Mindy welcomes you to her session—outlining what you need to know to start planning your dream wedding. She gives an overview of her illustrious career, as well as insight into her event-planning philosophy. Then she shares the ultimate outcome of the session: your comprehensive, ready-to-execute wedding binder.
Mindy deep dives into her approach for creating a wedding binder, providing ideas on how to make it uniquely yours—just like your big day. Then she helps you determine your top priorities for your wedding day. Doing so ensures that you and your partner begin the planning process on the same page.
Every wedding starts with two things: a story and a budget to tell it. In this lesson, Mindy offers foundational tips and best practices for creating a comprehensive wedding budget.
Mindy shares tried-and-true tips for saving money on your wedding, highlighting the best situations to trim or concede on your ideals. She also breaks down how to avoid hidden costs and fees that may pop up along the way as you plan. Even on a budget, your wedding can be special. When you're ready, download and print the linked budget spreadsheet template and begin filling it out with your partner. You can also use this template as a guide to create your own budget in Excel, Google Sheets, or another spreadsheet application.
Mindy introduces one of the most challenging parts of planning a wedding: choosing who gets to come! She provides clarity and reassurance with her ABC process for crafting a guest list, then she offers insight into how to deal with plus-ones and what to consider for a kid-friendly wedding. Check out the link PDF for a Guest List Spreadsheet template.
Mindy explains how your venue can seriously impact your wedding date. She breaks down on-site versus off-site venues, as well as one-stop versus two-stop weddings. Then she provides questions to ask on venue tours.
Mindy helps you narrow down your venue options with the ultimate pro/con comparison. She breaks down what to consider when picking an ideal spot and provides more questions to ask along the way. Once you’ve determined your date and venue, it’s time to start your customized to-do list! Feel free to download an app like WeddingHappy to get you started.
Mindy gives an overview of who, what, and how to hire for your big day.
You’ll want to capture every magical moment from your wedding on camera. Mindy goes over your options for hiring photographers and videographers, providing insight into how to interview them, judge their style, and review their portfolio.
When it comes to music, what’s your priority? Will you hire a DJ or a live band? Mindy offers insight into how to curate the perfect soundtrack for your ceremony and reception.
How you look reflects how you feel on your big day. In this lesson, Mindy helps you navigate the best way to find a makeup artist, hair stylist, inspiration for your wedding look, and strategies for scheduling a strong trial run.
You’re already on your way to planning your own wedding—but you still may want to enlist the help of a professional! Mindy breaks down the different types of planners available for pre- and day-of planning, and provides questions you can leverage to evaluate potential vendors effectively.
Stay ahead of all the dress code questions. In this lesson, Mindy provides the necessary considerations for establishing what you, your party, and your guests will wear, depending on the season, weather, and preferred level of formality.
Selecting your wedding attire is one of the biggest (and most fun) decisions you will make. Her tips and tricks will ensure that you feel comfortable and special at your event.
In this lesson, Mindy lays out all the options when it comes to choosing your wedding party attire. Make use of Mindy’s dress code checklist to confirm that all of your plans for the wedding attire are in good shape—and that your outfits will be ready on time.
Mindy shows you how to apply her ABC guest list process to communicate valuable information on save the dates and wedding websites. She’ll go over the specific content, timeline, and wording you can reference. Then you’ll set up your website and start filling in the details.
For many couples, the invitation is a personal message to friends and family. In this lesson, Mindy goes over different styles and standards for wedding invites and encourages you to start designing your own. Once you’ve considered Mindy’s tips, you’ll begin to write your own invitation.
Not only are wedding invitations a vital source of information, they’re also a memorable keepsake. Mindy walks you through the best practices and timelines surrounding printing, ordering, and sending your invitations.
Planning a wedding is like conducting an orchestra. In this lesson, Mindy discusses the roles involved in a traditional wedding ceremony, and provides the tools you need to choose an officiant with whom you can collaborate.
According to Mindy, your vows are the validation of why you’re getting married. But you don’t have to be a wordsmith to speak from the heart. In this lesson, she provides guidance for personalizing your vows so that nothing is left unsaid.
Think of the rehearsal as the precursor to the big day. Mindy teaches you how to conduct a seamless rehearsal, and shares the important information you need to relay to the wedding party before you walk down the aisle.
For many guests, cocktail hour is their favorite hour. Mindy walks you through the basic foundation for any full cocktail hour—hors d’oeuvres, liquor options, theme, and the benefits of an open, closed, or soft bar.
You’re going out of your way to make things special—and food is no exception. This lesson covers Mindy’s tips for choosing a balanced, crowd-pleasing menu. She runs you through the different courses and budget-friendly options for both plated and buffet-style menus.
Treat your guests to your dream wedding cake. Mindy shows you how to find a cake maker, get the most out of tastings, and leverage faux cake tricks. She also offers ideas for alternative options. Then you’ll finalize your wedding menu by completing a questionnaire.
Color lets you reflect your personality, inspire energy, and set the stage for a memorable day. Mindy helps you choose complementary and compatible color palettes—including your main and accent colors. From florals to ribbons, you’ll learn how to apply them throughout your wedding motif.
Flowers and candles can enhance the romantic vibrations of any space. Mindy gives tactical advice on finding inspiration and choosing floral arrangements that won’t break the bank. She also highlights factors to consider such as season, sensory overload, and your overall priorities.
When it comes to making your wedding shine, it’s all in the details. From napkins to linens, Mindy goes over everything you need to consider—including color, texture, and style—when creating your table settings.
In this lesson, Mindy helps you imagine your table design by showcasing a standard style: the classic white and green table. She explains how each element informs the overall aesthetic, and encourages you to start thinking about your own ideal table design.
Mindy takes you through another design demonstration: the bright, bold, and beautiful table. She explains how to get the most color on your table without breaking the bank.
In this final demonstration, Mindy highlights a glamorous style that doesn’t require a bounty of bouquets: the rustic DIY table. Her money-saving tips include creating your own table decor. Once you’re familiar with all three types of table decor, take the questionnaire to determine your style.
Seating your guests can be a challenge—you want to keep everyone happy and the energy flowing. Mindy makes it easy with tips on planning your seating chart, choosing tables, and leaning on venues and rental companies for expertise.
In this final section, Mindy celebrates all you’ve accomplished in her session, encourages you to enjoy the rest of the process, and provides some final instructions.
Every event will have unexpected surprises. Mindy provides a concise list of items you will want to have on hand to deal with any last-minute issues that might arise.
Mindy shows you how to get the most out of your wedding binder by personalizing it—and shares some parting words, wishing you the best in your future. Make sure you haven’t missed downloading any PDFs for your Wedding Binder. In the Guides you'll find a complete list of all PDF downloads from the session for you to cross reference, including the final PDF, the "Post-Wedding Checklist."