Wedding Planner, a Checklist
ONE YEAR BEFORE THE WEDDING
◊ Announce your engagement
◊ Place engagement photo and announcement in local newspapers
◊ Attend engagement parties
◊ Discuss with your parents and other planners what your wishes are for the wedding
◊ Meet with any family members who will participate in planning (or paying for) the wedding – this could be a casual dinner at your place
◊ Begin looking through bridal magazines and wedding tips books for ideas
◊ Talk to your recently married friends to get their vendor and site recommendations
◊ Hire a wedding coordinator (optional)
◊ Choose the wedding date and backup dates for site-booking coordination
◊ Inform your family and friends of the wedding date
◊ Create your wedding budget
◊ Decide who will pay for which elements of the wedding
◊ Decide on your top budget priorities (i.e. which will get the most money – your gown, the caterer, flowers, photography, etc.)
◊ Request brochures for wedding vendor research, or visit experts’ Web sites
◊ Decide on your desired level of formality
◊ Select the members of your bridal party and inform them of their roles
◊ Make up your own personal guest list
◊ Request guest lists from your parents and siblings
◊ Create your final guest list, and get your final headcount for wedding size parameters
◊ Tour possible ceremony sites
◊ Select and book your ceremony location
◊ Select and book your ceremony officiant
◊ Discuss your ceremony plans with your officiant
◊ Audition potential ceremony musicians
◊ Hire your ceremony musicians and give them your play list
◊ Tour possible reception sites
◊ Select and book your reception site
◊ Research and book rental item agency, if necessary
◊ Create rental item needs list
◊ Visit with rental agency planner to look at their supplies, choose linen colors, china patterns, chair styles, etc.
◊ Start shopping for your wedding gown
◊ Order your wedding gown and veil
◊ Start researching bridesmaid gown options
◊ Collect bridesmaids’ size cards and ordering information
◊ Select and order bridesmaids’ gowns
◊ Start researching florists
◊ Choose your florist and meet with the floral consultant to share your wishes
◊ Research caterers, attending tastings
◊ Select and book your caterer
◊ Research cake bakers, attending tastings
◊ Select and book your cake baker
◊ Choose and book a photographer
◊ Choose and book a videographer
◊ Choose and book your reception entertainment: DJ, band, or musical performers
◊ Choose and book a limousine or classic car company
◊ Start looking at invitation samples, and select desired designs and wording
◊ Notify your boss about your wedding date and arrange for time off for the wedding and honeymoon week(s)
◊ Create your personalized wedding Web site
All the Legalities
Don’t forget to discuss the legal issues pertaining to your upcoming wedding, such as:
◊ Finding any previous-relationship divorce or annulment papers the town will need to see before granting you a marriage license, or that your house of worship needs to see
◊ Talking to an attorney about prenuptial agreements
◊ Talking to an attorney about creating wills and other important documents
◊ Talking to a financial advisor about your money goals
NINE MONTHS BEFORE THE WEDDING
◊ Find out your local marriage license requirements
◊ Schedule the date you’ll go together to apply for your marriage license
◊ Schedule any medical tests necessary for your license to be granted
◊ Meet with your officiant about your ceremony plans and pre-wedding classes
◊ Meet with your caterer to discuss your menu, wedding setup, requirements, etc.
◊ Plan beverage requirements, bartenders needed and bar set-up
◊ Select packages with your photographer
◊ Select packages with your videographer
◊ Select packages with your entertainers
◊ Meet with your florist to design bouquets, boutonnieres and floral decor
◊ Meet with a travel agent to plan your honeymoon
◊ Book your honeymoon
◊ Apply for passports and travel visas, if you will be attending an international destination wedding or honeymoon
◊ Order your wedding invitations
◊ Order your wedding programs
◊ Order any additional printed items
◊ Shop for and order your wedding rings
◊ Have your wedding rings engraved (if applicable)
◊ Reserve all rental equipment (tents, chairs, etc.)
◊ Choose and reserve a block of rooms for your guests at the hotel
◊ Book your honeymoon suite for the wedding night
SIX MONTHS BEFORE THE WEDDING
◊ Choose and rent men’s wedding wardrobe
◊ Begin writing vows
◊ Select ceremony music
◊ Select ceremony readings
◊ Register for wedding gifts
◊ Send for name-change information, if necessary
◊ Arrange for transportation for guests
◊ Order pre-printed napkins, matchbooks, coasters, etc.
