
In my current color search I just found this image compilation of a wedding using peacock feathers. I thought that I was the creative one! Well, great minds think alike. And, it proves just how gorgeous this color and feather combo would be!
Picking The Colors
I am so full of wedding ideas right now! I am trying to weed my way through them slowly, so I thought I would post some of my ponderings here. If any of you out there have any suggestions, adivce, or pictures to share with me, please! 🙂
A small run down of a few of the important things we have been considering so far:
We would like the weather to be warm, not scalding, so we were considering a late August wedding, which probably means August 2010. We are having a small ceremony at the church I grew up going to. We would love to have a large reception with all of our friends and family. We are on a very small budget, which means we are doing most everything ourselves. This also led us to the idea of having our reception outside. Our three possibilities so far are my mother’s backyard where I grew up, our county fairgrounds where Tony says he first knew he loved me (sentimental!), or a hangar at the airpark down the road from my childhood home. I also know we do NOT want a themed wedding, but will probably take influences from vintage themes, such as the 30’s and 40’s.
Now, my first question up for help is the colors. We want black and white. Elegant, yet simple, especially if we are outdoors. But, I would like an accent color. My two favorite ideas with black and white are red or dark teal. I love them both. So, here are a couple pictures for inspiration, and let me know what you think!!
Here is a black and white wedding that was also outdoors. http://snippetandink.blogspot.com/2009/01/board-329-white-barn-black.html
These are just some black and white examples. Ours wouldn’t be quite as barnyard casual.
Here are some examples with red as an accent color. http://justjaime28.wordpress.com/2008/09/07/a-black-white-red-wedding-shower/
This set is a little too fancy for our outdoor setting, but it does show how well red would work with black and white and that damask that we love.
I couldn't find pictures where people actually used teal, but here is a tie. http://www.neckties.com/teal_by_elite_solid_teal_tie.apml
I think that the teal color could add to the vintage-y vibe we are looking for.
If we used teal, we might be able to incorporate peacock feathers into our flowers and centerpieces. http://www.curbly.com/DIY-Maven/posts/5950-Intro-to-Digital-Photography-Week-2-Messing-round-with-f-stops-
I was hoping to use some feathers, even in white, such as in my hair, but, was inspired when I saw this gorgeous picture.
What do you think? Love it? Hate it? Change it up somehow? Help me out here!? 🙂
Make Mine Eclectic 