Most people will tell you that deciding on your budget or finalizing your guest list is the first thing to do when planning a wedding. However, I couldn’t disagree more! Before you plan anything, you need to get inspired.

Getting inspired means a few different things. It can mean spending hours upon hours in our Real Weddings Gallery or it can mean figuring out what inspires you most about your big day. Before you get stressed to the max by Pinterest overload, you need to sit down and list out your wedding priorities (i.e. the things that are most important to you on your wedding day). Creating a list of priorities will help you to narrow in on your inspiration. Here is my list of priorities for my own wedding day:

1. Great food

Photo by Matthew Land Studio

2. A family oriented, intimate ceremony

Photo by David Guenther Photography

3. Good music for dancing

Photo by Claire Penn Photography

And obviously,

4. Gorgeous photographs

Photo by Jim Pollard goes click

Since my priorities include an intimate ceremony, I know that I want my wedding to be on the smaller side, say 100 guests or less. I also know that I need to budget for a top notch photographer, yummy food, and a good DJ and/or live band.

If you list out your wedding priorities, wedding planning will be easier and you will be happier come your big day! Now I know a bit more about what I am looking for when I browse the internet for inspiration, and it won’t be so overwhelming.

The next step in getting inspired is to create a more concrete vision of your wedding aesthetic. I turned to Emma Arendoski of Emmaline Bride for help. Emma recently wrote a new book titled The Inspired Wedding, and I thought reading her book may help me narrow in on my wedding’s look and feel. Emma’s book includes 7 “dream themes,” including Romantically Vintage, Farmhouse Rustic, Beach Bliss, Urban Chic, Free Spirit, Traditional, and Boho Style. Her book is also full of gorgeous wedding photos and tons of tips and advice on how to achieve your desired wedding theme. This book is perfect for the couple who is just beginning to plan their wedding.

Photos by Briley Noel

After reading Emma’s book, I decided that Romantically Vintage fits me best. Emma’s book also helped me choose a color scheme. Since my wedding is in the fall and I love the romantic look, my colors are going to be cranberry, varying shades of gold, and dusty blue. Here is a style board I created after choosing my colors and theme. Actually, my mother specifically asked me to create this for her.

*Curating a Pinterest board or style board similar to mine will help you and others in your wedding understand your vision.

Images courtesy of Style Me Pretty, Rue de Seine, Magnolia Rouge, Brides, and The Wedding Chicks

Now that I know my wedding priorities and I have a more concrete idea of my wedding style the next thing to do is set up my budget and start checking off my wedding checklist. Stay tuned for the release of these two new wedding planning tools 2 weeks from today!

Thanks to our friends over at Emmaline Bride for sending us a copy of The Inspired Wedding. To purchase your own copy, head on over to Amazon or Emmaline Bride today!