Sunday, November 22, 2009

Destination Wedding Planning – Organization

One of the single most important things you can do in your destination wedding planning is staying organized. As you find shoes you like, locations you like, etc., you’re going to continue your research. As you pour through The Knot, how do you keep track of ideas you like?

However you want to stay organized, it’s important you do so. We recently were talking to a friend planning her destination wedding and we’re shocked at her casual “I’ve got it in my head attitude.” It’s not going to work.

How you keep organized is up to you. We utilized a project management file in Microsoft Excel to keep timelines on track. Then we pasted links and photos into a Word document to come back to later. This worked for us. A lot of ladies like to go hardcopy – keeping a big binder of printouts.

Whatever method you choose, your organizing technique should allow you to keep track of the following details:
  • Budget planner
  • Location selection (country, etc.)
  • Destination venue (hotel selection, etc.)
  • Transportation logistics
  • Wedding planner (if you hire a separate planner)
  • Wedding party and guest list (including all contact details, e-mail addresses, etc.)
  • Save the dates
  • Invitation
  • Ceremony scripts (sample ceremonies you like)
  • Reception ideas
  • Music/DJ
  • Cake ideas
  • Photographers and/or videographers
  • Wedding dress ideas (other apparel)
  • Hair and makeup suggestions
  • Wedding registry ideas

Having all of this in one place will make your life a lot easier!