Wishing you could just JUMP to the wedding without completing any of the to-do lists?

If you are currently planning a wedding and struggling to keep yourself organized, this blog is for you. We can’t promise you will be able to “skip” all the wedding planning chaos, but we can definitely make it a hell of a lot easier.

While planning a wedding, there is so much information being thrown at you from so many different points of contact, that it can be hard to keep track of it all. And although you make all of the decisions, on the wedding day you won’t be there to set-up! Then how do you communicate your vision without some sort of organization? Don’t worry if you’re not the type A, list-making individual.

Let me be the first to tell you that you don’t have to be! How about a more creative way of staying organized? These are a few of our favorite ways to keep our brides & grooms organized throughout the wedding planning process:

1.Create a Wedding Email

When you get engaged you will want to start your wedding planning right away. Don’t let your personal inbox be flooded with emails & all the outreach you will be doing! Let this be your first step in organization. Make sure your fiancé and you both have access to it and ONLY contain wedding-related information within it.

My biggest TIP when creating this joint email is: make a few folders (ie. venue, florist, catering, hair & makeup, etc.) The folders make it easy to reference what area of wedding planning you are focused on. And saves you time when searching for that “ONE specific email you can’t find one day”.

2. Budget Spreadsheet

Staying within your budget can be the hardest part. It’s like a giant jigsaw puzzle where you’re missing 20 or so pieces. Which is why tracking your budget and payments with a spreadsheet gives a bigger picture of what’s affordable. Seeing this visually can save you some money & help you decide which vendors are essential. Also, platforms like the Knot, Zola, etc. let you make a free account to track your payments to vendors & budget.

Hot Tip: And if you have a wedding planner (like P3 Events) they can offer an account on Aisle Planner. This keeps track of your vendors, contracts, budget, timeline, floorplan, checklist, etc.

3. Create a Floorplan

Whether digitally or handwritten, a floorplan is the key to more wedding planning organization. It tells all your vendors where to set-up and how to fit all those dang guest tables in your venue. The floorplan is also really helpful when designing your seating chart (group seating or individually seated). You can visually keep track of the # of tables, chairs, etc. you’ll need when you get that final guest count.

Note: And as a bonus, you can see exactly how far away to place family members or plus ones you were coerced to invite, haha!

4. Vision Board

Not only is this a design service I offer my clients, but the most fun part of wedding planning organization! You create a color palette and then starting compiling inspiration photos of what you want. For example: venue, stationary, wedding attire, décor, etc. You can use Pinterest to find inspiration. Or it is also super fun to scrapbook a mood board OR another digital option would be Canva.

5. Pack your wedding décor + make an inventory

Don’t buy the clear totes just because TikTok told you to. Using boxes to organize is less money and less work, and provide you the same concept. Again, YOU aren’t the person setting up your day, but you have control over wedding planning organization. Therefore, keep track your inventory of the décor you bought for the wedding and provide instructions for setting it up.

TIP: Create a mock-set up of your place-settings and take a reference photo for your wedding planner or set-up team

And that is Wedding Planning Organization 101 for you. We hope this helped you in a more realistic way that giving you yet another checklist to follow. And if you LOVE micro-weddings ,elopements, or anything Vegas-related — keep following P3 Events!