My Sacred DIY Wedding Planning Binder

I mentioned yesterday that I'm trying to save as much money as possible in the wedding planning process. I knew I wanted to put together a wedding planning binder in order to keep everything organized and have a central place to put all of my ideas, lists, etc. I'm a planner. I like to be organized with this kind of stuff. I also knew that I did not want to waste my money on a premade wedding binder. They're too expensive, and I couldn't find a single one that had all of the sections I was looking for, and some of the sections they did have seemed 100% useless to me. So, I found a cute binder I liked at Wal-Mart, bought some dividers and sheet protectors, and I made my own wedding planning binder.

This is like my survival kit for wedding planning. I keep everything in this thing. Receipts, checklists, coupons, registry lists, back-up guest lists, pictures from magazines, etc., etc., etc. I spent the whole afternoon earlier this week going through several bridal magazines cutting out pictures of centerpieces, flowers, and hair styles to add to the binder. I just slip them into sheet protectors and keep them to pull out to show the design team at Stone Bridge Farms (which I will be meeting with for the first time on January 20th!!).

Another tip: go to a bridal show or two. I don't buy bridal magazines, but by attending a couple of bridal shows, I've been getting complimentary magazines in the mail for several months. Unless you like a specific magazine, then you might have to go to Barnes and Noble. But I've enjoyed the ones I've gotten so far!

Okay, so I have several sections in my wedding binder, and a few extra dividers in case I decide I need an additional section (which I've already had to do a few times, trust me). Here are my sections, in order:

1. Calendar. I bought a small desktop calendar, punched holes in it, and clipped it into the very front. I carry a planner all the time, and I use this calendar to keep track of all of my wedding-related appointments, in addition to keeping them written down in my every day planner.

2. I just call this section Important. Here is where I keep my 12-month planning checklist to keep me on track (which I found here and edited to suit some of my needs). This section is also where I keep a contact information sheet for all vendors, wedding party members, an ongoing list for my wedding day emergency kit, a timeline of the wedding day, checklists for who is bringing what on the day of the wedding, etc. 

3. Guest Lists. Pretty self-explanatory. Between showers, luncheons, teas, save the dates and wedding invitations, I need a place to keep a hard copy of addresses for everyone I've ever known.

4. Venues. Since we have a place that's basically all-inclusive, this is where I keep a copy of our price quote from Stone Bridge and our contract with them.

5. Attire. I've collected so many coupons in the past few months for bridesmaids and groomsmen, so this is where I keep track of all of that stuff. This is also where I keep the receipt for my wedding dress, cut outs from magazines with hair styles and makeup ideas, color swatches, as well as ideas for everyone else in the wedding party. I've decided to let my bridesmaids choose any dress they want in mint green, so I don't really have to keep track with much in that department.

6. Floral. Contracts, price quotes, cut outs from magazines, a list of how many people will need flowers, handwritten ideas scribbled on notebook paper. All about flowers.

7. Photography. This is mostly just contracts and login information from my photographer.

8. Rehearsal Dinner. Thankfully, my future mother-in-law has taken charge of the rehearsal dinner so that I have one less thing to plan and stress over, so this is really just a list of people who will be invited to the rehearsal dinner and a timeline for planning.

9. Ceremony. Nothing is in this section yet, honestly. This is where I will keep any documents about the recessional order, music, decor ideas, programs, etc. And really you can forget about programs. That, in my opinion, is a huge waste of money. People throw them away, come on.

10. Reception. I have a lot of centerpiece design ideas in this section, mostly because I have no idea what I want as far as centerpieces. I also have information about our cakes, contacts for potential photobooth services (which I'm considering a DIY photobooth setup, anyway), and ideas about the send off. This is also where I plan to keep a copy of our menu, a timeline for the reception, tip info, favors, etc.

11. Honeymoon. Delayed until further notice because I will (hopefully) be teaching in September, so there's really no telling when we will take a honeymoon.

12. I call this section Mr. and Mrs. Just because you have a ceremony doesn't mean you're legally married. This is where I'll keep all of our documents to sign proving we're married and that my last name is Lynch.

13. Miscellaneous. Coupons. Mostly coupons. And articles I've pulled from magazines about wedding etiquette.

14. Registry. This is just a list of where we're registered and checklists for registry suggestions I've pulled from various sources.

So far, that's all I have. I'm sure as time goes on I will have a few more sections to add, and I have a few blank dividers reserved just for that. This binder goes with me to every single appointment I attend, just in case I need it. Even if I don't need it, I take it. It's kind of like my wedding planning security blanket.

I have been seriously slacking in the recipe posting lately. Hopefully I'll have a new one up for you all very soon!

Happy wedding planning! 

Andrea