Creating Your Best Wedding Plan Timeline
It happened. One of you popped the question and the other said, “yes!” Congratulations! Now, it’s time for the fun to begin.
Wedding planning can, arguably, be a fairly stressful period in a young couples relationship. Let’s face it, organizing a giant party to showcase your love in front of all your friends and family is kind of a big undertaking. Particularly when you (theoretically) only get ONE chance. You want everything to be perfect, and that’s understandable – even if it may not be totally realistic. But one of the best ways to ensure your wedding goes off without a hitch is to have a solid idea of what you need to get done and when.
Most of the time, a wedding planner is a huge help in creating that personalized timeline based on when you have set your date – but if you are going it alone, you will ideally be giving yourself at least a year for the planning. Here’s why:
ONE YEAR
A year before your wedding is the best time to start looking for vendors, notifying your potential guests and recruiting your wedding party. This gives everyone plenty of time to start doing their own planning so that they can be at your wedding, and it gives you a chance to review and talk to a handful of vendors (photographers, caterers, music, etc.) before making your final decisions. And ideally before booking other vendors, you would also be choosing a venue and setting a date. You want to make those decisions early, because good venues tend to book up far in advance.
NINE MONTHS
At 9 months before your wedding, you want to be finalizing your guest list and getting addresses so that you can send out save the dates and later on – your invitations. Now is the time to actually order those invitations so that you have them in plenty of time to address and get out in the mail. You also want to make that big dress purchase right around this point. Remember that it can take months for the dress to arrive, and after that – you will still have fittings to worry about. Give yourself plenty of time there so you aren’t up against the big deadline while waiting for a dress that fits. You should have your photographer selected by now as well, and get your engagement photo session on the books – you’ll want those to include on your wedding website!
While you’re at it, choosing a honeymoon destination and booking your arrangements early can also remove some stress later on and give you something additional to look forward to. And if you haven’t done it yet, make sure to get out those save the dates!
SIX MONTHS
At 6 months before your wedding, get your wedding cake ordered and start compiling a list of ways to make travel easier for your guests. Maps of the local area and directions to the wedding venue, for instance, can be incredibly helpful. Look into what you will need to get your wedding license as well, so that those details can be easily finalized when the time comes. By this point, all your vendors should be selected and deposits paid.
FOUR MONTHS
Four months before the wedding, it’s time to send out your invitations. You will also want to order your guest book and any wedding favors and bridal party gifts you may want for the ceremony.
TWO MONTHS
With two months to go, you’ll want to arrange an appointment with your selected hair and makeup stylists to ensure you are on the same page for the wedding day look. Opt for a full trial so that you can discuss what does and does not work before the big day.
ONE MONTH
At one month before your wedding, make sure to touch base with all your vendors. Discuss song choices with the DJ or band and go over must-have shots with the photographer. You should also be able to put together your final seating arrangement at this point.
LAST DAYS
In the days leading up the big day, just remember to pamper yourself. Get plenty of sleep and opt for the mani/pedi with your bridal party. Trust that all your hard work will have paid off at this point, and just remember to smile.
Congratulations!! You’re getting married!
