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Planning Timeline Calendar
A Step-by-Step Wedding Planner! |
By
looking at each step one at a time, you will be able to break down the planning
process into easy manageable pieces as opposed to having a huge grey area of
unfinished tasks hanging over your head for months. Even Bridal Consultants have
lists that they refer to when planning weddings, to make sure they cover all the
bases. Certainly don't feel bound to the timeline of this Calendar. Your time
line may vary depending on the date of your wedding.
12to24monthsbefore
If
at all possible, it would be ideal to accomplish these steps 12 months or
earlier. If you're looking at 12 months or sooner, it simply means that you'll
need to be running through these steps a bit faster!
Announce
Your Engagement.
This is your moment to shout it from the roof tops!! Tell your family (parents
first), friends, and co-workers. Then show off the rock, because you know you're
dying to...
Select
a Date & Back-drop For Your Wedding.
You may want to pick your favourite season (keeping in mind that it could rule
out the possibility of an outdoor wedding), consider the schedules of family and
friends who you definitely want to attend or be a part of the special day,
decide whether you picture yourself in a horse-drawn carriage in the snow or in
the sun. Even your favourite flower may have a bit of control over your date,
because it will be less expensive if it is in season when you marry. This is the
time to sit down with your soon-to-be-hubby and discuss what you see in the big
picture. These decisions or thoughts will definitely come into play when
discussing budget as well, so take notes girls.
The
BIG Picture:
Determine
the Type of Wedding You Want.
Going hand in hand with choosing your wedding date, you will want to decide on
several of the major elements of your wedding. Location, formality, day, night,
size, indoor, outdoor, number of guests... This is another major part of
that big picture mentioned above. These details will affect all parts of your
wedding - from your budget to the vendors you include to the location. Best idea
is to sit back, relax with a glass of wine and your favourite man, and talk
details. Picture your perfect wedding, then pick out which parts of that picture
are the most important to you. Write them down. Afterward, you'll see which
parts of it are realistic and which parts you can do without. We're getting to
that part...
Hire
a Professional
Wedding
Consultant?
You'll
So Thank Yourself For it Later.
While this web site, many of your vendors, and probably your mom/friends/family
will be able to help you plan all of the details,
wedding
consultants can
often make life in general easier. Wedding consultants can either help plan the
entire event or often just be hired to attend the day of the wedding. They can
make sure that everything goes as planned, bring bobby-pins for hair crises and
hair spray for nylon runs, and, well, basically deal with any of the problems
that may arise - and trust us, there are always problems. The earlier you hire a
consultant, the more of these steps he or she can help you with. Otherwise,
bookmark this site and email for advice when you're stuck.
Check
out local wedding consultants!
Prepare
to Delegate!
If you don't
hire
a consultant or it
just isn't in the budget, your second option is to put some of your most trusted
friend or family member in charge of these duties (as seen above). Handling
everything single-handedly is not possible. Picture yourself running around in
two inch heels, wearing a ten pound gown with a twenty foot train sporting hair
spray and bobby-pins... If that's not enough to make the delegation of tasks to
friends OR the hiring of a consultant your number one priority, we don't know
what is!
The
Budget. (cue
music from Nightmare on Elm Street)
Determining your
budget and how expenses will be shared is a scary thought, but it doesn't have
to be. Simply sit down with your man and look at how much you think you can save
over the months leading up to the wedding. Check out out
Best
Guesstimate Savings Chart
for a good start. Then look at how much you already have. Then, the last step is
sitting down with parents and discuss the wedding plans you're thinking of so
that you can open the discussion of their possible contributions. In this day
and age, the old traditions of who pays for what are very seldom upheld, so
there is no guarantee that parents will be able to contribute a lot or at all.
Once you have added up all of these amounts, you have your budget! (cue big sigh
of relief) From here on in, its just a matter of details. The
brand new
Budgeter
giving basic price ranges for absolutely everything, so you can use this as a
rule of thumb for planning your wedding. At
this time, find or make a record-keeping book to record payments made and
balances due as your get closer to the Wedding Day.
