Win A DYMO Personal Labelmaker

31 comments

1. GREAT! now i can finally remember each one of our 6 kids names…:)

2. I find that when I’m out of the house – working, visiting friends, shopping, etc. – I’m constantly making to-do lists or notes and throwing them in my bag. I ended up buying a small spiral notebook that fits in my purse so that I don’t have to go thru scraps of paper or post-its every day. Each time I think of something to do/buy/remember for our wedding, I write it down in my notebook so everything is in one spot. It’s definitely helped me stay more organized! My sister actually wants me to hold onto it for when it’s her turn since I noted so many good ideas and websites – like yours!

3. I kept an excel spreadsheet with three tabs:
   1 – A list of Gifts with columns for item, giver, occasion (shower, wedding, etc.) and Yes/No for Thank You
   2 – Cash gifts – tracking how and where I spent them
   3 – Gift Certificates – So I would remember to spend them.

   But a label maker…golly – that would make it soo much better!

4. 1. I keep a bind with different tabs (one for ceremony, reception, flowers, food, invitations & Save-the dates).
   2. I also keep an excel file with the guest list and budget sheet.
   3. Use Access for your address labels and you can even keep track of the RSVP’s. We are using this program to even plan out the tables for the reception.

5. Obviously, a wedding binder with mutliple sections is key. What has been a real help to me is using plastic holders from the discount store for business cards. Before I found those, I actually punched holes in a zip lock bag, put it in the binder and kept all cards in there. It’s been a life-saver! The label maker would be a great way to label the areas of my discount card holder (ie: flowers, DJ, jewelry, etc.) once we’ve finalized vendors.

6. When we first got engaged I received a number of wedding planning binders, however I found that a portable hanging file box worked best for me. I had individual tabs and then within those I had individual file folders. It has worked out fabulously and I haven’t lost anything yet!

7. Ditto on the small spiral notebook in the purse. I have been doing the exact same thing for years and even keep my notebooks on file as a supplement to my old-fashioned paper calendar! Who knows when you need to find the recipe that a friend gave you three years ago. Everything goes in that notebook then you don’t need to worry anymore-it is written down

   I have two hints to share:
   Hint 1-We keep lists-his and hers with wedding task on the kitchen counter. It feels really good to cross items off and we both know what the other person is focused on. They are updated periodically and it has really helped us to manage and share the “work” of the wedding. We tried managing this electronically and found that seeing the list every day was much more helpful.

   Hint 2-Super Sticky Post-its are a great way to keep track of gifts. The “super sticky” part is worth every penny as they are much more likely to stay with the gift until you are ready to inventory and write thank you cards.

8. See the thing is… I’m not organized. And that’s why I need all the help I can get. 🙁

9. The week we got engaged I got a three-ring binder with blue folders, blue dividers, and blue paper. Everything is written and copied on blue so we can easily find wedding related things on the desk and spot stray blue lists around the house. Also, everything and I mean EVERYTHING wedding related goes into the binder so there’s only one place we ever need to look. I also have a “wedding” folder on my computer desktop and a “wedding” section in my internet favorites.

   To keep all of our wedding projects organized, I have multiple matching rubbermaid containers in a spare closet, where we put wedding related craft supplies, in-progress projects, and completed masterpieces. The only thing my craft storage boxes are missing is labels 😉

10. I have a 3-ring binder with tabs for each part of our big day. It is part organizer and part scrapbook, documenting the entire planning process. I have business cards and contracts from the vendors we are using. I have fabric swatches and other items that have inspired me along the way. Not only is it keeping me organized now, but I hope it will serve as a wonderful memento when the planning is done. Maybe someday my daughter (or future daughter-in-law) will want to look at it to see what wedding planning was like!

11. My Google reader has been a wonderful organizational tool. It sounds odd, but when i find something I like, I mark the entry with a star. Then weeks later when I’m trying to find it, Google’s amazing searching ability finds it almost immediately.

12. Hint:
    Start with the bigger picture, narrow things down.

    1. Excel Spreadsheet – guest list > converted easily into table allocations, budget (i’m planning an overseas wedding, so AU and NZ $ columns), hire items, etc.

