First off, I made myself some documents to help the planning.
I also made some information sheets for: timeline & checklist, what to ask your officiant, must-take photos, splitting the tab, and invitation etiquette.
You can access the wedding planning printables I made for my binder for free.
I bought a binder, dividers, sticky notes, small notebook, zipper pocket, and a clipboard portfolio from Target. All of this cost me around $30.00, using my Target Red Card to save a few bucks.
Binder
- Important
- Budget
- Ceremony
- Reception
- Guests
- Attire
- Photographer
- Florist
- Rehearsal
- Miscellaneous
Important: In this section, I have put the Timeline & Checklist, Vendor Contact Information, Wedding Party, Invitation Etiquette Guide, Music, Splitting the Tab, and What to Ask Your Officiant, These are the things that I believe I will reference to the most.
Budget: In this section, I have put our budget worksheet. Pretty easy!
Ceremony : I haven't put anything in this section yet, but once I get more information regarding where our ceremony will be held, I will put that right here.
Reception: Same goes for this section as the ceremony section. Once I have decided where our reception will be held, I will put that information in here. I will also include any ideas for decorations.
Guests: In this section, I have put our guest list.
Attire: In this section, I have put the attire worksheets for everyone that is in the wedding.
Photographer: In this section, I have put the photographer worksheet along with the list of must-take photos.
Florist: In this section, I have put the florist worksheet. I will also include any ideas of what I want the flowers to look like.
Rehearsal: I probably won't use this section, because I don't plan on having any rehearsals, but I included it anyways because you never know, I might change my mind! :)
Miscellaneous: This is my "catch all" I will put any information that I'd like to have available.
Of course, you can organize this anyway you want! This is just how I did it.
Small Notebook
The small notebook is just a spot for me to jot down ideas. I sectioned it out for the different things I thought of, Such as, theme, food & drink, guests, photographer, venue, and so on. Any ideas that I found on Pinterest, I printed off and taped them inside with a small note next to it. It is a perfect place for me to keep ideas that I liked until I can make a final decision. Then, that final decision will go into my binder.
Clipboard Portfolio
The clipboard portfolio wasn't completely necessary, but I figured it'd be a handy thing to take with me when meeting with vendors. Plus, it's so dang cute! :)
There is no right or wrong way to make a wedding planning binder. You can definitely customize it anyway you want. This is just what worked best for me. Hope this helps all those other brides-to-be!!
--Amanda Danielle