Following celebrity weddings and reading glamorous bridal magazines can be a lot of fun, but nothing’s more helpful than learning how real brides plan their big day. With that in mind, meet OWD's Real Brides: real OurWeddingDay.com brides-to-be sharing their experiences. It’s not about the “right” way to plan; it’s about each bride planning the wedding that’s right for her.
I’m Ivy and getting married to my adorable fiance Jake in a mere 4 months! We are getting married in Norwalk, Iowa, minutes outside Des Moines. We’ve had a pretty smooth planning process to be honest, but I feel like I’ve learned a lot that has helped avoid many snafus and common disasters: Tools that have made planning significantly easier, faster, and more organized.
Tech Tools:
TaDa - I think the days of scribbling down notes in a big bridal binder are over. At least for me! Personally, I was sick of accumulating random post-its of fragmented to-do lists, buried at the bottom of a pile of lip glosses in my purse everyday.
Thank goodness I found this free online product from 37 Signals. Its basically an online home for your to-do lists. Its elegantly simple and functional. You can create one big “Wedding To Do” list like I have, or make separate ones such as “Reception To Do,” “Items to Register For,” “Items to Purchase,” etc. I like TaDa because you can update it when things pop into your head at work, and then view it when you get home later, add or remove items, reorder them, and even it share it with others who can contribute such as your fiance or mother. I’ve set a goal for myself to accomplish at least 2 things on the list each day and it gives me great satisfaction to watch my list become smaller and smaller!
Wedding Podcasts - I, like many, take my ipod with me whenever I leave the house. For this reason, and to maximize my driving time during this incredibly busy wedding planning process, I like to listen to podcasts while in the car, through my ipod jack.
You can download the podcasts, load them onto you ipod or itunes, and then listen while you drive, exercise, or while working. Its a good way to educate yourself on the countless facets of the wedding industry without having to scour books and magazines. I find that it has saved me a great deal of time multi-tasking this way and I’ve learned a great deal about the wedding industry in general. My favorite podcast is Meet the Masters.
Online photo sharing websites such as Flickr, Kodak Gallery, or Shutterfish - Free online photo storage sites can enable you to share inspiration and ideas with others anywhere. I’m planning a wedding 3 hours away from my mom, so this enables me to get her input easily and bypass email size restrictions.
I create a different album for each category of wedding paraphernalia. Some include cakes, favors, dresses, etc. An online gallery would be helpful for sharing ideas with others. One good idea would be to create an online gallery of dresses and then have family members vote on their favorites by commenting. I like Kodak Gallery.
Twitter - I just started using Twitter (as: ivysavanah). If you are following a lot of people in your local area, you can pose questions and hopefully others will respond with your answers. You could post, “Looking for an affordable freelance florist in Des Moines metro area. Any ideas?” You might be surprised how many people respond to your posts and how rapidly your question is answered.
Free 411 (1-800-373-3411) - Although you will have to endure some bizarre and annoying ads, (seriously I’ve heard the creepy Mcdonald’s Millionaire one at least 75 times.), its nice to know you aren’t paying for 411 every time you need a number or location. Come wedding time, every dollar counts you know! I’ve been using Free 411 often, driving around on lunch breaks checking prices and getting addresses for everything from bridal salons to party rental places. Its the safest way to look up numbers. Don’t even try the driving around reading a phonebook method.
Well, that's it for now. I can't wait to share my thoughts on the power of delegating, the journey to “the dress,” wedding workouts, best beauty products for your day, ways to involve your fiance in planning without completely overwhelming him, and more in future posts.
Happy planning!
-Ivy
Latest Comments