Are all of those wedding magazines piling up? Do you have a million business cards and flyers for wedding vendors? Wedding planning does not have to be stressful or hectic. If you use my binder organization system I promise you will always be prepared and stress-free.
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Create a new email address
This is my number one piece of advice to anyone who is planning a wedding. You will be using your email address A LOT throughout the planning process. In order to keep your regular email spam free and less chaotic, create an email address that is used for all things wedding related.
Once your wedding is over (I know, I know, you’re just getting started!) you can also delete the email address and/or keep it but never look at it again (unless you need to). Something like JohnJaneWedding@gmail.com would work perfectly. Since wedding hash tags are also popular you can make a fun email too: MaryAndMitchAreGettingHitched@gmail.com.
Get rid of your stack of bridal magazines
If you sign up for wedding websites like theknot.com or go to wedding shows you’ll start to receive a lot of bridal magazines in the mail. Instead of letting them pile up, browse through them and rip out the pages you like. You can organize those pages in your wedding binder.
Organize a wedding planning binder
This was my savior during the planning process. I brought it to every appointment and practically lived by it. Having a wedding binder made planning so much easier. Grab a 2” binder, add a label to the side and print your own fun picture on the front.
The first thing I put in the binder is a zipper binder pocket
to store receipts that may not fit in with the other categories in my binder. I also keep these:
- Extra tab divider labels
- Pen
- Cute engagement ring sticky pad
- Fabric swatch for bridesmaids dresses
After the zipper binder pocket I have a page to keep all my business cards organized. I used Avery Business Card Pages
that are already 3-hole punched to fit in a binder. At first, you will receive business cards from multiple photographers, DJs, florists, etc. Once you choose the vendors you want to use for your wedding get rid of all the extras and only save those you need. This will get rid of all the clutter.
Next, I kept a few lined sheets of paper to take notes and then later file under the correct tab.
I had about 8 categories that I wanted to file my information into. I love the Avery Style Edge Insertable Reference Dividers, 8-Tab Set
. They are colorful and fun while also helping me stay organized. I also put different color card stock behind each tab to break it down further.
Tab 1: Ceremony
These are the papers I kept under this tab:
- Contract for string trio that played during our ceremony
- Officiant’s speech
- Vows
Tab 2:
This tab was broken down into further categories.
Reception
- Seating arrangements – read more about that here
- Ballroom floor plan
Food & Drink
Wedding packages provided by venue including cocktail hour, salad, appetizers, entrees, desserts and beverages.
Cake
Our cake was included in our food and drink package, but we had to work with a third party for a tasting and design so I kept pictures of different cakes I liked. This is a perfect place for some of those magazine pages you ripped out earlier!
Music
- DJ contract
- DJ receipt
- Music details such as which song to play for first dance, cake cutting, etc.
Flowers
- Florist details/contract
- Picture of bride and bridesmaid bouquet ideas – this is a perfect place for some of those magazine pages you ripped out earlier!
Photographer & Videographer
- Photographer contract
- Photographer login information to view photos
- Album order sheet
Tab 3: Bride & Groom
This tab was also broken down into further categories.
Dress & Accessories
- Receipt for wedding ring
- Receipt for wedding dress
- Bridal store flyer
- Add your magazine pages here for ideas until you decide on the one.
Groom
- Receipt for wedding ring
- Tux rental receipt and information
Tab 4: Bridal Party
Bridesmaids
- Receipts for bridesmaids gifts
- Copy of dress style, designer and color
Groomsmen
- Receipts for groomsmen gifts
Tab 5: Hair & Makeup
- Hair stylist information and pricing
- Picture of hairstyle idea (use those magazine pages!)
- Make up artist information and pricing
Tab 6: Stationery
- Coupons for wedding stationery sites (you’ll receive these when you start receiving the bridal magazines I mentioned above and when you create a bridal registry).
Save the Dates
- Receipt
Invitations
- Draft copy
- Receipts
Programs & Place cards
- Receipts
Tab 7: Miscellaneous
Hotel
- Contract to save rooms and offer special pricing for out of town guests
- List of out of town guests
Favors
- Ideas
Other
- Rehearsal dinner guest list
- Rehearsal dinner restaurant contract
- Rehearsal dinner menu
Tab 8: Post Wedding
- Honeymoon information
- Dress preservation information
Lastly, I added a pocket folder
at the very end. I think I bought this more because it was sparkly and pretty and I couldn’t NOT buy it! It holds a bunch of random papers that didn’t fit anywhere else or didn’t have a 3-hole punch. But it’s so sparkly!
So there you have it! You can use this idea and create whatever tabs work for you. The point is to stay organized and clutter-free. I took this binder everywhere and was able to pull out papers and contracts instantly because I knew exactly where they were.
Check out my other Wedding Series posts:
- Wedding Series Part 1 – My Special Day
- Wedding Series Part 2 – Wedding Binder Organization (you are here!)
- Wedding Series Part 3 – Computer Organization
- Wedding Series Part 4 – Monster Spreadsheet
- Wedding Series Part 5 – Seating Arrangements
- Wedding Series Part 6 – How to Add a Special Touch to Your Wedding
- Wedding Series Part 7 – Miss to Mrs.
- Wedding Series Part 8 – Our Honeymoon
