8 Wedding Planning Tasks You Can Do From Your Couch, Chicago Illinois by Photographs by Teresa. Includes posing inspiration for an outdoor couples session and wedding planning tips. Book your Chicago couples session and browse the blog for more inspiration #couples #photography #couplesphotography #Chicagophotographer

April 16, 2020

Chicago, Illinois | 8 Wedding Planning Tasks You Can Do From Your Couch

Couples, Features, Tips, Weddings

Wedding planning, Chicago Illinois. Planning a wedding during COVID-19 isn’t ideal, but it is possible… I promise! Here are 8 tasks you can check off your list while quarantined.

1. Browse through endless inspiration. Just getting started with wedding planning? Head to Pinterest for countless ideas for your perfect day—from decor to color palettes, to your dream dress and more. 

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the possibilities, try this: Pin anything and everything that catches your eye. Then go back to your board to look for common themes. 

What colors did you pin the most? Are there similarities in the dresses you saved? Did you pin the same decor more than once? 

Once you start narrowing things down, it will get a lot less overwhelming… and you’ll start to see your wedding day come to life!

2. Read vendor reviews. Let’s face it: You probably don’t want to book your venue without seeing it first. And you definitely don’t want to book your caterer without tasting the food. (I mean, c’mon… that’s one of the BEST parts of wedding planning!)

So in the meantime, go check out their online reviews. Better yet, ask your Facebook and Instagram friends for recommendations. They’re likely bored right now and more than willing to help out.

3. Book your photographer. You didn’t think I’d leave this one out, did you?

Believe it or not, photographers’ calendars are filling up fast right now (including mine!). Our 2020 spring weddings have been rescheduled to late 2020 and into 2021, leaving fewer spots for newly engaged couples. 
So don’t put this one off. Take a night or two to scroll through wedding photographer hashtags on Instagram. Make sure to save photos you love in an Instagram collection so you can easily reference them later.
As with Pinterest, you can start to look for themes… are all your saved photos dark and moody or are they light and airy? Narrow down what you like, then choose a photographer that matches the style you’re going for, and fill those contact forms out.

Oh, and while you’re at it, here’s my contact form

4. Put together your guest list. This wedding planning task is one of the hardest… and most dreaded! But I promise it doesn’t have to be terrible. 
Start by asking each set of parents for their list. Then pour some wine, grab your fiancé, and together, begin listing all the people you want to witness your special day. 

If your list starts getting too long, don’t panic. (This literally happens to EVERYONE, so you’re not alone.) First, ask your parents if there’s anyone they’d be willing to cut. Then start eliminating plus ones, and maybe children. 

Cutting people from your guest list isn’t easy or fun. But people understand that budgets are tight and venues are small. So please don’t sweat it!

5. Create your wedding website. This is one of those things that often gets neglected for lack of time. Since you can’t go anywhere right now (anyone else missing coffee shops???), you probably have a lot more time on your hands than you did before. 

So make the most of it and create an AMAZING wedding website. Make sure to include the following:

  • The story of how you met (THIS IS MY FAVORITE PART! )
  • The story of how he proposed (Okay, maybe this is my favorite part? I love LOVE.)
  • Photos of the two of you
  • Pictures of your wedding party and fun details about each person
  • Your ceremony and reception location
  • The schedule of events
  • Information about accommodations 
  • Your registry details
  • Your contact information

Once you’re done, share it with friends and family so you can swoon over your hard work together! 

6. Purchase and send invitations. These days, you can literally design and purchase beautiful wedding invitations without ever leaving your house. Technology is great, isn’t it?

Sites like Minted, Artifact Uprising, and Zola have hundreds of gorgeous, affordable templates to choose from.

Better yet, these specific services will address and print your invitations too. All you have to do is drop them in the mail. It literally couldn’t be easier!

7. Register! Yes, running around with your partner and the scanner gun at Bed Bath & Beyond and Target is a TON OF FUN. But registering online can be advantageous for a couple of reasons:

  • You can see reviews for each item, ensuring you don’t register for things that look cute but don’t hold up over time.
  • You can register at places without a physical storefront, like Amazon. (Guests with Amazon Prime LOVE when an Amazon registry is included.)
  • You can register at stores that aren’t convenient to where you live.

If you’re having trouble choosing just one or two stores, try a service like Zola, which lets you create a registry with items from any store you want.

8. Make Your Wedding Playlist This is a perfect date night task. Grab your fiancé and your favorite cocktail, open Spotify, and start bookmarking your favorite songs.

Don’t be afraid to stop every once in a while to challenge each other to karaoke, slow dance to your favorite tunes, and sing at the top of your lungs.

Don’t let this quarantine delay you from planning the wedding of your dreams. There are plenty of tasks you can do without ever leaving your home.

How are you making the most of this time? Lemme know!

xoxo
Teresa

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