6 Tips for a Bride Planning Her Own Wedding

Looking to be your own wedding planner? You're not alone! Many brides, whether it be for budget reasons or just their natural love of DIY, decide to plan their weddings — and they totally kill it as their own coordinators! But, as any experienced bride-to-be and professional planner will tell you, it's a whole lot of work. With endless amounts of decisions, looming deadlines, budgets to manage, and miles-long to-do lists to tend to, planning your own wedding is no simple feat. So where should you begin if you're the planner, the executor, and the bride? Right here.

First up, get inspired! Before any bride puts forth the logistics of planning her own big day, she needs to create a vision, no matter how vague. One bride may decide to spend countless hours every night on Pinterest, while another may find it useful to pick up a handful of bridal magazines and fold down her favorite pages. Some brides-to-be might even just rely on the advice of former brides who have been down this road before. Whatever avenue you choose, the goal is to be able to visualize how you will be saying your "I dos" with your husband — are you on a beach, in an elegant ballroom or on top of a mountain? Once you have a bare bones idea of what type of bride you are or want to be, the decision making just gets easier from there.

But still, even the most organized and motivated bride-to-be can feel thrown off course every now and then by the chaos and pressure that comes with the wedding planning process. That's why it's always a good idea to get a strategy in place, reserve some down time to get through all of your tasks, and plan far ahead so big decisions never come down until the last minute.

From getting your bridal party involved in your planning to crafting the ultimate wedding vision board or creating a month-by-month task to-do list, here are our expert tips and tricks to help any bride-to-be plan the wedding of her dreams.

1.Start With a Budget
Before you can dive into any of the nitty-gritty details, it's important to carve out how much this wedding is going to cost you. Plan out the maximum amount you're able to spend on all the wedding vendors, details and decorations. Be sure to set a budget early on and stick to it throughout the wedding planning process.

2.Don't Make Any Quick Decisions
After you're engaged, you'll be filled with urges to book everything as soon as possible. But remember, there's no rush. Spend quality time getting to know vendors before signing on the dotted line. When it comes to selecting your date, pick a date that gives you enough time to save up some money and also plan the wedding of your dreams.

3. Talk to Your Married Friends
The best people to talk to about what they did right and what they wish they did differently are those who recently got married. Consult with past brides for tips and tricks on how to be your own wedding planner without leaving out any details or getting too stressed out.

4. Stock Up on the Bridal Mags
Get acquainted with all things bridal by picking up issues of BRIDES and your local bridal magazines. That way, you'll get an inside and quick look at current trends and even wedding industry news. Fold down pages that include ideas or items you like, or cut them out and make a vision board.

5.Get to Pinning
If you've never used Pinterest before, now is the time. Create multiple boards and scroll through the website pinning wedding ideas, DIY projects, food options, and other things that catch your eyeballs. Share your boards with anyone who is interested in helping you out with the wedding plans.

6.Kick Out the Old School Traditions
If you're not sure why you're doing a certain wedding tradition that people have done in the past, feel free to bid it goodbye and take it out of your wedding plans. Your wedding should feel anything but generic, so keep only the traditions that mean something special to you.