He proposed… Now what?

Finding your wedding venue should be one of the first things you tick off your to-do-list, as this also gives you your date!

But your job isn’t finished after you’ve found the perfect location. That’s right, once you’ve said “yes!” to your swoon-worthy wedding venue, there’s still plenty of work to be done. If you’re clueless as to what comes next, this post is for you.

Here’s what to do before you say “I Do”.

Confirm your deadlines

Let’s get the not-so-fun stuff out of the way at the beginning. The first step you should take after reviewing all the paperwork is confirming all your deadlines for details (like payment schedule ,venue rules and regulations and access and end times) . Once you’ve sorted out the logistics and costs, you can start a budget spreadsheet to keep you on track, so you can move into the more interesting phases of planning.

Plan a visit (again)

Yes, you’ve probably already done a walk through of your wedding venue, but you’ll want to schedule another visit one or two months after you’ve signed all the contracts.This will help you figure out what to do with the space on your big day. This is when you bring along your wedding planner to help work on your vision.

Connect your planner

Speaking of your wedding planner, you’ll want  to make a decision on how much help you need  and which plan fits into your budget (see our packages here). This will help keep everyone on the same page when it comes to sorting out all the moving pieces of your wedding.

Some brides set up their wedding website at this time ready to input information as it’s secured and design their “Save the Date” cards, which are generally mailed 6-9 months before the wedding.

Find your vendors

You’ve still got plenty of spots to fill on your wedding vendor roster once you’ve signed off on your location. The next steps you’ll want to take are finding your caterer, photographer, videographer, hair and makeup, and entertainment as these vendors typically book up early and can only do one wedding a weekend. If you’ve chosen a venue that offers all these services in its wedding package, lucky you, your job just got a whole lot easier.

Your wedding venue may also have a list of preferred vendors that are familiar with the facilities and policies. This is when the guidance of a planner is really important so they can review your contracts and suggest which package is best for you ( this is where you can save thousands of dollars with the help of a professional). Once these vendors are in place you can start reviewing florists, bakers, transportation, secure hotel blocks, an officiate and other entertainment or rentals you may need.

The in-between

Things calm down after you secure the vendors, so this is the time to share your inspiration board with your planner and design your invitation. Your planner can guide you on when to mail them out and the date for an RSVP, so you have time to adjust rentals, food and florals etc.

Do a tasting

Who doesn’t love food? If your venue is catering your wedding, you’ll want to schedule a tasting or find out when your caterer offers them . Here you get a chance to sample your choices or a variety of options, so you can refine your menu.. You generally have a rough draft of your menu sorted out about a month after you confirm your venue, but you can do a tasting a few months in. Keep in mind that your tasting should be a few months before your wedding day in case you need to make any changes.

Tie up loose ends

All that’s really left to do regarding your wedding venue is tying up the loose ends. Your planner will coordinate a meeting with you and your venue coordinator a month or two before the date of your wedding to sort out all the nitty gritty details like layout, timeline and decor. This is when your planner should give you a list of what you need to do and or purchase over the next few weeks and what she needs from you.