Now that you’ve found the man of your dreams and chosen a wedding date, you’ve probably begun to realize that there’s so much to do. A good understanding of the engagement year timeline will alleviate much of your planning stress! You’ll want to begin 9 to 12 months before your wedding day.
Work out your budget as soon as possible, because that will make you planning job much less stressful. Next choose the venue, wedding party and Officiant. Pinterest.com is one of the best tools I know of for wedding planning because it is image based and makes the job of pulling together a gorgeous theme very simple. Another tool , Evernote is an online notebook for list making and I recommend it as a tool for planning a wedding of any size. Use it to create a calendar for yourself and your wedding guest list. You can even have a page for your vendors with all of their contact information and room for pictures. I can’t stress enough that if you do the lion’s share of this planning 12 months out, when the actual date appears on the horizon you’ll be able to enjoy all of the festivities and surprises even more.
Eight months before the date is the time to be meeting with your chosen caterer for tastings. Reserve a block of hotel rooms for out of town guests and be sure to send a “save the date” card to everyone you’ll be inviting. This is also when you’ll want to book your photographer, videographer and band/DJ if you’re going to have one and choose all of your wedding shots and the reception playlist. Choose the florist and purchase your dress now so that you’ve got plenty of time for alterations. You’ll also want to begin creating your gift registries. Choose one or two stores to work with and make sure that you understand how they will be treating your guests and special registry requests.
Six to seven months before the big day is the time to order your invitations and plan your honeymoon. Book all of the transportation for yourself and your guests now. This is also when you’ll want to grab all of your bridesmaids that so that you can go shopping for their dresses and shoes. Be sure to take along an iPad or two so that you can Skype with the out of town girls so that they can be a part of the festivities. Next you’ll want to grab your fiance by the hand, go to the jewelers and purchase the wedding rings! Don’t forget to make your life easy by booking the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner venue this month as well.
4 to five months before your wedding is when you’ll want to be meeting with your baker and having a conversation with your band or DJ about the playlists you’ll want them to use. This is also the time that you’ll want to meet with your hair and makeup stylist if you have one and really plan out a wedding look for yourself that will last the day and have you feeling absolutely beautiful, not overly made-up and uncomfortable. A good makeup artist will take pictures so that you’ll have a really good idea of how the camera will treat you on your wedding day.
Two to three months before will have you finalizing your menus and buying favors if you’re going to have them; this is also a good time to purchase bridesmaids and grooms gifts. Be sure to check with your florist now to make sure that the flowers you want will be available and sothat you have enough time to make substitutions if they are needed. Eight weeks before the big day is when you’ll want to send your invitations. Be sure to check in with all of your vendors to make sure that all is going as planned and confirm arrival times.
It’s one month before your wedding day! This is when you’ll have your last dress fitting and you’ll need to get your marriage license. Start recording your RSVP’s , begin to make your table seating arrangements and don’t forget to mail your rehearsal dinner invitations! Keep up with your thank you notes as the gifts come in and you’ll never have to worry that you’ve forgotten anyone!
You’re down to the wire now, only one week to go! Pick up your dress and break in your shoes. Send a final head count to your caterer and relax. All that’s left to do is pack for your honeymoon, relax and enjoy your big day!
Picture of wedding dress ~origins unknown