◊ Create maps to ceremony and reception locations for enclosure in the invitations
◊ Start scouting for wedding photograph locations
◊ Start planning the rehearsal dinner
◊ Book rehearsal dinner site and caterer
◊ Plan ‘wedding weekend’ activities, such as brunches, sporting events, barbecues, children’s events, tours, breakfasts, etc.
◊ Begin pre-wedding beauty treatments: skin care, massage, tanning, etc.
◊ If holding an at-home wedding, hire a landscaper to do lawn, trim shrubs, add extra plants or flower beds, mulch, etc.
◊ Make additional changes to home, such as painting rooms, installing carpet, etc.
THREE MONTHS BEFORE THE WEDDING
◊ Apply for your marriage license, according to the state’s requirements
◊ Go for your blood tests, according to the state’s time requirements
◊ Attend any pre-marital classes or counseling as required by your chosen faith
◊ If summer, holiday or destination wedding, send invitations to guests now
◊ Assemble invitation packages with all inserts
◊ Buy ‘Love’ stamps at the post office
◊ Begin your wedding gown fittings
◊ Choose and purchase your shoes and accessories for wedding day
◊ Bridesmaids’ and mothers’ fittings begin
◊ Choose and purchase children’s wedding day attire
◊ Consult with your wedding coordinator for any updates, confirmations, or changes
◊ Consult with caterer or banquet hall manager for updates
◊ Ask honored relatives and friends to perform readings at the ceremony
◊ Ask a relative or friend to serve as your emcee, and give him/her specific instructions
◊ Practice your wedding vows!
◊ Finalize your selections of ceremony readings and music
◊ Submit your song “wish list” to DJ or band, along with your list of spotlight dances
◊ Submit picture “wish list” to photographer
◊ Submit video “wish list” to videographer
◊ Arrange for babysitters to watch guests’ kids on the wedding day
◊ Finalize and confirm plans for the rehearsal dinner
TWO MONTHS BEFORE THE WEDDING
◊ Wedding gown fittings continue
◊ Purchase your “going away” outfit and honeymoon clothes
◊ Address invitations to guests (for non-holiday, summer or destination weddings)
◊ Assemble invitation packages
◊ Buy ‘Love’ stamps at the post office
◊ Mail invitations to guests six to eight weeks prior to the wedding
◊ Order or make your wedding programs
◊ Order or make your wedding favors
◊ Meet with ceremony musician about song list
◊ Have attendants’ shoes dyed in one dye lot
◊ Ask friends to participate in wedding, such as attending the guest book, transporting wedding gifts from reception to home, etc.
◊ Send for all name-change documents, such as passport, credit cards, driver’s license, etc.
ONE MONTH BEFORE THE WEDDING
◊ Apply for marriage license
◊ Meet with officiant to get the final information on ceremony elements, location rules, etc.
◊ Invite officiant to rehearsal dinner.
◊ Plan the rehearsal
◊ Invite bridal party and involved guests to the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner
◊ Confirm honeymoon plans
◊ Confirm wedding-night hotel reservations
◊ Make beauty appointment for wedding day
◊ Visit your hairstylist to ‘practice’ with hairstyles for the big day
◊ Visit your makeup artist for a ‘practice run’
◊ Get pre-wedding haircut, dye or highlights
◊ Fittings for your dress continue
◊ Pick up your wedding bands
◊ Have your rings appraised and insured
◊ Attend bridal showers
◊ Send thank you’s for bridal shower gifts
◊ Call wedding guests who have not RSVP’d to get the final headcount
◊ Create your seating chart for reception
◊ Write up seating place cards and table numbers
◊ Pick up honeymoon travel tickets and information books
◊ Make up welcome gift baskets for guests
◊ Purchase gifts for family members and bridal party
◊ Wrap and label gifts
◊ Purchase unity candle
◊ Purchase garters (get two – one for keeping, one for tossing)
◊ Purchase toasting flutes
◊ Purchase cake knife
◊ Purchase guest book
◊ Purchase post-wedding toss-its (birdseed, flower petals, bubbles, bells, etc) and decorate or personalize small containers, if you so choose
◊ Purchase throwaway wedding cameras
◊ Work on any do-it-yourself crafts you’ll make for the wedding
ONE WEEK BEFORE THE WEDDING
◊ Confirm all wedding plans with all wedding vendors
◊ Caterer (give final headcount now!)
