Wedding Checklist
Planning your wedding day? Make sure you've referenced this
wedding checklist!
Wedding planning checklist
Planning уоur wеddіng can bе ԛuіtе a ѕtrugglе, frоm dress ѕhорріng to оrgаnіzіng the rsvp lіѕt and ѕо on but уоu can еnjоу thе рlаnnіng рrосеѕѕ mоrе whеn you're оrgаnіzеd. It'ѕ оvеrwhеlmіng whеn уоu'rе not sure whаt'ѕ nеxt оn thе tо-dо lіѕt. Our сhесklіѕt will gіvе уоu thе general соuntdоwn of all thе mаіn thіngѕ уоu need to do. The lіѕt is a basic tіmеlіnе based оn the 16-month length оf thе аvеrаgе U.S. еngаgеmеnt, runnіng thrоugh thе typical times you wоuld research аnd bооk dіffеrеnt еlеmеntѕ on wеddіng ѕеrvісеѕ that best ѕuіt уоu. Plаnnіng a Wedding іѕ ѕіmрlу gеttіng organized. Thіѕ 16 mоnth Wеddіng рlаnnіng checklist will help turn уоur dream іntо a rеаlіtу!
Sixteen tо Nіnе Months Bеfоrе Wedding
Dаtе: ______________________
- Stаrt a wеddіng fоldеr оr bіndеr.
Begin leafing through bridal, lifestyle, fashion, gardening, design, and food magazines to find wedding services for your dream wedding.
Envision your wedding and draw up a budget. Determine how much you have to spend, based on your families’ contributions and your own. Based on your budget you should know if you’ll be using a VIP or royal wedding services.
As soon as you’re engaged, people will start wondering who’s in.
Make a head count database to use throughout your planning process, with columns for contact info, RSVPs, gifts, and any other relevant information. (Want to keep costs low? It may be brutal, but the best way to do it is to reduce your guest list.)
- Hire a planner, if desired.
A planner will have relationships with—and insights about—vendors.
- Reserve your date and venues.
Decide whether to have separate locations for the ceremony and the reception, factoring in travel time between the two places.
- Research photographers, bands, florists, and caterers.
Keep their contact information in your binder.
- Throw an engagement party, if you wish.
But remember that your invitees should be on your wedding guest list as well.
Eight Months Before
Date: ______________________
- Hire the photographer and the videographer.
No need to talk specifics yet but be sure that the people you hire are open to doing the shots that you want.
Decide what type of entertainment you want. A pianist for the cocktail hour, strolling violinists, a DJ, or band? Attend gigs of potential acts to see how they perform in front of audiences, and then reserve your favorite.
If your wedding venue doesn’t offer its own catering service, look for one now and hire the service this month or early next.
Think about, shop for, and order your gown. You’ll need to schedule time for at least three fittings. Veil shopping can be postponed for another two to three months.
- Reserve a block of hotel rooms for out-of-town guests.
Pick three hotels at different price points close to the reception venue.
Sign up at a minimum of three retailers.
- Launch a wedding website.
Create your personal page through a free provider such as weddingchannel.com. Note the date of the wedding, travel information, and accommodations. Then send the link to invitees.
Seven to Six Months Before
Date: ______________________
- Select and purchase invitations.
Hire a calligrapher, if desired. Addressing cards is time-consuming, so you need to budget accordingly.
- Start planning a honeymoon.
Make sure that your passports are up-to-date, and schedule doctors’ appointments for any shots you may need.
- Shop for bridesmaids’ dresses.
Allow at least six months for the dresses to be ordered and sized.
Map out the ceremony and confirm that you have all the official documents for the wedding (these vary by county and religion).
- Send save-the-date cards. Send save-the-date cards. This is a particularly good idea if you're marrying during a tourist or holiday season or having a destination wedding.
- Reserve structural and electrical necessities.
Book portable toilets for outdoor events, extra chairs if you need them, lighting components, and so on.
Florists can serve multiple clients on one day, which is why you can wait a little longer to engage one. Plus, at this point, you’ll be firm on what your wedding palette will be.
Consider limos, minibuses, trolleys, and town cars. (But know that low-to-the-ground limos can make entries and exits dicey if you’re wearing a fitted gown.)
- Start composing a day-of timeline.
Draw up a schedule of the event and slot in each component (the cake-cutting, the first dance).
Five to Four Months Before
Date: ______________________
- Book the rehearsal and rehearsal-dinner venues.
Negotiate the cost and the menu. If you’re planning to host a day-after brunch for guests, book that place as well.
- Check on the wedding invitations.
Ask the stationer for samples of the finished invitations and revise them to suit your needs.
- Select and order the cake.
Some bakers require a long lead time. Attend several tastings before committing to any baker.
- Send your guest list to the host of your shower.
Provided you, ahem, know about the shower.
