Wedding Location: Dakota Lodge, West Saint Paul, MN | Wedding Date: June 2013 As an order-prone gal, I could go on and on about organizing. Yes, organizing. I love it! I love organizing my room, my papers, my clothes…everything. Once I got engaged, I realized just how much I would be utilizing my organizing skills in the coming months for my wedding organization.

Kendra's DIY wedding planner organizer binder.

What no one tells you (or I just didn’t listen) is that life keeps moving rather quickly while you’re trying to plan your wedding.

Not only do you have to do your regular work and chores, but there is now a looming date over your head in which you have to plan a huge event for yourself. Where do you even begin with wedding organization? Every bride makes mistakes, we are human after all. One of mine was not beginning my wedding planning journey with a three-ring wedding organizer binder. While a binder may not seem necessary at first, the color samples, pamphlets, and random ideas scratched on Kleenex at two in the morning all need to go somewhere, and they add up quickly.Once I created my DIY wedding planner organizer binder, things got a lot easier.

Here’s a little look into how I’ve attempted to organize the chaos of my wedding planning.

Contents:

•  A huge binder. Yes, it may seem ridiculously large, but like I said, things add up!
•  A space for random ideas. I have over thirty different sheets of loose leaf paper for different ideas/plans. This includes: a to-do list divided by month, a task delegation list, a contact list for all of the vendors, a wedding day timeline, a list of every dollar we have spent and where it went, our budget, invite list, etc.
• Sheet protectors. Okay, they’re a little nerdy, but the do the trick for all those random ideas.
• Folders. I have separate folders for my DJ, venue, and caterer, etc. That way, every single item related to that venue/company is in one place.

Tips for your wedding organizer binder:

Every so often, go through your wedding organizer binder. Throw away things you absolutely know that you no longer need. For me, I had a bunch of random flyers from wedding fairs that I went to that I just didn’t need anymore! It does not need to be perfect! Sure, I love being organized, but there are still random things in my wedding planner organizer binder that I could improve or add to. While I am glad that I’ve organized this process, I’m also letting myself relax enough to enjoy it. Hey, this is only happening once, live a little. Decorate your binder with a cute cover. Okay, this isn’t necessary, but it’s fun and cute. This thing is going to be attached to your hip for the next however-many-months, so you might as well like it. Wedding organization can be fun and cute! Good luck, my fellow organizers and brides-to-be!