Happy July and a super hot summer already here in Houston! These past couple of months since James and I got engaged have flown by and have been filled with so many sweet events with family and friends that have showered us and made us feel so loved. I moved to a home since my apartment lease was up which Oliver is so excited to have since he has a yard now. We had our engagement party, picked a date and venue, and have asked our bridesmaids/groomsmen. It has been a busy last two months, but so exciting as well. I have also picked a wedding coordinator who I absolutely adore, and we have started on the wedding prep work for 10-12 months out from the wedding date. Back in 2011 I had interned at a wedding planning company and I had majored in Hospitality and was so looking forward to when I got to execute on my own wedding, which is finally here!

I have shared some pictures over the last 2 months of wedding stuff that we have been up to. My parents threw us a lovely backyard engagement party with close friends and family. I also did a little overnight getaway with my maid of honor to Round Top where I asked her at dinner with a cute wine glass. Then the next day I had a little “Meet the Maids” bridesmaid brunch at my house for the ladies to meet each other. I feel like James and I have completed a lot of the heavy decisions over these last 2 months, and feel that much more confident for these next 10 months. Below are the checklist items that I have completed over these last 2 months to stay on track.

Wedding Prep Tips: 10-12 Months Out

• Decide on the Overall Aesthetic for your Big Day: Whether you want a traditional vibe and church wedding, indoors/outdoors, what time of year, black tie vs. cocktail, this all has to do with the overall aesthetic of your wedding. James and I had a feeling about this at the very beginning and still stuck to our original vibe.
• Figure out Budget: This is not the most fun tip, but something that is crucial pretty soon after you get engaged. Decide if your parents are going to be able to contribute, or if you both make up the total cost of the wedding. This is also the time to think of a total realistic budget that you both feel comfortable with. Determining and sticking to this budget at the very beginning will cause a lot less stress through the planning process.
• Book a Wedding Coordinator: I would highly highly recommend a wedding coordinator through the whole process if you are able to do that. Working full time and not having to worry about researching and booking vendors after a long day of work has helped tremendously. Do your research and pick who you ultimately vibe with and trust your instinct, and be prepared for a wonderful less stressful year 🙂
• Draft a High Level Guest List: This is one of the first questions that any venue will ask you is what is your guest count. Starting a rough draft and getting feedback from your parents is essential. This can be one of those hard things to think about at the very beginning, but you ultimately need to have a rough number to start with. We did not go with one of our 3 venues because of the guest list limitation and that everyone would not be in one central location.
• Visit Venues and Book: We narrowed down our list and just visited 3 reception venues and felt like we didn’t need to visit any more based on what we saw. You may want a certain date or time of year, but your venue availability will determine that. Our availability for our reception at first we were thinking was a little farther out then we wanted, but it is still the Spring season and it will go by fast as well. If it is a popular venue, most dates might be gone or you will have to put a hold on it ASAP.
• Have Your Families Meet and Have An Engagement Party: Our parents did not meet each other until we were engaged. We waited for this special moment for them to meet, and it was even more exciting when our parents got to share in their children’s joy. James and I had taken them to dinner where we met in the middle of where both of them live. This was a perfect setting for them to talk and get to know each other before all of the festivities began. James is one of 10 kids and we wanted to have our siblings meet each other as well as our bridesmaids/groomsmen to get to know each other. My parents threw us a backyard engagement party which some of these pictures are from, and it could not be more perfect. It was a great way to kick off all of the wedding celebrations and celebrate us in a more intimate setting with family and close friends. After the toast is where we announced our wedding date and venue as well which was very exciting. We also asked James’ 2 nieces and nephew to be our flower girls and ring bearer. Making a little box for them is just as sweet too. We put a cute book and a bracelet for the girls and sunglasses for the boy which were a hit.
• Pick Your Wedding Party: After you have your date finalized, asking your groomsmen/bridesmaids needs to happen shortly after this. I ended up making a whole weekend of celebrating out of it. Shortly after the engagement party, I was going to do an overnight trip to Round Top with my best friend Emily. She already knew that I was going to do a “brunch” at my place with the girls on Sunday, so I wanted to make it just her and I first. We stayed at the Hotel Lulu and were having dinner the first night, and I had the waiter pour her wine into a glass asking for her to be my maid of honor. She didn’t realize it at first and we were excited and in tears and just so happy. It made for a fun rest of the weekend. Then I had my bridesmaids (I am doing 6 in total including my MOH) come over for a little brunch at my place. This is where I gave them a little box complete with a fun “Meet the Maids” banner near the food.

Even though it is 10 months out, time is going to fly by really fast and our wedding will be here before we know it. These are the exciting times that just get the planning started. I would advise to just take it all in and enjoy these special times of being engaged. You do not have to do something every day when you get home from work. Stay on track with the big items like the venue picking, and then the other stuff will all come together. I can’t wait to share more. If you have any specific questions/wedding prep posts you would like to see, just send me a message.

Flower Girl Boxes: Bracelet | Book

Ring Bearer Box: Sunglasses | Book

Engagement Party Dress

Brunch Banner | Maids Banner | Donut Stand | Cake Topper