Wedding planning is no easy feat. Whether you’re going for an over-the-top affair or keeping things simple, there are about a million things that need to get done before you walk down the aisle. And between appointments with vendors, scouting out venues, building welcome bags, and more, something might accidentally get overlooked. So to help you keep your head on straight as you plan an epic celebration, here are a few ways to be organized while planning your wedding.

1. Write things down. When in doubt, make a list. It’s the easiest way to get yourself organized before you get too far along in the planning process. Sit down with your partner and brainstorm what needs to be taken care of before the big day. Then decide what’s most important to tackle now and what can wait until later, and break that massive list down into manageable parts. Revisit this list from time to time to reorganize the plan.

2. Consider a color coded system. What’s even better than a list? A color coded calendar. Pick up a new monthly planner that’s exclusively used for wedding-related appointments and tasks. Pick a different color for each vendor so that you can quickly see what’s on tap for the week ahead. This will help you know when deposits are due, when follow-up emails need to be sent, and when appointments are. It may seem like a lot of work to switch pens every time a new item needs to be added to the calendar, but you’ll be very grateful you did as your schedule starts to fill up!

3. Communicate clearly. Email subject lines are hard. You want to be friendly (“Love you ladies!”) but you also want to be direct (“I NEED YOU TO ORDER YOUR DRESSES NOW”)…so what’s a to-be-wed to do? Keep your subject lines professional and focused (“Bridal Shower Info”) so that the recipient knows what to expect and understands the email is somewhat urgent. Then use the body of the email to get cute. Also, streamline your efforts; that third email might get lost in the email chain! Think through what you need to cover before you hit send.

4. Delegate, delegate, delegate. Don’t try to be the hero and do everything yourself. Planning a wedding is a HUGE task to take on and it’s true that many hands make light work. So assign things to your partner, your bridesmaids, your mom, your sister, anyone willing to take something off your plate. There are obviously some tasks that you need to do yourself, but for the rest? Ask for help. Those invitations won’t mail themselves, after all.

5. Start early. While you should definitely take some time to bask in your new title of fiancé, you don’t want to let too much time pass before you dive into planning your wedding. We’re all guilty of procrastinating, so be proactive and get stuff done early…even if it’s not the most glamorous. Once you take care of the less exciting tasks you’ll have more time to spend on the fun things, like cake tasting, dress shopping, and enjoying your engagement.

6. Take advantage of pre-assembled timelines. Not sure where to start? Whether you’re planning a wedding in 12 months, 6 months or as little as 3 months, a timeline should help keep you on schedule. Mark up a calendar with some of the bigger items (like venue scouting and dress shopping) so you know when you need to start tackling those things.

7. Store all your ideas in one place. There’s nothing worse than trying to remember where you saw that PERFECT pair of earrings and not being able to retrace your steps to find the website or email. Make your life so much easier by creating a folder on your desktop, a Pinterest board.  When you have a place to keep track of all your ideas and inspiration, planning becomes a cinch. Plus, it will make sharing your vision with your vendors as easy as pie.

8. Plan to plan. It’s easy to think that everything will come together “eventually,” but things won’t happen unless you actually designate some time for planning. Schedule a little bit of time each day, or designate a few hours on the weekend for some focused wedding talk. This will help make sure you’re not scrambling to do everything at the last minute!