Wedding Planning Update!

It's 10 months to my wedding in a couple of days, and I thought it would be good to take a minute to give you all an update on how planning is going!

So far we've:

• chosen the date (September 11th, 2016 - the 2 year anniversary of our first date!);
• chosen the wedding party (we're keeping it simple with just a maid of honour and a best man);
• created a budget (that we're seriously hoping to stick to!);
• booked the venue (a beautiful farm and forest in Rockwood, Ontario);
• decided on a preliminary menu with the caterer (100% vegan and mouth-watering);
• drafted the guest list (currently sitting at around 50, and we're hoping to keep it below 70), and;
• poured over Pinterest inspiration for hours on end!

What we have left to do in 2015:

• insure my engagement ring;
• choose an officiant;
• create our wedding website;
• make our save the dates;
• book musicians;
• finalize the guest list, and;
• start dress shopping!

I was starting to feel as though we hadn't done anything and were getting so behind.  It's great to see the done and to-do list together to realize that we're actually pretty on track!  We have almost 2 months to get those 7 items checked off, and other than choosing the dress (which I know is going to take a LONG time... how can I make a snap judgement on my wedding dress??) everything should be pretty easy to get done in a couple days of work.  

If you're planning your wedding and not sure where to start, check out my wedding planning timeline here.  It's a great guideline to follow so that nothing is left too last minute!

And for those of you who don't follow me on instagram (but why aren't you?  I thought we were friends!) I'll include a couple shots of our venue!

Until next time,

Are you on track with wedding planning?  What has been your favourite part so far?  Let me know in the comments below!

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How To Choose The Perfect Wedding Date!

So you're engaged.  Congratulations!  Let the planning begin.  But how much time do you have to check everything off your list?  Choosing the wedding date is one of the very first things you and your fiancé should do.  But how do you decide?  Read on for the 5 things you can do to narrow the options down to a single, perfect, day!

ONE Make a list of special dates in your relationship.

When was your first date?  The day you became "official"?  The first time you said I love you?  Any of these dates (and so more!) would be wonderful to commemorate by holding your wedding on the same day, x years later!

TWO Take your budget into account.  

Keep in mind how much you need to save up for your big day.  Is it doable in 6 months?  Or is a year and a half more realistic?  Don't let your excitement outweigh practicallity - it's very hard to throw a wedding without any money!  Don't stress yourself out by giving yourself too little time to save. The wedding planning process is already intense enough!

Not sure what your budget is yet?  Read my article on setting a realistic wedding budget here!

THREE Rate the seasons from your favourite to least favourite.

This one is pretty self-explanatory. Do you share a favourite season? Great!  If not, try a little math. Rate your favourite season a 1, next favourite a 2, and so on. Have your partner do the same. Then, add the numbers for summer together, the numbers for winter together, and so on again. It should look something like this:

Spring: 1 + 2 = 3

Summer: 2 + 3 = 5

Fall: 3 + 1 = 4

Winter : 4 + 4 = 8

The smallest number is a great choice!  You could also just compromise, of course, but no married couple ever has to do that, so there's really no need.  (Hopefully you detected all of the sarcasm is that statement.)  If you both really have no season preference, or are really bad at compromising, it may be easier to come at it from a design perspective first.  Think about your ideal colour scheme, venue, photos, decor, mood, attire, food, everything!  Does a theme emerge?  If you were to pick one time of year that fit with all of the aspects you both love, which would it be?

Not sure what you want your wedding to look like?  I suggest starting a Pinterest board and pinning images that jump out at you!  Check out one of my four (yeah, four!) wedding boards below for an idea:

Follow Plant Based Bride's board The Big Day on Pinterest.

Regardless of how you come to an agreement, knowing which season you'd like to get married in is a great help!

FOUR Where will your wedding take place?

The location of your wedding will, of course, have a big impact on which date you choose.  Getting married in Greece?  You probably won't pick the same day as if you were getting married in Northern Canada.  If you're planning on getting married or taking photographs outdoors, you'll want to pick a time in your preferred season that is likely to have favourable weather.  If you're planning on staying inside, you have a bit more leeway!

FIVE Think of your guests.

Are your guests coming from out of town?  Are you inviting children who are in school?  Is your best friend going away for 3 months?  Keep the people you care about most in mind when choosing the date.  Not only will they be thankful, but you will be too when more of your loved ones can RSVP yes!

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Jason and I loved the idea of getting married on a day that was special to us, and what could be more special than our first date?  Since we had our first date at the beginning of September, and we both wanted an outdoor wedding and LOVE summer, it was a perfect fit!  We checked the date in our preferred year (about 15 months after our engagement to give us time to save!) and it fell on a Sunday.  Absolutely ideal for our dream brunch wedding!  I hope that these tips help you and your partner find your perfect wedding date, and wish you all the best with the exciting changes to come :)

Until next time,

How did you choose YOUR wedding date?  I'd love to hear about it!  Let me know in the comments below.  Don't forget to subscribe to the Plant Based Bride newsletter for updates on new posts about wedding planning!  Scroll down to find the form below the comments section!

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The Ultimate Wedding Planning Timeline!

This week Jason and I celebrated our one year anniversary, which means we're now less than a year away from our wedding!  While this makes me incredibly excited (I might have squealed for a second...) it also makes me more than a bit nervous.  Only a year until our wedding??  How could we possibly get everything done?  What needs to be tackled first?  What do I do??  But luckily, being the organized bride-to-be that I am, I'd already compiled a list of tasks to get done before the wedding a couple of weeks after our engagement.  Once I'd listed everything that came to mind I headed to Pinterest and searched for "wedding planning timeline".  I then proceeded to repin every search result and add anything I'd missed to my list.  By the end of a couple of hours I had a pretty comprehensive list, and I realized that other engaged couples may benefit from it!  So here it is, the ultimate wedding planning timeline to keep you organized right up until your big day!

Without further ado, here's the ultimate wedding planning timeline!  Pin it to your wedding board on Pinterest to refer to as you plan your big day!

Jason and I have almost completed the 12+ months before checklist.  Not bad for two people as busy as we are!  If you found this post helpful please share it with your friends and family who are planning their wedding.  We've got to help each other out.  This process is pretty daunting alone!

Until next time,

Follow me on Pinterest to see all of my wedding pins!  I have FOUR dedicated wedding boards!

Follow Plant Based Bride's board The Big Day on Pinterest.

Follow Plant Based Bride's board THE Dress on Pinterest.

Head over to my profile to see the other two, Planning the Big Day and The DIY Wedding!

Don't forget to subscribe to the Plant Based Bride newsletter for updates and a FREE goal setting printable! xox

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