Planning A Wedding and Don’t Know Where To Start?
As someone who is also a 2025 bride, I FEEL YOU. Wedding planning can be super overwhelming, stressful, and often pretty lonely. There is SO much information online, on social media, and coming from all different directions that it can feel so hard to even begin.
So, I’m writing this not only as a fellow bride, but also as a wedding photographer and videographer, and I am here to give some comfort and knowledge of my own to help the process seem much less daunting.
Whether you are a type A, organized queen or more of a type B, go-with-the-flow bride - this list will allow room for a little bit of both! Also be sure to check out my other blog posts for free assets like timeline examples, photography shot list, and more!
Make the all-encompassing Pinterest board.
Go nuts! Everything you think is cute, chic, cool, that feels like you, that you think would be epic - put it all on a board. Nothing is off limits. After you’re done scouring pinterest, you can look over your board and see what kind of general theme or vibe that is most prevalent and use this to make decisions in the future.
Create a budget and make a spreadsheet
Sit down with your partner and decide on a price range that you would like to stay within. This may take some research into your area, average prices of venues, guest count, etc. If spreadsheets aren’t your thing (same), use this spreadsheet I have for free!
Choose a venue and a date or time of year
Narrow down your venues based on your vibe from your vision board and choose a venue that suits you and the time of year you’re aiming to get married. Of course I would recommend touring these venues, reading reviews, and speaking with on-site staff before deciding on one!
Decide which vendors are most important to you
Rank the vendors that you care about the most and do research for those first. If having stunning photos is most important to you, start on a photographer. If your vision is all in the flowers and decor, find a florist that you admire and start there. Many times your venue will have a preferred vendors list that you can ask for - although I would recommend still doing research elsewhere as well! (Instagram search, The Knot, etc.)
Vendor list: Photographer, Videographer, Florist, DJ and/or Live Band, Wedding Planner, Caterer, Officiant, Hair & Makeup
Make a guest list
Once you have an idea of the venue and limits of the venue, write out all of your guest list in a spreadsheet (this will come in handy later for uploading to wedding websites!) Remember that a lot of wedding website companies now have a way to collect addresses from your guests as long as you have their phone number, so don’t stress about that just yet!
6. Details that can wait:
Color scheme, bridesmaids dresses, wedding signage, seating charts, welcome bags, etc. When you’re first planning it is SO easy to get lost in all of the seemingly endless amount of small details that a wedding takes but as long as you have more than 3 months until your wedding - you’re good! Don’t stress about these things just yet. Tackle the big picture first, what matters most to you and your partner. There will be time to figure out the smaller details and by then, you can choose a style and look for those details that really ties the whole event together.
7. When deciding on vendors:
Try to find vendors and businesses that have done this before and that are there to help you make your day easy and seamless. I have always looked for vendors with that personal touch because the last thing I wanted was to feel like I was just another client to them, I wanted to feel like I was cared about! You can usually get this feeling by how the business responds, but go with your gut. You want to be surrounded by great people on your day!
Los Angeles Wedding Photographer | CJS Productions
Things to remember:
Your wedding is just that — YOUR wedding. Don’t let the latest trend or the newest influencer shame you out of anything that you want on your day (or any relative with a say about what it should be). Weddings are a time to celebrate the couple for who they are and the life they have ahead of them. Sometimes it can get lost in all of the details and planning that goes into it, but try to keep in mind and remind yourself that this day is just for you and your partner!! It’s for your loved ones to gather and celebrate and it is a day that you’ll remember forever - so don’t stress over the little details. If you put an emphasis on your experience of the day and your guests experience of the day, and hire trusted, like-minded vendors, I promise it will be the perfect day no matter what!
Happy planning!
Xoxo,
Cayla
CJS Productions
