How to Get Your Friends Involved in the Wedding Planning

Navigating the wedding planning process can be extremely overwhelming for any bride, but starting while you’re still in college can add an extra layer of challenges. One exciting aspect of wedding planning while in college is the ability to have friends around to support you. We have collected some tips to help lessen the burden of planning by getting your friends involved in the wedding planning. Read on!

Photo // Caroline Lima Photography

Thank Your Friends in Advance

One of the most exciting aspects of planning a wedding is picking your bridal party. When deciding who to round up in your girl squad, remember that your wedding is a time when you can be selfish. Choosing the friends who support and encourage you will ensure that the journey to your big day is a delight! Since your bridesmaids will be helping you prepare throughout your engagement, giving them an intentional present when you ask them is a great way to thank them in advance. One fun idea is to find out their love language and surprise them with a corresponding gift. Examples might be giving a handwritten note to a friend who enjoys words of affirmation or hosting a trip to a local winery for a friend who loves quality time.

Create a Shared Pinterest Board

The season of engagement can go by so fast and Pinterest can serve as an easy way to keep memories from your wedding planning process. Pinterest now has an option to make categories under each board, this is a great way to get your bridesmaids (or other friends) involved in the planning. Each friend can make a collaborative board of what ideas they think you might enjoy. Getting opinions from your besties is an awesome way to discover new ideas. Bridesmaids can also reference the Brides of Austin Pinterest board for the latest trends.

Prefer Instagram Collections? Great! Start a group chat with your gals and ask your team to share their finds via DM. You can save your favorites to your own Collections on Instagram and reference your “saved”s as you go.

Plan Time as a Group

For many students, college equals extreme busyness, which makes finding time to plan with your girls difficult. One way to combat this is by setting aside a whole day to dedicate to all things wedding. Set up an appointment with a couple wedding dress boutiques or grab lunch and brainstorm bridal shower ideas. Ask your maid of honor or other close friends to join you on a day trip. You don’t even have to travel far; just by setting aside time to be together, you are able to make wedding planning what it should – fun, rather than stressful.

Use Your Network

One of the most exciting parts of college is connecting with different people. The wedding planning process is an amazing time to utilize the relationships you’ve formed over your college years. By asking if anyone in your bridal party has connections to wedding vendors, you may be able to incorporate creative businesses into your big day. Remember there’s no harm in asking, and Brides of Austin will always have recommendations for you with our amazing list of preferred local vendors.

Make it Fun

The best way to get your girlfriends involved is by making each planning meeting or activity fun. Hosting an invitation stuffing party? Bring a couple bottles of champagne and some snacks to nosh while you get the assembly line going. Visit our Spotify channel to get some activity appropriate jams going (we highly suggest the GRL PWR playlist for a girls’ night in). Have competitive friends? Make it a contest to see who can address the most invitations by the end of the night – with a prize for the winner, of course!

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