The
Guest List.
If your family goes up in arms about anything, it may end up being about this.
The best way to avoid problems, is to take everyone's suggestions and then break
it down into a number that your budget and sanity can handle. Collect Lists from
Everyone: Bride, Groom, Bride’s Family, Groom’s Family. Then add a little
perspective:
•
Decide if you want to include any children among the guests
•
Choose who must be invited
•
Choose who should be invited
•
Choose who it would be nice to invite
Make
Some BIG Decisions. Do A Little Shoppin'.
•
Decide On, select and reserve
ceremony
site
•
Select and reserve your
officiant
•
Select and reserve
reception
site
•
Select and order your
bridal
gown and headpiece
•
Determine your colour scheme
•
Select and book
photographer
•
Select maid of honour, best man, bridesmaids and ushers (approximately one usher
for every 50 guests)
Announce
your Engagement in the
Newspaper.
Your photographer often includes an engagement photo in the package you've
selected. You can use this professional shot or simply choose a favourite candid
pic from the your personal photo album.
Details,
Details.
•
Buy a
Calendar
or Planner to write down all important
activities: showers, luncheons, parties, get-togethers, etc.
•
If ceremony or reception is at home, arrange for home or garden improvements as
needed.
•
Order passport, visa or birth certificate, if needed for your honeymoon or
marriage
license.
6to12monthsbefore
•
Select flower girl and ring bearer (consider closeness to the family, age,
maturity, shyness and, of course, cuteness!)
•
Decide (WITH them, not for them) on the individual responsibilities of each
member of the wedding party and then make sure everyone is clear on the final
decisions of who does what.
•
Reserve
wedding
night bridal suite in a hotel.
It is suggested that you choose a separate hotel or floor from traveling wedding
guests so that you are undisturbed. You may want to choose one with brunch
facilities if you plan to meet up with all guests for breakfast before leaving
on your Honeymoon. Its a great way to say Thank You and to relax without a tight
itinerary. No matter how hard you try, you may end up missing some of the guests
during the actual wedding. This is a great way to make up for that.
•
Select attendants’ dresses, shoes and accessories
•
Select flower girl’s dress, shoes and accessories
•
Select and book
caterer,
if needed
•
Select and book ceremony musicians (for ideas on music selection -
click
here)
•
Select and book reception musicians or
DJ
(for ideas on music selection -
click
here)
•
Schedule fittings and delivery dates for yourself, attendants, flower girl and
ring bearer
•
Select and book
videographer
•
Select and book
florist
and
decorator
•
Register
at your favourite store
for wedding gifts
4to6monthsbefore
•
Bride and Groom get to start shopping for each other’s wedding gifts
•
Reserve rental items needed for ceremony & reception
•
Finalize guest list
•
Select
and order wedding stationary:
invitations, announcements, and additional stationary such as thank-you notes,
wedding programs, and seating cards
•
Set date, time and location for your rehearsal dinner
•
Arrange
accommodations
for your out-of-town guests
- by booking a group of rooms in a hotel, you can usually get a group discount,
making it less expensive for your guests
•
Start planning your honeymoon
•
Purchase shoes & accessories
•
Order
party
favours
2to4monthsbefore
•
Select bakery and order
wedding
cake
•
Address invitations
•
Select and order room
decorations
•
Purchase honeymoon attire & luggage
•
Select and book
transportation
for wedding day
•
Check
marriage
license requirements
•
Shop for wedding rings and engrave them
•
If you're planning something cosmetically drastic such as having your teeth
bleached, cutting your hair or changing it's colour, now is the time. This also
gives you lots of time to fix anything you wish you hadn't done!
