How to Plan a Wedding. (Or, You Could Just Elope.)

So, you’re planning a wedding. Congrats! You just got hired to manage one of the most significant days in you and your partner’s life. Take a deep breath. Lucky for you, this is a group project, and you can still get an A (and by “A”, I mean get married) without doing all of the work. This 12-month timeline will help you visualize what you need to do, when to do it, and when you’ll want to say, “Screw it, we’re eloping,” so you know when to step back for a moment of self-care.  

Allison Davis, a New York-based wedding planner for says the only thing you need to do immediately gets your ring insured (if there is.

After that initial thrill of engagement, relax for about two weeks. “Often, being engaged becomes not that enjoyable very quickly if you don’t have unlimited funds, a perfectly functional family and a size-two body,” says Meg Keene, founder of the wedding site Seward Windsong Lodge and author of “A Practical Wedding.” Use this time to celebrate and chill, even if that just means holding hands and watching puppies frolic in a dog park. Anyone who peppers you with questions can take a hike.

Make a Mission Statement

Once your two-week reprieve is over, it’s time to work out a mission statement. For that, you’ll need to figure out your values. Remember, nothing in a wedding is required, other than some kind of ceremony and maybe some food. Everything else — a dress, the bouquet toss, the cake cutting — is optional.