| 12+ Month Before |
Date: _________________ |
2 Weeks Before
Wedding |
[ ] Announce your
engagement. Tell important family and friends the good
news. Parents of the bride traditionally come first.
[ ] Envision your wedding and draw up a budget
[ ] Pick your wedding date & time, book an officiant.
Select several options, then check with location site, officiciant,
and important guests to finalize
[ ] Start planning the guest list
[ ] Look for and book ceremony and reception sites
[ ] Ask friends and relatives to be in the wedding party
[ ] Optional: Have an engagement party. You may
want to register for gifts beforehand.
|
[ ] Run over
final RSVP list and call any guests who have not yet sent a response
[ ] Deliver must-have shot lists to photographer and
videographer. Include who should be in formal portraits and
determine when portraits will be shot
[ ] Deliver final song list to your DJ or
bandleader. Include special song requests and songs you don't
want played
[ ] Bride: Get your last pre-wedding haircut and color
|
| 8 - 10 Months Before |
Date: _________________ |
1 Week Before
Wedding |
[ ] Bride: Think about, shop
for, and order your gown
[ ] Envision reception food
[ ] Decide what type of entertainment you want.
Cocktail hour musicians, DJ or band ?
[ ] Think about your floral decor
[ ] Research and book your wedding professionals.
Interview vendors: photographer, videographer, reception band or DJ,
florist.
[ ] 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
[ ] Research and reserve accommodations for out-of-town
guests
[ ] Register for gifts
[ ] Contact rental companies if you need to rent
anything for ceremony / reception. Chairs, tables, tents, etc
|
[ ] Give
reception / site catering final guest head count. Include
vendors, such as the photographer or band members, who will expect a
meal. Ask how many extra plates the caterer will prepare
[ ] Supply location manager with a list of vendor
requests such as a table for DJ, setup space needed by florist, etc
[ ] Plan reception seating chart
[ ] Print place and table cards, or finalize list with
the calligrapher you have hired to do so
[ ] Call all wedding vendors and confirm all
arrangements
[ ] Give ceremony and reception site managers a schedule
of vendor delivery and setup times, plus contact numbers
[ ] Groom: Get your hair trimmed
[ ] Attend bachelor/ette parties
|
| 6 - 8 Months Before |
Date: _________________ |
2 - 3 Days Before
Wedding |
[ ] Book ceremony musicians
[ ] Order bridesmaid dresses
[ ] Start planning honeymoon |
[ ] Bride: If you need to, have your gown
pressed or steamed (make sure the bridal salon approves)
[ ] Groom: Go for final fitting and pick up your
formalwear
[ ] Groom: Ask the best man to make sure all groomsmen
attend fittings and pick up their outfits
[ ] Determine wedding party positions during ceremony
and the order of the party in the processional and recessional
[ ] Hand off placecards, table cards, menus, disposable
cameras, favors, and any other items for setting the tables to the
caterer and/or site manager.
[ ] Reconfirm final details with all vendors.
Discuss any last minute substitutions
[ ] Call the limousine or car rental company for pickup
times and locations
[ ] Arrange that guest without cars be picked up from
the airport or train station. Ask friends, attendants, or
relatives to help.
[ ] Deliver Welcome Baskets to the local hotel
concierge, make sure to include names and delivery instructions
|
| 4 - 6 Months Before |
Date: _________________ |
Day Before
Wedding |
[ ]
Attend pre-wedding counseling, if require
[ ] Shop for invitations and wedding rings
[ ] Shop for formalwear
[ ] Renew or get passports, if necessary
[ ] Envision your wedding cake and research, interview,
and book a cake designer |
[ ] Provide all wedding professional with
an emergency phone number to call on the day of the wedding
[ ] Write checks and/or talk to wedding hosts (usually
your parents, if not you) about any final balances to be paid at the
end of the reception |
| 3 Months Before |
Date: _________________ |
Night Before
Wedding |
[ ]
Order Invitations
[ ] Order Wedding Cake
[ ] Order Rings
[ ] Hire a calligrapher, if you want your invitations
professionally addressed
[ ] Attend your shower. Maybe earlier, depending
on when hosts decide to have it !
[ ] Groom: Rent the men's formalwear
[ ] Hire wedding-day-transport. Limousines, other
cars. Look into transportation soon if you're considering
renting streetcars or over-the-top travel |
[ ] Rehearse ceremony. Meet with
wedding party, ceremony readers, immediate family , and your
officiant at the ceremony site to rehearse and iron out details
[ ] Bring unity candle, aisle runner, yarmulkes, or
other ceremony accessories to the site
[ ] Give your marriage license to the 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
|
| 2 Months Before |
Date: _________________ |
Day Of
Wedding |
[ ] Mail your Invitations
[ ] Write your Vows
[ ] Purchase gifts for parents, attendants, and each
other
[ ] Book your stylist and try out big-day hairstyles
[ ] Book a makeup artist and go for trial run
|
[ ] Present parents and each other with
gifts
[ ] 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, to be
handed after the ceremony
[ ] Introduce your reception site manager to your
consultant or maid of honor for questions or problems during the
reception
[ ] Assign a family member or attendant to be the
photographer's contact so he knows who is who
|
| 1 Month Before |
Date: _________________ |
Post Wedding |
[ ] Apply for a marriage
license. Check with the local bureau in the town where you'll
wed.
[ ] Bride: Have final gown fitting. Bring your
maid of honor along to learn how to bustle your dress. Have
the dress pressed and bring it home
[ ] Call all bridesmaids. make sure they have
their gowns ready for the wedding
[ ] Make last-minute adjustments with vendors
[ ] Create a wedding program to hand out to guests
[ ] Order and plan in-room welcome baskets for
out-of-town guests. |
[ ] Arrange for someone to return any
rentals
[ ] Arrange 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 to gift-bearing
guests and vendors who were especially helpful |
