Function Over Form

Ahhh wedding binders... how beautifully you lure us newly engaged women into you- thinking that a beautiful, odd-shaped binder really can work for us. How little we know.... but don't think this blogger was immune to its siren song. I was most definitely not.

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Simple and stunning, sold! This was a great binder to work from when you are still in the very preliminary planning stages. However, I realized once I started paying vendors that it's stunning-ness left much to be desired. And a very large, very messy pile of wedding-related papers on our office floor.

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So I bring you a not-as-pretty DIY wedding binder that will make your life easier, and a few tips as to what the brides today really need to put in there. First thing's first start with the heavy hitters on the dividers things like Venue, Catering, The Dress, Florist, Photographer, and DJ/Musician.

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What do you put in each divider? Well my Family's Motto has always been "Trust No One" I know it's kind of a skeptical way to look at life but trust me a good ol' C.Y.A. method always works!

• Make sure to get everything in writing- aka that any verbal agreements are reflected in your contracts before signing.
• Copy of your contract with either your Paid in Full Status or copies of each receipt you've been given.
• If they don't give you a receipt of each payment, make sure you get an email from the lead person at each facility stating that you have paid.
• Just for good measure- print out your credit card statement (highlighted with the charge) or a copy of your cashed check.

It's a good idea to buy either a business card holder insert or to simply clip/staple them into place. Another great thing to add is a zipper pouch for you to store all your receipts (with notes of what you purchased and for what or whom). Especially if you blog - this is a great way to keep track of your budget in a low tech way, it also provides those of us who love spreadsheets a rudimentary "filing system".

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You also want to put in any notes you may have not yet discussed with the vendor and then cross them off as you complete each task.

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This way if you hire a DOC or just put a family member in charge of DOCing (a tip from A Practical Wedding) they have access to all the information and all the contracts. You can also put your schedule of events here as the day grows nearer. So in the end you don't need to spend loads of money or put loads of things into your working-wedding binder. I'd like to stress quality over quantity.

Did the "off the shelf" wedding binders fail you too? Or did you DIY from the start?