Planning a wedding is no small task. There are a million things to manage and everything is a brand new challenge for most brides. The combination of the workload and unfamiliarity can feel insurmountable to the point brides often have trouble even getting started.
The remedy to this is a thorough wedding planning checklist.
Once you begin placing your thoughts and desires on paper you’ll quickly find that what you are really dealing with are very manageable, bite sized tasks.
12 Months to go
The first 30 days of your wedding checklist just be dedicated to making the big decisions. It’s critical to make these decisions first because they will have a direct impact on every other decision along the way.
Wedding Budget:
The very first decision to make is how much you are comfortable spending. This will dictate your guest list, venue, menu, gown, favors, and pretty much everything else on your wedding purchase checklist. The most practical approach is to put your expenses into categories so that it’s clear what you are not willing to budge on and where you are willing to compromise.
Guest List:
By far, the most significant impact to your wedding planning budget is the amount of people that you invite. The guest list count won’t affect some decisions like your wedding gown or bouquet. However, a larger list means a larger venue, more decor, more catering, and more favors. If you are working with a tight budget but don’t want to compromise on quality, consider a more intimate gathering.
Wedding Theme:
Almost every future wedding planning decision you will make will be much easier once you have a theme in place. Your wedding theme is a specific vision. This vision will help you navigate your decor, dress code, stationery, and many other aesthetic choices.
11 Months to go
With the major decisions out of the way, it’s time to put plans into action. Making these particular decisions early on in the wedding planning process avoids problems – it’s hard to print your invitations if there’s no address – and conflicts. It also provides the opportunity for savings.
Venue:
The easiest way to ensure that you get the venue of your dreams is to start early. This affords you the chance to visit several locations. While you are making sure that the venue can accommodate your guest list, budget, and any particular requirements, make sure to inquire about any bundles they may have. Holding the ceremony and reception in the same location is often cheaper. The same goes for hiring in-house catering and cleanup services.
Vendors:
Good vendors book up quickly. Contacting them and signing contracts early ensures that you get the best combination of quality, cost, and reliability. Make sure to check their reviews and don’t forget to go over contrail details thoroughly.
10 Months to go
By now, your wedding planning checklist is really coming together. Major decisions have been made and your plans are starting to feel very real, which means you can start focusing on some of the fun stuff.
Wedding Dress:
There’s not a lot to be said about the wedding dress experience. You know what you want, and you’re going to get it. Buying early means more opportunities for deals and the avoidance of rush fees. Just make sure to schedule another fitting closer to the big day to account for any needed adjustments.
Save the Dates:
The more time you can give your guests to prepare the better. Each guest will need to prepare travel, accommodations, childcare, your wedding gift, and potentially time off work. The more time you provide the easier it will be.
Engagement Photos:
You are likely to still be enjoying that post-proposal high 2 months into your wedding planning journey. Take advantage of the good vibes by capturing it on camera.
Wedding Website:
A wedding website provides your guests with a lot of convenience and allows you to capture more memories than ever before. All of your wedding details are centralized and accessible, making it easy for guests to double check locations, dates, and registry info.
8 Months to go
You’re already 1/4 through with your wedding planning checklist! See how manageable everything is? Well, don’t slow down now, we’re getting to the good stuff.
Gift Registry:
Put a good amount of thought into your gift registry. It’s going to be tempting to ask for some trendy gifts, but what you really want is supplies for the future. Be specific. Make the effort to ask for what you actually want and need.
Bridesmaid Attire:
Start off with a shortlist of what you want for your wedding, but make sure your bridesmaids have enough flexibility to be comfortable. If they are available, bring them along to a few fittings so that you don’t have to rely on your imagination.
7 Months to go
This leg of your wedding planning journey focuses on celebration. When working with others, it’s highly encouraged to listen to their opinions as people who want nothing but the best for you.
Rehearsal Dinner:
If you are following tradition, the groom’s parents will be footing the bill for the rehearsal dinner. Check another item off of your wedding planning checklist by coordinating the date and location for the rehearsal dinner with them.
Entertainment:
Depending on your budget and vision, there may be a fair amount of entertainment to account for. This includes bands or DJs and other performers. If you are going all out with pyrotechnics, make sure to inquire about insurance with your venue.
Rentals:
You’ve already settled on your wedding them, color palette, and overall wedding vision. This knowledge empowers you to contact rental companies for all of your tent, linen, and furniture needs.
Officiant:
Officiants are always in high demand. Connecting with them and securing their services early ensures that they will be available on your big day at the location of your choice.
