Pop the champagne, celebrate with loved ones and show off your sparkly new sidekick – you’re engaged!!

Once the celebratory dust settles, what’s next? You’ll likely receive a lot of wedding advice but how can you make sense of it all? Where should you start with the wedding planning?

Our team at Robin Wood Flowers has helped create over 1,000 Cincinnati weddings. Through the years we’ve noticed that the beginning stages of planning can be the most daunting for couples. Taking the time to get organized can save time and headaches down the road, so we’ve created a helpful checklist for newly engaged couples to consider when beginning the wedding planning process together.

1. Schedule a conversation with both sets of parents. Discuss which dates should be avoided for the wedding weekend as well as review their guest list.

2. Once you’ve received the guest list from your families, create your master list. Generating an “A list” and a “B list” can be helpful, too!

3. Create a master budget. Before you begin meeting with vendors, you’ll want to have an idea of how much you plan to spend per vendor category. This does not have to be an exact number but we suggest letting vendors know your budget range before sitting down together.

4. Now, this is the fun part … start collecting inspiration! Save, clip or pin any photos that catch your eye. This can include everything from colors to flowers and food ideas. We love when our couples share their design concepts with us before our consultation!

5. Schedule venue tours and select your wedding venue! Most of the Cincinnati wedding venues will suggest other wedding professionals that they enjoy working with and who have worked in that space. We find that the best place to find your wedding dream team is through other vendor referrals!