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# 50 Shades of Overwhelmed

February 14, 2015 Jessica Eudy

You’re engaged! (Congrats!) You thought attending the area bridal shows would be the perfect solution to help kick start your wedding planning. You and your groom (or if your groom was lucky enough to get a pass, then your maid of honor…) geared up to hit the big show in our area and you set out to find the PERFECT wedding vendors.

You attended the show with almost 200 vendors, where I’m assuming you had a blast! You tasted caterers’ food, bakers’ cakes, watched a runway show with fabulous dresses, and got some great design ideas. You arrived home with a 10 pound (cute) bag from the show, stuffed with business cards, handouts and goodies. You sat on the floor, dumped the bag.., and the anxiety set in. You pulled out the goodies, including our Ritchie Hill koozie with delicious Ritchie Hill Bakery cheese straws (wink), and then realize there is a massive amount of information lying on your floor.

What do you do now? How are you going to organize all this info? Should you end the anxiety by just throwing it all away? No. There is hope. Below are just a few tips to help you organize your bridal show material…

1 – Get sticky notes, a pen and a trash can.

2 – Write a sticky note for each category of vendors: photographers, cakes, caterer, DJ, venue, dress, etc.

3 – Sift through the pile and stack them according to the categories.

4 – If you’ve already decided on a vendor for any of the categories, throw that pile away.

5 – Go through a pile, one category at a time and mark any card of vendors you remember talking to. (If you recall a conversation, amongst the hundreds you probably had, then you may have “clicked” with that vendor, which is a huge part of the planning process.)

6 – Check out the websites of each card in that pile and their reviews on WeddingWire. Only keep 1-3 of your favorites. This will give you options in case one is already booked on your date. Throw away the rest.

Now that you have smaller piles, you can start your planning! I hope this helps.

Happy (less stressful) planning!

Jessica