- Purchase wedding shoes and start dress fittings.
Bring the shoes along to your first fitting so the tailor can choose the appropriate length for your gown.
- Schedule hair and makeup artists.
Make a few appointments with local experts to try them out. Snap a photo at each so you can compare results.
What should be playing when the wedding party is announced? During dinner? To kick off the dancing? Keep a running list of what you want—and do not want—played.
Three Months Before
Date: ______________________
- Finalize the menu and flowers. You’ll want to wait until now to see what will be available, since food and flowers are affected by season.
- Order favors, if desired.
Some safe bets: monogrammed cookies or a treat that represents your city or region. If you’re planning to have welcome baskets for out-of-town guests, plan those now too.
- Make a list of the people giving toasts.
Which loved ones would you like to have speak at the reception? Ask them now.
Determine what you would like to have read at the ceremony—and whom you wish to do the readings.
- Purchase your undergarments.
And schedule your second fitting.
- Finalize the order of the ceremony and the reception.
- Print menu cards, if you like, as well as programs.
No need to go to a printer, if that’s not in your budget: You can easily create these on your computer.
This will give you time for resizing and engraving.
- Send your event schedule to the vendors.
Giving them a first draft now allows ample time for tweaks and feedback.
Two Months Before
Date: ______________________
- Touch base again with all the vendors.
Make sure any questions you or they had on your first draft have been answered.
- Meet with the photographer.
Discuss specific shots, and walk through the locations to note spots that appeal to you.
- Review the playlist with the band or deejay.
Though you probably won’t be able to dictate every single song played, you should come prepared with a wish list.
- Send out the invitations.
The rule of thumb: Mail invitations six to eight weeks before the ceremony, setting the RSVP cutoff at three weeks after the postmark date.
- Submit a newspaper wedding announcement.
If you’re planning to include a photograph, check the publication’s website: Some have strict rules about how the photo should look.
- Enjoy a bachelorette party.
Arranging a night out with your girlfriends generally falls to the maid of honor. But if she hasn’t mentioned one to you by now, feel free to ask—for scheduling purposes, of course!—if a celebration is in the works.
One Month Before
Date: ______________________
- Enter RSVPs into your guest-list database.
Phone people who have not yet responded.
- Get your marriage license.
The process can take up to six days, but it’s good to give yourself some leeway. If you are changing your name, order several copies.
- Mail the rehearsal-dinner invitations.
- Visit the dressmaker for (with luck!) your last dress fitting.
For peace of mind, you may want to schedule a fitting the week of your wedding. You can always cancel the appointment if you try on the dress then and it fits perfectly.
Now that you have a firm head count you can order accordingly.
- Send out as many final payments as you can.
- Confirm times for hair and makeup and all vendors.
- E-mail and print directions for drivers of transport vehicles.
This gives the chauffeurs ample time to navigate a route.
Draw out table shapes on a layout of the room to help plan place settings. Write the names of female guests on pink sticky notes and the names of male guests on blue sticky notes so you can move people about without resketching the entire setting.
- Purchase bridesmaids’ gifts.
You’ll present them at the rehearsal dinner.
- Write vows, if necessary.
- Get your hair cut and colored, if desired.
Week of the Wedding
Date: ______________________
- Reconfirm arrival times with vendors. Just to be sure they don’t disappoint.
- Delegate small wedding-day tasks.
Choose someone to bustle your dress, someone to carry your things, someone to be in charge of gifts (especially the enveloped sort), someone to hand out tips, and someone to be the point person for each vendor.
- Send a timeline to the bridal party.
Include every member’s contact information, along with the point people you’ve asked to deal with the vendors, if problems arise.
Or make arrangements for a delivery.
- Check in one last time with the photographer.
Supply him or her with a list of moments you want captured on film.
- Set aside checks for the vendors.
And put tips in envelopes to be handed out at the event.
Make an appointment for a manicure and a pedicure the day before the wedding. You might want to get a stress-relieving massage, too.
- Send the final guest list to the caterer and all venues hosting your wedding-related events.
Typically, companies close their lists 72 hours in advance.
- Assemble and distribute the welcome baskets.
- Pack for your honeymoon.
Day before Wedding
Date: ______________________
- Contact all wedding professionals.
Provide all wedding professionals with an emergency phone number to call on the day of the wedding.
- Write checks or talk to your wedding hosts.
Usually your parents assist with any final balances to be paid at the end of the reception.
Night before the Wedding
Date: ______________________
Meet with wedding party, ceremony readers, immediate family, and your officiant at the ceremony site to rehearse and iron out details.
Bring unity candles, aisle runner, yarmulkes and other ceremony accessories to the site.
- Give your marriage license to your officiant.
- Attend rehearsal dinner.
- Present attendants with gifts at the rehearsal dinner.
You'll want to do this especially if the gifts are accessories to be worn during the wedding.
