Getting married is one of the most beautiful things in the world. With that being said, we know planning the wedding day could be one of the most hair pulling, frustrating, infuriating, overwhelming and stressful things as well. Luckily for all brides to be out there, more and more writers and bloggers are creating Wedding Planning Timetables. These timetables allow you to plan your wedding efficiently by giving you a checklist of tasks to be accomplished by a certain juncture.
9 to 12 months before…
- Set the date – before you start planning anything you first need to know when you want to get married.
- Make your own wedding planning timetable– this is just a guide. All wedding timelines and calendars should be tailored to suit the specific wedding.
- Set a budget – this is very important. You must know how much you have to spend. This way you can keep track of everything and you know your limitations.
- Start looking for and book a venue – this may seem like a strange thing to do so early, however, wedding venues get booked up very fast.
- Start the guest list – Now that you have your budget, you know how many people you can invite. Build your guest list early so that if you need to make any changes due to costs, it can be done before you send out invitations!
- Find an Officiant – this is dependent on the type of wedding you are having. If you
are getting married in a church then the officiant is no problem. However, if you are getting married at other locations, you must find someone to marry you as soon as possible. - Select Wedding party – let your friends and family members know well in advance what their roles will be so they too can budget.
6-8 months before…
- Make save the date cards/invitations – this can involve choosing the designer and the printer.
- Research/Find Vendors – this includes caterers, florists, photographers and the DJ or Band. Each of these are key components to your big day. By doing this so early, you allow yourself time to make a final decision as opposed to hiring the first person you interview because you are in a desperate rush.
- Find Bridesmaids’ Attire – The ladies standing behind/beside the bride must look
good (but not better than you of course). Make sure you find the dresses you wish for them to wear or, the persons you wish to make them. If you do get these made, allow sufficient time for multiple fittings. - Start planning your honeymoon – this is just as important as the wedding venue. Doing this early frees up your time to plan other things relating to the day. You may also need to book additional things relating to this such as accommodation and transportation. Also, when things become stressful, you can always imagine yourself at your chosen destination with you new husband/wife to give you something to look forward to amidst all the stress of planning.
- Get your Bridal Attire – this includes shoes and the dress. Every bride wants to sparkle on their wedding day so allow yourself time to find the perfect dress and to have multiple fittings for it.
4- 5 months before…
- Finalize guest list and send out the save the dates/invitations – all the planning of
the previous months will make this process much simpler. Remember that list you started 5 months ago? Some of those persons may have had to be removed due to budget limitations. Or you had to add Uncle John and Aunt Sophie to the list. Now after all the additions and subtractions and possibly more additions, you can finalize everything in this period. - Reserve rental items for ceremony – again this is dependent on the venue and reception location but can include things such as chairs, tables, tents etc.
- Finalize rehersal dinner details as well as ceremony details – both of these go hand in hand. If you want special selections such as readings or singing at your wedding, you need to notify the persons involved sooner rather than later.
2-3 months before…
- Shop for wedding rings – Allow yourself time to choose the perfect band you want your spouse to wear. Also, this time period gives you time to resolve any issues with sizing.
- Shop for and order wedding cake – Bakeries are always busy. It is always
someone’s birthday, or wedding, or celebration of some kind. Finalize this step sooner rather than later. - Find makeup artist and hairstylist – Persons in these occupations are always busy!
- Purchase key items – doing this during this time period is good as it get these little, yet key items out of the way in a reasonably timely fashion.
6-8 weeks before
- Reserve Groom and Groomsmen attire – yes, we found the bridesmaids’ and the
bride’s accessories months before, but let’s face it, it’s easier to find men’s attire for weddings! Nevertheless, make sure that the groom has this covered by this juncture so he and his boys won’t be scrambling a week before the wedding looking for suits! - Finalize key details – with your caterer, your venue staff and your floralist. It is very important as many things can arise suddenly for instance, the possibility of bad weather and the need to relocate indoors or unavailability of desired flowers. If you attempt to finalize these key details at this juncture but an issue arises, you have plenty of time to adjust accordingly.
2-6 weeks before
- The finish line is near! Use these few weeks before the wedding to finalize everything that wasn’t done in the previous weeks. From your programs to your dress fitting to your vows, make sure that everything is covered before your big day.
1 week before
- Pamper yourself – not only as a means to look good for your day, but to distress after all the hustle and bustle of the last few months.
- Make room for last minute things – as said previously, things may not always go according to plan, but at least this last week can be dedicated to dealing with any issues or emergencies that may arise.
And finally….
Get Married!!!
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