My hope was to make an evergreen post that speaks to what wedding planning should look like when there’s a new year ahead of us, however I’m writing this post in 2021. Life as we know it is so very different. That we all said goodbye to 2020 with narry a shed tear I expect surprised NO ONE because of what a dumpster fire of a year last year.  

1. Review the financials of your wedding

   This is a good time to see how much you owe and to whom.  If you’re getting married in the current year, then you’re in countdown mode. You should have marked visibly on your calendar when all the final balances are due.  You should review your contract and reacquaint yourself with what you’ve contracted with your vendors for.  This will ensure that you’re on the same page as your vendors. You may have come across something new and exciting that you’d like to have as part of your wedding experience.  If you go to amazon right now, I guarantee you’ll find a ton of wedding planners that are generic enough for you to use right away. The problem with these generic planners however are not personalized to your wedding experience and may provide you with plenty of potentially helpful information that you will NEVER use. It is important that you have something simple and basic. I recommend getting a 3-ring binder with separator tabs. Each tab would represent each vendor that you’re working with. Print out your contract for each vendor and file it against the appropriate tab. Include some plain lined paper in each tab and record the notes and/or questions you may have for each vendor. Simple - that’s it.

2. Check in with all your vendors (on the phone or via email). 

As a photographer, I know that I can often go long periods of time without chatting with my clients.  I like to send my clients a happy new year wish to dust off the lines of communication and just see how wedding planning is going.  Send your vendors an email, keeping them apprised of your wedding planning progress as it pertains to their service. As your wedding photographer, I would love to know:

• When you’ve settled on your wedding dress and when you’re going in for your last wedding dress fitting. I would LOVE to photograph that session for you, simply to have in your scrapbook or part of your wedding album.

• Encourage your attendants to share information about your wedding shower. Any opportunity to capture the memories of your wedding journey in a beautiful way will always make me happy.

• If you’ve selected the venue for your rehearsal dinner - let me know! It’s a great way for me as a wedding photographer to get to know your family members and get some great candid shots of your family interacting before the formality of your big day

3. Check in with your wedding tribe (on the phone or via email).

If you have selected your wedding party, starting off the new year with a quick message to them all is a great way to rejuvenate the anticipation of your wedding day. This is especially awesome if you have friends and family coming in from all around the country or the world. Sharing the checkpoints on your list with them, especially if they are not around to experience this with you, is a great way to keep your friends involved and engaged in your wedding journey.