•
Consider writing a will and/or prenuptial agreement
•
Plan activities for your out-of-town guests both before and after the wedding
•
Purchase
gifts
for wedding attendants
• Begin to break in your shoes
6to8weeksbefore
•
Mail invitations. Include
accommodation
choices and a map to
assist guests in finding the ceremony and reception sites
•
Maintain a record of RSVP’s and all gifts received. Send thank you notes
upon receipt of gifts
•
Determine hair style and makeup
•
Schedule to have your hair, make-up and nails done the day of the wedding, check
out local
spas
•
Finalize shopping for wedding day accessories such as
toasting
glasses, ring pillow, guest book, etc.
•
Set up an area or a table in your home to display gifts as you receive them
•
Check your
local
newspapers for wedding
announcement requirements
•
Have your formal
wedding
portrait taken
•
Send wedding announcement & photograph to your
local
newspaper
•
Select and reserve wedding attire for groom, ushers, fathers and ring bearer
•
Obtain
marriage
license
•
Plan luncheon or dinner with bridesmaids. Give them their gifts at that time or
at the rehearsal dinner
•
Find "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a
six pence (or shiny penny) for your shoe"
•
Finalize your
menu,
beverage and alcohol order
2to6weeksbefore
•
Confirm ceremony details with your
officiant
•
Arrange final fitting of bridesmaids’ dresses
•
Have final fitting of your gown and headpiece
•
Finalize rehearsal dinner plans; arrange seating and write names on place cards,
if desired
•
Make final floral selections at your
florist
and
decorator
•
Make a detailed timeline for your wedding party
•
Make a detailed timeline for your service providers
•
Confirm details with all service providers, including attire. Give them a
copy of your wedding timeline
•
Start packing for your honeymoon
•
Finalize addressing and stamping announcements
•
Decide if you want a formal receiving line. If so, determine when and
where to form the line
•
Contact guests who have not responded
•
Pick up rings and check for fit
•
Meet with
photographer
and confirm special photos you want
•
Meet with
videographer
and confirm special events or people you want videotaped
•
Meet with musicians and confirm music to be played during special events such as
first dance
•
Continue writing thank-you notes as gifts arrive
•
Remind bridesmaids and ushers of when and where to pick up their wedding attire
•
Purchase the lipstick, nail polish and any other accessories you want your
bridesmaids to wear
•
Determine ceremony seating for special guests. Give a list to the ushers
•
Plan reception room layout and seating with your
reception
site manager or caterer.
Write names on place cards for arranged seating
theweekbeforethewedding
•
Pick up wedding attire and make sure that everything fits
•
Do final guest count and notify your caterer or
reception
site manager
•
Gather everything you will need for the rehearsal and wedding day
•
Arrange for someone to drive the getaway car or ensure other
transportation
is in place
•
Review the schedule of events and last minute arrangements with your service
providers
•
Confirm your honeymoon reservations and accommodations. Pick up tickets
and travelers cheques
•
Finish packing for the honeymoon
•
Familiarize yourself with guests’ names. It will help during the
receiving line and reception
•
Have someone collect your mail and newspaper, water plants and take care of pets
while you are away on you honeymoon
thedaybeforethewedding
•
Review list of things to bring to the rehearsal
•
Put suitcases in getaway car
•
Give bridesmaids the lipstick, nail polish and accessories you want them to wear
for the wedding
•
Give best man the officiant’s fee and any other cheques for service providers
to be delivered the day of the wedding
•
Arrange for someone to bring accessories such as flower basket, ring pillow,
guest book & pen, toasting glasses, cake cutting knife and napkins to the
ceremony and reception
•
Arrange for someone to mail announcements the day after the wedding
•
Arrange for someone to return rental items such as tuxedos and cake pillars
after the wedding
•
Provide each member of your wedding party with a detailed schedule of events of
the wedding day
•
Review ceremony seating with the ushers
theweddingday! •
Review list of things to bring to the ceremony
•
Give the groom’s ring to the maid of honour, and give the bride’s ring to
the best man
•
Simply follow your schedule of events
•
Relax and enjoy your wedding!
Related
Articles:
Planning
Index ~
Reception
Sites in Cambridge
~
Tips
on Choosing the Reception Site ~
Tips
on Choosing the Ceremony Site
|