Day of the Wedding
Date: ______________________
- Present Parents and each other with gifts.
- Wedding bands.
Give wedding bands to the best man and the maid of honor to hold during the ceremony.
- Give best man the officiant’s fee envelope.
This is to be handed off after the ceremony.
- Introduce your reception site manager to your consultant.
You introduce your reception manager to your consultant or maid of honor for questions or problems during the reception.
- Assign a family member or attendant to be with the photographer.
You are to assign a family member or attendant to the photographer so he knows who is who in the occasion.
Post Wedding
Date: ______________________
- Prearrange for someone to return any rentals.
- Preplan for attendants to take the bride’s gown for cleaning and return the groom’s tux to the rental shop.
- Write and send thank-you notes.
Thank-you notes should be sent to gift-bearing guests and vendors who were especially helpful.
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It is important that you are prepared and know what perfect look to wear on your wedding day. Be sure not try something drastic or totally new, but fine tune the look that makes you feel beautiful!
If you wish to contact a makeup expert, ensure you allocate enough time to meet the consultant. The consultant knows what questions to ask you to make the best recommendations.
TIP #1 Skin Care Before The Wedding:
Good skin care is always imperative for the bride to have the most beautiful glowing look on her http://www.find-wedding-services.com/. A bride who is not already using a quality skin care routine should consider her options six to eight weeks before the wedding day. Soap is not a quality skin care routine, and discount bargain items are not formulated to be the best for your skin. Choose a line that you can use all the products that are formulated to work together.
TIP #2 Wedding dress:
First, you need to look for a wedding dress. This is a statement about you, the wedding, your style. It is what everyone will see you in so make sure you try on a lot of different styles. There are long and short styles, A-line and princess cuts, off the shoulder, long sleeve, everything you can think of. So, be patient, look through the wedding magazines, and start trying them on. Also, don't bring too many people with you when you make your decision. Everyone will have an opinion, but the most important thing is that you like the dress.
TIP #3 Wedding Shoes:
Do you want ivory wedding shoes or silver wedding shoes? What color is your dress? How high are your heels? The wedding shoes are the second most important thing to think about for the wedding day outfit, right after your wedding dress. So, think through the color, the style, the heel height and then go shopping. Also, make sure you bring them on your fitting day so you can get your dress altered to the right height.
TIP #4 Bridal Makeup:
Fashion comes and goes as often as the season changes. Trends range back and forth as easily as a pendulum keeps time. One thing for sure - the trend will change. When choosing your bridal makeup - make a decision if you want to look classic and timeless or if you wish for a trendy look of the day. It is important to look just like yourself. Remember the groom asked the real you to marry him and he wants to see the real you at the altar!
Time of Day For The Wedding:
You as the bride should consider the time of day the wedding will be held as you plan your makeup. Time of day is critical to how well the makeup will photograph because of the varied lighting. Paying attention to details for each time frame is essential to have the wedding photographs of your dreams!
Morning Bride:
A Bridal wedding makeup look for the morning should be soft and natural. It is the perfect time for a girl who prefers natural looks. Most of the morning brides have their wedding outside or, at least, take lots of photos outside. A photographer will take advantage of the soft natural light in the morning.
Midday Bride:
Mid-day weddings must take into account that the mid-day sun may cast shadows on your face. It makes a quite big difference if you are taking photos outdoors.
Late-Afternoon Bride:
If you want to add a little more drama to your makeup, take advantage of the golden light in the late afternoon. This light is beautiful and forgiving.
Evening Bride:
The evening bride is the glamor queen. More makeup and color will photograph well in the evening much better than any other time of the day. You may do darker shades of the eye shadow to make your makeup more dramatic.
TIP #5 Wedding hair accessories:
This is another component of your outfit. You will need something to put in your hair. Or, you can opt for nothing. It highly depends on what look you wish to have. Some women buy a tiara so they can look like a princess. Some go for a headband, so it is not too flashy. Others will buy clips and combs or put flowers in their hair. Whatever you choose, make sure you try it on with your hair stylist before the big day.
TIP #6 Wedding Undergarments:
What you wear underneath will affect how the dress falls and how you feel. If you have a dress with a thick material, this is not as important since it will hide granny pants as well as thongs. If you have a thin dress, make sure that you wear undergarments that do not have lines. Finally, decide on whether or not you want to add Spanx to your outfit to make you look skinnier on that day.
TIP #7 Wedding Jewelry:
This is the final thing to buy. Wedding earrings, necklace, and bracelet. Some of you may only buy or find one of these items. Sometimes, you can find the items in your closet or your mother's closet. Whatever you find, make sure you have it before the big day.
Final words:
Remember, this is one of the most important days of your life as a bride. Bridesmaid's makeup can be soft and complement them and the wedding color, but it is your day. Your bridesmaids will appreciate consideration of what is most flattering with their features too!
