Wedding Wednesdays-Series 2-The Wedding Planner and getting started!

Welcome back to Wedding Wednesdays! My new weekly feature here on Happy Distractions, to do with all things weddings and the lead up to my very own special day on the 1st October this year! :)
This week we are going to discuss an item which is super important for any bride to be...the wedding planner. 

When I say 'wedding planner', I don't mean as in the 2001 film with Jlo in it! Some people choose to hire an individual to plan and micro-manage your big day, but for us personally it takes away a huge fun-factor element to the whole occasion. I always dreamt of getting married when I was younger and always imagined how fun it must be to scrapbook and plan your fantasy wedding-and let me tell you, IT IS! 

One of the first things my mum brought me when we announced we were engaged was a beautiful wedding organiser from Paperchase. Paperchase is like heaven for all things pretty and all things stationary related. I couldn't wait to start writing in my new planner and cutting out images that inspire me to stick in there and lust over. 
Different people have different approaches into how they use their wedding planner and how they customise it, but below are some quick, little and hopefully helpful tips from yours truly, to get you started!

Tip One:

Don't get too caught up in a theme! I know some people will think I am mad for saying that but hear me out. Sometimes people can make the mistake of thinking of just one set theme and then can potentially miss out on something which suits them, their budget and time of year etc better! All I would say is keep an open-mind during this stage if you can. This is the easiest, most fun and creative part! It's the biggest brainstorming session you will probably every take part in.

Tip Two:

Once you have your images cut out, lay them all out neatly in front of you and begin to group them into categories. For example all of the wedding cake ideas together, the dress, flowers, decorations, venue inspiration and so on...this will make it a lot easier to look through and work with, as you know you can go to a page or two entirely dedicated to that particular section of the wedding.

Tip Three:

I know it's hard but try and resist clipping and sticking in every single thing you love! What this could do is actually overwhelm you when looking for guide and inspiration and instead, leave you more confused than you were to begin with! I set a limit to how many pages I could dedicate to one particular thing-for example, wedding dress inspiration I allowed 4x small pages for. I got A LOT stuck down on those 4 pages and remember, you can overlap and be clever with clipping out backgrounds of images with your trusty scissors! 

Tip Four:

Remember to look back every couple of weeks for reference and to see how your plans and ideas have developed. That's one of the things I have found most interesting when looking back at mine-how certain looks and themes I have really stuck with and developed into beautiful and unique features. I then also look back at certain things and think 'I'm glad I didn't go down that route'! It's lovely to look back together as a couple to see how far you've come in your planning process. 

Tip Five:

Don't get too precious with it! Again this might sound bonkers to some but as lovely and as fun as it is creating one of these planners, please don't get too hung up if you see something you like and then forget to add it to the planner. If you love it that much, your memory alone will imprint it into your mind so you won't forget it! Certain ideas we are going with for our wedding we actually saw in person at certain exhibitions or venues, so didn't have a photo to add to the planner, but that's absolutely fine! Don't sweat the small stuff ;)

Tip Six:

My final tip is to only look and add to your planner when you are in the mood! Sometimes after a long and stressful day or a weekend of socialising with loved ones, you may not be in the right frame of mind to sit down and look at all things weddings, and that's okay! The best time to work on your planner is spontaneously I think. It could be a Sunday morning where you have a spare 30mins or so, to have a cup of tea and a look through it or maybe you decide to take it to work and instead of just sitting on the Internet on your lunch or going round the shops spending money, you can sit out in the sunshine (when we are lucky enough to get it)!-and work on it then. Don't force yourself and definitely wait until you are in the mood and have the right time and location for it!

I hope you found these tips useful and they help give you some inspiration with your planner If you have any other tips for them, I'd love to hear them below in the comments box!