Spreadsheets

I realize that this not the most romantic thing you will do together, but hear me out. 

Planning a wedding involves many pieces that will need to come together for your celebration.  The easiest way to keep track of everything is to gather information and make notes. Paper and pen work well, especially as you are out and about visiting venues, caterers, etc.  At some point, you will want to put things side by side and see what’s the best fit for you.  Any type of document allows you to do this, but a spreadsheet has the unique ability to sort and help you to analyze the information.  Here are a few samples of things that you will be working with:

• Guest List
• Venue
• Vendors
• Timeline
• Budget

Each of these items listed will have starting information and it will then change with new information and notes as you move through the process.  A spreadsheet is the ideal format to gather all of the information and sift though when it is time to make final decisions. 

There are plenty of spreadsheet options, if there is one you are familiar with, that is the one for you.  If planning is going to be collaborative, Google Sheets is easy to share and collaborate.  If you are new to spreadsheets, there are plenty of tutorials to get you on your way:

         Google Sheets                              Excel

A good place to start is with your guest list.  Once you have a rough guest list assembled you will have an estimated number of guests.  This is critically important when you begin to look at venues.  Once the guest list is set, you might want to move the guest list to the back of your workbook so that the next project is on top when you open the next time to put in notes about venues you just looked at.  

Where you start is completely up to you.  If your budget is tight, that might be the starting point.  If you have a big group of friends and family then the guest list might be your starting point.  Or, if you attended an event and fell in love with a venue, start there.  It’s less important where you start than that you have all the information in a place where it is easy to find and add to as you go on.