Congratulations! Being engaged is one of the most exciting times as a couple. While there’s so much to celebrate, there’s also so much to plan—it can be overwhelming! We want to help you plan the wedding of your dreams with as little stress as possible, so we’ve pulled together our top 10 wedding planning tips for newly-engaged couples. Grab a glass of bubbly (we’re still celebrating!), take a deep breath, and let’s dive in. Cheers!

1. Hold a family meeting
   

   It might sound a bit cliche but we recommend sitting down with family members before ANY wedding planning takes place. Getting your family on board with your vision and finding out how much or how little they are going to contribute is crucial before you book anything. 

2. Create a wedding-only email account
   

   While this seems like a step you could skip, you have to trust us with this one. Your inbox is going to be filled so many with planning and promotional emails from wedding venues, your mom, your maid of honor, and your long-lost aunt that you don’t want to bog your personal or work account down. 

3. Don’t blow a majority of your budget on just the venue
   

   We all dream of the perfect Pinterest wedding. It’s not a bad thing at all! But those pictures are more than just the venue…it’s the lighting, photographer, florist, and more. So make sure you are budgeting accordingly. 

4. Do your research
   

   Thankfully, we have Google, Yelp, and Facebook to help us research our potential wedding venues and vendors. It’s important to look at reviews (on more than one site), do visits, and meet with potential vendors in person.

5. Don’t limit yourself to hotels just because you have out-of-town guests

   There are so many creative, out-of-the-box, and affordable venue options these days. Even if you have a skies-the-limit budget, you might not want the cookie-cutter hotel venue. So don’t let the fact that you have out-of-town guests force you into a venue you might not want. Remember, most hotels will provide shuttles to your venue or you can hire Uber, Lyft, or shuttle vans to help with transportation, too.

6. Don’t skimp on the important things
   

   We highly recommend making a list with your financé of what is most important to you now and then making a second list of what will be most important to you in 10+ years. When writing these lists, think about what you think you will remember when you reflect on your wedding years down the road.

7. Ask friends who have gotten married for recommendations
   

   Even better than Google, Yelp, or Facebook are your friends! Have you recently been to a friend’s wedding that you just loved? Ask the bride and groom what they thought of the venues and vendors they chose. Make sure you ask them for the good, the bad, and the ugly. Hopefully, there won’t be any ugly but that’s exactly why you are asking your trusted friends for an honest opinion.

8. Don’t shop for wedding vendors like it is Amazon
   

   We’ve been in this business for a long time and believe us when we say that the best price isn’t going to be worth it in the end. In the wedding industry, you definitely get what you pay for, which is why it’s so important to make a list of the things that are most important to you (step 6, above). Wedding vendors price themselves in line with the talent and experience they have. We recommend interviewing vendors from the low end of the pricing spectrum, some in the middle, and interview some on the higher end. You might be blown away by the difference.

9. Book your venue and vendors ASAP once you’ve decided
   

   Most wedding shows are in January and October and couples are booking farther in advance than ever before. Choose who you want as quickly as possible and then immediately sign the contract and put your deposit money down.

10. Know that there are budget-friendly options

    We understand that couples have wedding budgets of all sizes. So if you are looking to save some money so you can have everything you want, we recommend having a Friday wedding or an off-season wedding (January-April 1st). By booking during off-times, you might get some added value or discounts.

Now you are ready to start planning (stress-free) the wedding of your dreams!

Selective Sound Entertainment has been in the Cleveland wedding DJ business for over 30 years. We specialize in DJ entertainment, accent uplighting, monogram projections, photo booths, live musicians, and more. For more wedding planning tips and information on booking our team, contact us today.

Photo courtesy of Anita Louise Photography.