The Most Helpful Tool Ever...

Okay... now that you have those intimidating first things done, the big fun starts! Yay! From here on out, you're either going to be up to your ears in wedding details, or purposefully stretching the planning out so that you can have some later. (Either way, it's exciting!) Your next big task: make a plan about planning. I know that sounds ridiculous (and I know that's what gets Joy in trouble in What Happens In Vegas), but things will go much more smoothly for you later if you map the process out now! (Sometimes, it's okay to 'plan to make plans'.) Sit down tonight or sometime this week and figure out your planning priorities: Do you absolutely have to have a designer dress? Can't live without a certain caterer? Have a friend in a band that books up really fast? Set the most important things first- what things are you going to plan your wedding around? The details and big items about your day that are most important to you are the ones that you should guarantee to be there- you have a picture in your head, and we (I mean... you) need to make it work!
If you've chosen a long engagement (more than 9-10 months), pace yourself. Don't plan everything now- your mid-section will be boring. (And no... I don't mean your personal midsection. I mean the middle portion of your engagement.) I have a friend who's getting married this fall that was engaged for about two-and-a-half years. (Personally, I admire her patience... I never could have done that! We'd have been too stressed, both physically and emotionally, to go through with it.) Anyways, we discussed planning and found that it was much better to have something to plan every month... otherwise you get all your planning done in the first few months, and then sit around waiting for a long time until your wedding. My advice- get your dress one month, pick your napkins and favors the next, look at wedding rings after that, follow up a few weeks after with the cake... have something to look foward to every month that you can do. (If you have a short engagement... way to go! Let's get moving!)
The greatest help you can possibly give yourself: get a membership (most are free) on a wedding website that has an interactive to-do list. (I chose theknot.com, simply because I found it so easy to navigate and super-helpful with every topic. Check it out!) This planning website is also where you'll set up your personal 'wedding website', keep track of your budget and guest list, and spend almost all of your work lunch-breaks (and likely a few hours during the day... don't tell your boss) from here on out! With a guided timeline, you're bound not to miss anything big. (And that kind of insurance is a huge relief.) In fact, I'm kinda shocked that you're still here reading this- leave. Go find a website. Sign-up. Tell them I sent you. :)