The First Step in Wedding Planning | Build a Strong Foundation for Your Dream Day

If you’re newly engaged, congrats! You’re probably hearing a lot of different advice about what to do first — book your venue, choose your date, find your dress…

But before you dive into any of that, there’s one step every couple should take first. It’s not as flashy as venue tours or dress shopping, but it’s the thing that sets the stage for everything else:

Building your wedding foundation.

Skipping this step is one of the most common (and most expensive) mistakes couples make early on.

Why is The First Step in Wedding Planning Important?

Think of your wedding like a house — you can’t decorate the walls if you don’t have a solid base to build on.

A few years ago, I worked with a couple who had already booked their venue before really defining what mattered most to them. Once we started discussing the rest of their priorities, they realized they wanted to go big on music, florals, and décor.

The problem? Their venue’s high minimums meant we had to make compromises elsewhere.If we’d established their wedding foundation first, they might have chosen a different space that allowed for their original dream band and design.

This couple had skipped the first step in wedding planning.

Your foundation helps you make every other decision confidently — from choosing a venue to setting your budget and timeline. And if you’re not sure where to start, that’s exactly what I walk couples through inside the Wedding Planning Blueprint Membership — from the first decision to the final toast.

The 5 Pillars of Wedding Planning

Inside the Wedding Planning Blueprint Membership, I help couples map out their entire planning journey using these five core pillars. For now, let’s start with a quick overview to get you on the right track:

Pillar 1: Set Your Priorities: Figure out what’s most important to you — the vibe, the guest experience, or the design details.

Pillar 2: Create Your Budget: Get realistic about what you’re comfortable spending and where that money should go. (Members get access to a fully customizable Wedding Budget Tracker and Budget Breakdown Lesson to make this part easy.)

Pillar 3: Build Your Guest List: Your guest count affects everything: your venue options, your catering, your rentals, and your stress level. (The Guest List Tracker inside the membership helps you organize RSVPs and meal selections in one spot.)

Pillar 4: Create Your Timeline and Checklists: Break your planning into manageable stages so you always know what’s next.( Members also get my Planning Path checklist system that links directly to matching templates and videos.)

Pillar 5: Build Your Vendor Team: Once you know your vision, you’ll have an easier time finding vendors who can bring it to life.(You’ll find vetted vendor email templates and outreach scripts inside the membership, too.)

Pillar 1: Setting Your Wedding Priorities

Before you make any major decisions, sit down together and talk through your core wedding priorities. These include:

1. The Size of Your Wedding

We’re not talking exact guest count yet — just the scale of celebration you want.

• Micro wedding: 2–20 guests

• Intimate wedding: 20–60 guests

• Small wedding: 60–120 guests

• Medium wedding: 120–200 guests

• Large wedding: 200+ guests

Each size affects your venue choices, budget breakdown, and overall experience.

💡 Tip from inside the Blueprint: Members can plug their guest count into the Budget Tracker to see how catering and venue costs will shift based on guest size — no math required.

2. The Wedding Location

Your venue determines not just the look of your day, but also the logistics (and cost).

Ask yourselves:

• Do we want a local wedding or a destination celebration?

• Do we prefer a religious venue, or would we rather host everything in one space (ceremony + reception)?

• How many guests will travel from out of town — and will they need nearby hotels?

💡 Inside the Membership: There’s a full lesson and checklist to help you compare venue options (with room for pricing, inclusions, and must-have amenities).

3. The Time of Year

Your date affects everything — from your budget to your photos.

• Weather: Here in Michigan, outdoor park weddings in January aren’t ideal.

• Events: Local festivals, football games, and conventions can cause traffic or drive up hotel rates.

• Availability: Popular venues and vendors book 12–18 months ahead for peak season (May–October here in Michigan, but it may vary depending on where you're at).

4. The Wedding Components

Now it’s time to talk about the fun stuff — the vibe.

Make a list of all your wedding elements:

• Music & entertainment

• Florals & décor

• Menu & bar

• Cake & desserts

• Stationery & signage

• Photography & videography

Then, identify your non-negotiables — the things you care about most — and where you’re willing to simplify.

What Comes Next in Wedding Planning?

Your homework for today: sit down together and talk through your five wedding planning pillars — starting with your priorities.

This first pillar is the foundation everything else will stand on. Before you move on to creating your budget, guest list, or timeline, you need to be confident in what matters most to you as a couple. Once you’re solid on your priorities, the rest of your planning decisions will fall into place so much more easily.

If you want help working through this step (and a clear roadmap for the rest of the pillars), you’ll find full lessons, templates, and support inside the Wedding Planning Blueprint Membership.

Inside, you’ll get:

• Step-by-step video lessons for every planning stage

• Editable templates for budget, timeline, and vendor tracking

• Monthly live Q&As and Timeline Review sessions with me

• A private community of other couples planning right alongside you

Wrapping It Up

Every great wedding starts with a strong foundation — and that means nailing down your priorities before diving into the details.

Once you’ve built a solid footing on the first pillar, it’s time to move on to the rest — your budget, guest list, timeline, and vendor team. Inside the Wedding Planning Blueprint Membership, we break each one down step-by-step so you can plan with confidence, clarity, and zero second-guessing.