Something New, Something Blue: Wedding Planning for Bullet Journal Beginners
I’ve been haphazardly planning my wedding since October 2017. I have notes everywhere! There are conversations, with my fiancé, maid of honor, and bridal party, calendars, checklists, etc. etc. etc!
Suddenly, bullet journaling seemed like the perfect way to collect my thoughts. Here’s the problem: I’ve never made a bullet journal before.
Bullet journals can be intimidating, so I decided to start small. Every bullet journal tutorial and step by step guide put a heavy emphasis on presentation. If it’s nice to look at, you’ll be willing to keep it up. Here’s how I overcame my artistic and organizational challenges and still made a pretty helpful journal.
My design of choice: the beautiful art of Karen Mabon. Our Garden Gnome Mini Notebook has everything I need.
- A bright, eye-catching cover
- Compact size, easy to throw in my purse
- 120, 5mm dot-grid printed pages
At first the 3.5 x 5.5 inches didn’t seem like it was enough, but at 120 pages there were plenty of sheets to allow for all of my sections. The 5mm grid actually made things a lot easier. The grid allowed me to plot the spacing of my pages without needing to rely much on rulers and straight edges.
- Colorful pens
A rainbow of gel pens to makes everything look nice, no matter the handwriting, which was another of my personal concerns!
- Keep it simple
Break the journal down into basic components and simple symbols that are easy to understand at a glance. Plan out each section, post-it tabs are great for this, you can also create a simple index. The trick is to identify what you need help with. For example, money can be a main concern, so sections dedicated to building savings and tracking payments for services can be a huge help.
I’m actually proud of what I’ve made and I feel like I have control over the future again. Having a strategy doesn’t necessarily take the stress away, but it can help to compartmentalize in a way that is less overwhelming.
Happy planning!