    2. Ringbinder / Scrapbook – all into sections for little inspiration ideas, suppliers, quotes, etc.

    3. Section in my shelving for bridal magazines, DIY things (such as invitations, etc)

    4. Email folders – planning overseas is tricky so I have about 20 different email folders, eg. Wedding – Flowers, Wedding – Dress, Wedding – Makeup.. etc etc

    5. Make a timeline – map out when payments are due so everyone (parents and groom!) have a clear idea of what is due when.. from there the groom can be given to-do lists every now and again, to give him a role and responsibility, and no one gets overwhelmed as they all know when things are due 🙂 I also shuffled due dates around so lump sums could be spread throughout the year (rather than a whole few thousand dollars worth of balances being due throughout the year).

    As my sister (i love her dearly, but she’s not very organised 🙂 will be sorting through my presents in NZ and arranging for them to get home.. It would be so useful for her to have a labeller to track where thank you’s are needed / for which items 🙂

13. The best way to stay organized is to do as much as you can online/electronically. It’s less clutter and easier to find anything you need. Receipts/contracts can be scanned into your computer as well but I have done most of my vendor contact through email actually. I’m going to break down my organization methods by the google tool I use:

    1. gmail: All emails I get that are wedding related are automatically labeled “wedding” and then I have additional tags for vendors or specific topics.

    2. google reader: I subscribe to TONS of wedding websites. If I see an idea I like, I star it and tag with a label of what category it is (centerpieces, hair styles, invitations, etc).

    3. google docs: I have different docs for my wedding budget, guest list, timelines, special notes, etc. Best of all, I can share the documents with the fiance/bridesmaids/family as I see fit.

    For any backup hard copies, I also have a wedding binder but it’s very small.

    You really can’t beat this system. If you need me to find ANYTHING, I can find it fast and easily. (love google search!) And best of all…I don’t have papers to lose or to clutter up my home. 🙂

14. The two best ways I was able to keep organized during the planning process was to have a big accordian folder for EVERY contract/inspiration picture/piece of paper that I had, and a notebook designated solely for To-Do lists and instructions. I have alot on my computer, but because it’s a wedding in a different state and I travel alot back and forth, it’s easier for my to bring the notebook and folder with me than try to find a computer to plug into during meetings.

15. The best way I found to be organised is to keep on track with an inspiration board that I made when we first started planning our wedding. Constantly referring back to it and looking at it helps me keep me refreshed in my mind as to what direction we want to take with our special day – in terms of colours, our theme and the way I hope our wedding will look and feel. This way, I find i’m filtering out all of the images and ideas that our constantly coming my way, and keeping on track with the good stuff.

16. I am a compulsive organizer and my favourite tool for organizing is Microsoft OneNote. It’s like a computer binder for all your text and graphic clippings. I have an almost embarassing number of files and folders, but the system works for me. The Dymo would be SO helpful for my non-computerized items!!!

17. I keep track of where I’m meant to be & when with the diary on my phone. I set it to alarm so I never forget to go to that meeting with the florist / dress maker etc.
    I also sync it with my calendar on our home computer via bluetooth so that FH knows where I am if I forget to tell him (or he forgets to listen!)

18. I just could not find the way to stay out of organizing on both the computer and on hard copy…so…
    1- I have a wedding planner my fiance gave me when we got engaged where i keep all the brochures, business cards, magazine articles and smaples of my diy projects.
    2- I have a folder on my documents dedicated to the wedding, with specific files for flowers, decorations, picture poses i like, etc. What makes this part easy for me is that when i save a picture or item in this folder, i name it with the name of the site where i found it and the price of the item. This way when i am looking at my pics i also have quick info on where to go back to look and how much was it that it cost.

19. My best advice for staying organized is to delegate different tasks to the bridal party. For instance I have asked my bridesmaid to store all the centerpieces at her house. My mother has helped with the invitations. When I divided up the tasks I felt more organized and less cluttered. I also keep a folder on my computer that when I find an image or inspirational idea I just drag that idea or photo directly to the folder on my computer. It is so much easier than printing then out and placing in a 3 ring binder.