6 Months to go:
All of the details start coming together at the halfway mark of the wedding planning process.
Transportation:
Planning transportation for your guests isn’t always part of the equation. When it is, this is the time to tend to it. With a few months to spare, you can comfortably compare the cost and convenience of individual transportation, shuttles, or securing help from friends and family.
This is also the time to look into your post-wedding getaway car as well as your own transportation to the venue.
Honeymoon:
By now you should have had a few discussions about where to go and what to do once you get there. Make your deposits and make sure to get your passport and international vaccines in order.
Tux Rental:
It’s perfectly acceptable to purchase a tuxedo, but most groom’s prefer to rent. Make sure to take the time for a proper fitting and alterations. A poor fitting suit is obvious and makes for an uncomfortable evening.
Counseling:
Pre-wedding counseling isn’t on everyone’s wedding planning checklist, but it is a very important component to marriage for some couples. This is a very healthy way to get your marriage off to the strongest start.
4 Months to go
You’re getting so close to the big day! This portion of wedding planning is dedicated to the senses.
Menu:
Food has become an increasingly more important feature of weddings. If you are planning to customize your appetizers, main course, desserts, and signature cocktail, a scheduled tasting is in order. Your venue and budget will help you choose between served plates and buffet style dining.
Cake:
Choosing the perfect cake is a tough decision. Brides are tasked with balancing the aesthetic of the cake and the taste. Hands-on testing is highly recommended so that you are pleased with every aspect of your choice.
Wedding Bands:
One of the more pleasurable experiences of wedding planning is choosing your bands. Schedule some time with your future groom to try on a variety of styles until you find a set that accurately represents the both of you.
Groomsmen Suits:
Choosing the groom’s tuxedo makes it easy to match suits for the groomsmen. The team should be afforded the opportunity for a proper fitting and alterations so that they look their best as well.
Hair and Makeup:
Do a little research in advance so that you know exactly what you want. To make things easy, bring photo references. That being said, don’t be overly specific with your expectations. Your stylists are artists. Give them the flexibility to get creative and you may wind up with something better than you originally planned for.
The last 3 months
The final 3 months of your wedding planning timeline are all about the finer details and preparing emotionally.
Send invitations:
Your guests already received the save the date. The invitations are a fun formality to make everything feel just a little bit more real.
Seating chart:
The seating chart is often a more complicated part of the wedding planning checklist than expected. It’s great advice to ask both mothers for a little help with this. They are likely to be the most familiar with each guest and their relationships with each other.
Write your vows:
Take the time to write things down, practice out loud, and ask for some feedback. The goal should be authenticity, so committing your speech to memory is always a good idea.
Practice runs:
Events like the rehearsal dinner, venue walk-throughs, and floral mockups gives you one last chance to make adjustments and to get everyone on the same page in regards to expectations.
DIY and gifts:
If you have worked DIY creations into your wedding planning checklist, now is the time to enlist the help of friends and family. This is also the period where you will want to decide on wedding favors and special gifts for your bridesmaids and other individuals.
Marriage license:
It’s important to look into your particular state’s laws and requirements in advance so that there are no hiccups with your marriage license. This is extra important if you are hosting a destination wedding in another nation to make sure that everything is legal once you return home.
Payments:
Make sure that you have accounted for every vendor payment as well as any appropriate tips. It’s common to assign a single person, usually a member of the wedding party, to distribute checks and envelopes with cash tips.
Final prep:
Final prep for your wedding includes assembling an emergency kit, breaking in your wedding shoes, procuring wedding day undergarments, and buying smaller last minute items. It’s also the perfect time to review your entire wedding planning checklist to make sure that you didn’t miss anything.
Self care:
A very important part of the wedding planning checklist is yourself. Schedule in some time to relax, visit a spa, tend to your beauty regimen, and exercise. You’ll want to create a day-before and day-of so that you are well rested, well hydrated, and well fed.
Conclusion
Getting married is a huge undertaking and you want to make sure that everything goes smoothly. To do that, you need to keep your wedding planning checklist organized and up-to-date. You can also use this checklist as a guide when filling out other forms required by the various vendors involved in your wedding day so they know exactly what they need from you or anyone else who’s helping out with all the details!
Author: Valeriya Istomina is a Wedding Forward expert on wedding budgets, etiquettes, ceremonies, and music. If you need tips for wedding planning, she will guide you all the way. She collects analytics and surveys, talks to experts; creates checklists, templates, and gives her take on wedding planning. Her other passions are yoga, photography, and reading.
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