Can I re-size my ring if I get fat in 20 years? Is grandma going to be upset if I don’t sit beside her at the bridal shower?Do I need to get specific underwear that won’t budge or show lines through my bridal gown? If I choose to stay in bed right now, will I still remember to ask my caterer if he provides salt and pepper shakers come morning?
The thoughts of a bride to be are nothing short of crazy! (I sometimes felt like I could have been a patient at the insane asylum…although I sure my fiancé at the time was already convinced I was one).
Since you can’t devote your whole life to planning your big day, unless of course, you actually are a wedding planner, and that’s exactly what you devote each day to, you’re going to have to come up with a better way to sort and deal with your thoughts! I recommend a note book and your phone! Write down the thought as it enters your head, and then, let it leave your brain as quickly as it entered! When you have time devoted to wedding planning, you’ll have a set list of things you need to conquer. A list is great because you can check things off...and with each check a higher sense of accomplishment.
I don’t recommend just going down your list randomly and crossing things off... you have to prioritize! What’s the most important? What will consume the most amount of time? Is there anything you can delegate?
In today’s amazing age of modern technology, you can get so much help, without spending a dollar! Every major bridal magazine has a website with just as amazing content on the web as they do in paper copy! (www.brides.com) And, like myself, there’s a bazillion wedding bloggers. But who’s who? Which ones are good? Which ones will actually help me?
Well, let me help you! I’ve been in this bride to be role for 4 months now, so…I’m pretty much an expert (self-proclaimed anyways). I’ve put together a short list of everything I’ve found helpful, that you can use and find online…for free! Ok, the list is pretty generic, but hear me out!...
1. www.weddingwire.com (website, phone app and email)
I LOVE weddingwire! I’m starting this list off with a BAM! It’s a website that connects engaged couples to merchants. I must admit I think it would ‘connect’ better if you lived in a major city. For example, with me living in Barrie, Ontario, it doesn’t list any vendors in my area, but this isn’t what I use this site for! I subscribe to the emails, and I love them! You get sent emails with the latest articles, news and photos. If something sticks out I’ll keep the email for later reading, or if none of the articles appeal to me, I just hit delete. But, here’s the best part about wedding wire, the tools! They do it all! Everything from helping with a wedding budget, making a wedding website and even making a floor plan and seating chart (my favourite tool). I definitely recommend this site to any brie to be!
I am a part of a Facebook group called ‘Barrie Muskoka Wedding Buy and Sell.’ Let me tell you, it’s the cat’s meow! It’s a place for brides to ask questions, sell their old wedding stuff and get some great advice. It’s a community of people getting married, already married and some vendors. You can ask any question regarding your wedding and you know someone in the group will have an idea or suggestion for you. If your city doesn’t have a group already, why not start the trend and make one yourself?! This little local Barrie group has over 1500 members!
Weddings are expensive! Why not save where you can?! I found lots of brides on kijiji who were selling their old wedding stuff. I actually bought all the stuff for my centerpieces from a bride I found on kijiji. The only thing with Kijiji is, it’s like Winners or Marshalls, it’s time consuming and you have to be in the mood to sort through a lot of items before finding your perfect piece. Hey, once my wedding is over, I’ll probably sell some of my stuff online!
4. www.etsy.com
There are so many creative people in this world and it’s amazing that we live in a world where we can connect with these people so easily. Etsy is an online community of people selling, usually handcrafted items. For example, I bought my guests signing item (alternative to a guest book) from a lady in the U.S. of A! It was great, I was able to message her though Etsy to ask questions and confirm details before placing my order.
I honestly do not know how brides planned their weddings before Pinterest! Pinterest is an online community of people who post pictures, ideas, crafts, recipes, pretty much anything in the world. You can search ‘wedding table décor’ and literally hundreds of ‘pins’ will show up. The best part is that you can either make secret or public ‘boards’ that you save your ‘pins’ to for later referencing. I must admit, my boards are all public, except for my wedding board, which is private. Apparently when I go searching online for wedding ideas I like to do it ninja style, and stay under the radar.
So, that’s it, my top 5 wedding sites! They are all sites you probably already use. But they’ve proven themselves to me. I think because they deal with the masses. You can find anything you could possibly need on these sites, like one stop shops! I don’t know about you, but I enjoy just searching ‘wedding’ sometimes. I found my generic searches sometimes gave me the best results. This is because I wasn’t closed minded. Something caught my eye I wouldn’t have otherwise thought to search. If you are able to spare some time and search broad, sometimes you can find that needle in a haystack.
What do you think? Any sites you would add? Any sites you wouldn’t have included on your list?