20. My best tip for staying organized is to use and share google docs and spreadsheets for wedding planning with my fiancé. This way, he and I stay on the same page, there is always a copy backed up (remotely), we can go back and view changes, we can view the files from any computer with Internet, etc. We also have a gmail account that forwards to both of our personal e-mails (and we can send e-mail from our joint his+her’s account); this way, when the wedding is over I can stop the forwarding of wedding spam!

21. As soon as I became engaged I bought a folder with plastic pockets, the folder has been divided into sections, flowers, cake, reception, hair & make up etc. When I find inspiring pictures I have them printed on photo paper or clip from magazines. The back of the folder contains all my vendor info- receipts, contracts etc. It is so easy to keep organised as I only need to bring this one folder where ever I go!

22. What I have is a 5 tier rubbermaid shelf in my computer room.. the bottom shelf is for reception table itme ie.. centerpieces, overlays, votives, mirros.. the second tier is for reception decor sich is lighting, chinese paper lanterns, signs for gift tables and other decor in the recption, the third tier is for ceremony decor such as toule swag, tiki torches, glassine pouches with ecofetti, baskets for programs.. the fourth tier is for magazines, extra papers, invite mock ups, tools for making paper items… planning items such as an organization binder broken up as well into sections.. This has writing tools, business cards, contrracts.. and the last and final shelf is for the Bridal party.. this is bridesmaid bags, gifts, my veil, our jewelry, the ties.. the flower girl and ring bearer gifts.. and so on.. This has been a real life saver in order to keep everything together in one place and not have everything all over the house! Good Luck everyone!

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24. It’s been a while since I was a bride but we are in the beginning stages of planning my BIL’s wedding and the reception will be at our farm… eeek!
    Here’s my tip – since it is early days yet I am using evernote (www.evernote.com) to bookmark, catch images online and make notes about them. It’s helping me remember all the little things I see online that I want to remember, things that we might be interested in following up later on. It’s easy, it’s all in one place, it’s editable and best of all I can quickly email bits of it to my BIL and his fiancé (they live in Japan at the moment) for them to look at.

25. Google! I use google everything to stay organized. I have Google Docs that I share with my bridesmaids. Google also came out with a new set of templates all for weddings, and I started using the budget one, which I can also share with everyone! And don’t forget the google calendar! It’s nice to have one area where everyone can put down important info and have it be web accessible.

26. I avoid printing anything out to save space and reduce environmental impact – instead I keep all my inspirations in digital form neatly sorted in folders (i.e. Bride’s Attire> Shoes>Shoe Clips)and back it up on a memory stick and my iPod. Our guest list, vendor contacts, and music selections are all in Excel spreadsheets. Once something is finalized that will be necessary on the wedding day, such as a contract, I will print it out and add to a very thin binder organized with the same categories. I would love a label maker to neatly identify gifts and boxes with in-process DIY projects.

27. I’m planning a paperless wedding*, everything’s being planned through an excel spreadsheet chock full o’ formulas, so I don’t even have to do the math myself 😉
    Instead of wedding magazines I’m reading about a hundred different wedding blogs via google reader, and all of my inspiration pictures etc are saved to a particular memory stick (along with a backup of everything else).

    I’d use the dymo labeller to put “PROPERTY OF BART SIMPSON” stickers on everything and help take away nerves on the day 😛

    *except for the invitations, my gran would kill me

28. I think that I found you need to be able to allow others to take control of some parts of the wedding. I was having a hard time taking care of everythign my self, so I asked my sister and mother ( and fiance ) to help me out and it has saved me a tremendous amount of stress. Online I have different bookmark categories for each part of the wedding, and if I’m using a magazine I only keep the pages I need to reduce the clutter and recycle the rest of it.

29. I have a medium size journal/notebook in my bag that goes everywhere with me. I use it for jotting down thoughts/inspirations as they come to me as well as for keeping lists of everything. It also has all the important phone #s I need in one place.

    (Each of the boxes of wedding stuff at home has a list of contents on the outside as well as a small copy in the notebook so I always know what I have & what I still need.)

    I also have everything in Excel spreadsheets on the computer that I have saved in my email so I can refer to them wherever I am – home, work, a friends, without having to drag the binder or several copies of the paperwork around.

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