Newly engaged and trying to plan your special day? Planning a wedding is a daunting task, but knowing what to do and when to do it can ease the stress. Here’s a step-by-step guide to the key steps of planning your wedding.
Step 0: Before It All
Before you start planning your wedding, and even before you are even engaged, there is one important step: daydream. You and your partner may have different ideas of what your special day will look like, so sitting down together and laying out your vision will get you on the same page. This is not the real deal, this is just brainstorming!
Step 1: 12+ Months Before
- Set a date
- Set your budget
- Book your venue
- Create your guest list
Setting a date, or at least roughly when you want to have your wedding, is the most important step in the wedding planning process. Almost everything else you decide is contingent on your date. Venues book up fast, sometimes you have to work around their availability, so get ahead of it early! The venue you choose also depends on your budget and how many guests will be attending, so set those well ahead of time, too.
This is also when you would hire a wedding planner if you want some backup or if you want to alleviate some of your stress. Your wedding planning can take over most of the process from here, but keeping your at the forefront of the decision-making process.
Step 2: 9-12 Months Before
- Book key vendors
- Find your dress
- Choose your design aesthetic
- Pick your wedding party
Similar to the venue, certain vendors book up fast! Photographers, caterers, florists, hair stylists/makeup artists, and DJs are all in high demand, especially during peak wedding season. Finding your perfect wedding dress early is important to have time for alterations and fittings, since tailors are also in high demand. Groomsmen and bridesmaids can also purchase/order their attire now, too. Deciding on a main theme or aesthetic will change every decision you make about the look and feel of your wedding from here on out, so make that decision early!
Step 3: 6-9 Months Before
- Send save-the-dates
- Create your registry & wedding website
- Plan the wedding-related events
Getting your save-the-dates mailed out to your friends and family 6-9 months in advance gives them plenty of time to get their schedules and transportation figured out. Plan your other wedding festivities early, like a bachelor/bachelorette party, rehearsal dinner, honeymoon, or the morning-after brunch. Creating your registry and wedding website and getting it sent out to your guests allows them to make a plan for what they will gift you.
Step 4: 3-6 Months Before
- Finalize the catering
- Order invitations
- Schedule fittings
Finalize your dinner and dessert menu with plenty of time to make changes if need be. Order your official invitations so they arrive with plenty of time to be mailed out. Also, schedule your fittings to allow enough time for schedule flexibility within the wedding party and for alterations to be made.
Step 5: 1-3 Months Before
- Send your invitations
- Purchase your wedding rings
- Final confirmations with vendors
- Finalize logistics of the day
It’s recommended to send your invitations 6-8 weeks before the big day. Your guests will have already received a save-the-date card, but the invitation will have all the specific location and time details, allowing them to make their final arrangements. A lot of couples will pick out their wedding rings earlier on in this process, but waiting until now is perfectly fine, just leave enough buffer time in case they need resizing. This is also when you need to finalize the details of your big day and how it will run. Your vendors, timeline, seating chart, all need to be confirmed with plenty of time to ake changes if necessary.
Step 6: 2-4 Weeks Before
- Double and triple-check EVERYTHING
- Get your marriage license
It’s getting to be crunch time! Make sure that every detail of your day is just how you want it to be and every vendor is on the same page. Now is also the time to get your marriage license. Check the laws in your state to make sure you get it at the right time! You can fill out, sign, and send in your marriage license before your wedding day, or you can do it all the day-of and mail it in shortly after your wedding. This is up to the couple!
Step 7: The Week Before
- Do your final dress fitting
- Delegate tasks and responsibilities
- Take a break!
Having a final fitting in the week leading up to your wedding ensures that everything will fit and look perfect when you walk down the aisle. Giving the people close to you specific tasks and responsibilities for the week and the day-of allows you to have that weight lifted off your shoulders and take a breather. You are about to be married, there is no need to be stressed! Take a break and just look forward to your special day and the life you’re about to start.
Step 8: The Day Before
- Have your rehearsal dinner
- Confirm the schedule for the next day
- Get plenty of rest
This is the last chance to make sure everything will run smoothly and according to plan on your wedding day. Enjoy the night with your loved ones, and then get plenty of rest, wedding days are long and exhausting!
Step 9: The Wedding Day
- Relax and enjoy the day!
That’s it. Have fun, get married, be happy!
Step 10: After The Wedding
- Enjoy your honeymoon
- Send thank-you notes
- Update your legal documents
The schedule after you get married is a little less strict than your planning schedule. There are several things to get done, of course, but the biggest thing is this: You just got married!!! Enjoy your honeymoon and your new journey with your spouse!