Dear The Bridal Guru,

I am so confused. I have read tons of wedding articles, looked at every bridal publication and seen wedding timelines and wedding checklists and I still don't know who or what to book first. In speaking with these people they all say, "book me first". What do I do?

Confused in Cleveland

Dear Confused in Cleveland,

Yes, how do you sort through all the messages. Of course, every vendor thinks there service is the most important. No harm here because this is their passion and their work. These vendors want to accommodate you and do their very best to make your dreams come true. So who is most important and who goes first.

All of them are important. But who is most important to you. What part of your wedding is non-negotiable? Have you always dreamed of getting married in a certain location or venue? Have you always wanted your reception in a certain place? Have you loved a particular photographer and that's who you want for your wedding. Or is there a band you and your fiancée like? This is where you start.

Keep in mind that most venues, photographers, bands, coordinators only do one wedding a day or weekend. If this is most important to you, then book this first and go from there.

This is will also help in creating your budget. Book this first and their costs and then you know what you have left to work with for the rest of your wedding. The main thing is you want a good team of wedding professionals that can do the work so all you do is show up. You want them to handle the stress, not you. I will caution on diva's, vendors that think no bride or groom can live without them or their services for their wedding. These are not wedding professionals. I have found brides and mothers to cry, become stressed and not enjoy the wedding because of these personalities that think they are too good for everyone else.

Ask your friends, other brides and other wedding professionals before you contract. Then, let the wedding professionals do their work and you enjoy your day!

The Bridal Guru

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