◊ Florist (give delivery instructions now!)
◊ Cake baker
◊ Photographer
◊ Videographer
◊ Lighting technician
◊ Ceremony musicians
◊ Reception entertainers
◊ Officiant
◊ Ceremony site manager
◊ Reception site manager
◊ Wedding coordinator
◊ Limousine company (give directions now!)
◊ Rental company agent
◊ Pay final deposits for all services
◊ Place tips and fees in marked envelopes for such participants as the officiant, ceremony musicians, valets, etc.
◊ If supplying your own beverages, conduct a shopping trip to the local discount liquor and beverage supply house for stocking up
◊ Visit a warehouse superstore to stock up on any items you’ll need for the wedding weekend (supplies to have at home, barbecue food, snacks, etc.)
◊ Drop off guest welcome baskets at hotel
◊ Groom picks up tux
◊ Groom and ushers pick up tux accessories, socks, shoes, etc.
◊ Arrange for house- and pet-sitters
◊ Notify the local police department of your upcoming absence, so that they can patrol your neighborhood
◊ Get travelers’ checks (if you so choose)
◊ Plan wedding day brunch, and inform bridal party and guests about it
◊ Plan your special toasts
◊ Ready wedding announcements to be mailed the day after the wedding
◊ Attend bachelor’s and bachelorette’s parties
THE DAY BEFORE THE WEDDING
◊ Supervise delivery of rental items to wedding location
◊ Supervise setup of all items at wedding location
◊ Finish packing suitcases and carry-ons for wedding night and honeymoon
◊ Stock your bag with your car keys, house keys, passports, ID’s, marriage license, wedding night and honeymoon hotel confirmations, medications, ATM card, etc.
◊ Arrange to have your car, with your honeymoon suitcases in the trunk, left securely in the wedding night hotel’s parking lot for use the next day or suitcases brought to the suite ahead of time
◊ Lay out all wedding day wardrobe and accessories
◊ Very important: plan your shower-time schedule for the next day!
◊ Hand out printed directions to all family members and bridal party members
◊ Confirm times for all attendants to show up on the wedding day, and where to go
◊ Arrange for someone to be in charge of handing out payment envelopes
◊ Hit the ATM to get cash on hand for emergencies, tips, valet, etc.
◊ Assemble your emergency bag with extra stockings, lipstick, pressed powder, emery boards, etc.
◊ Put a charged cell phone in the emergency bag
◊ Gas up the cars, just in case
◊ Go to the beauty salon to get waxed and tweezed
◊ Stock up on supplies for the wedding-morning breakfast, or call in your catering order
◊ Place last call to caterer or coordinator to finalize plans
◊ Attend the rehearsal
◊ Attend the rehearsal dinner
◊ Get a good night’s sleep!
ON THE WEDDING DAY
◊ Set out favors and place cards at reception site, if manager will not be doing it [some sites ask you to drop off your items a week ahead of time]
◊ Set out post-wedding toss-its where appropriate at ceremony site
◊ Set out guest book and pen
◊ Attend bridal breakfast
◊ Have a wedding day breakfast sent to where the men are getting ready
◊ Have hair and nails done at beauty salon
◊ Have makeup done
◊ Be dressed early!
◊ Have photos taken at home
◊ Double-check that someone responsible has arranged for your honeymoon suitcases to get into your car or to your hotel room.
◊ Double-check that the appropriate people have the wedding rings for transport to the ceremony
◊ Make sure the bag with your car keys, house keys, ID’s, passports, etc. comes with you to the wedding
◊ Relax as you leave for the wedding!
◊ Attend the wedding
◊ Have the time of your life!
◊ Attend the after-party
◊ Have a safe ride home!
THE DAY AFTER THE WEDDING – Chores to Assign
◊ Have someone supervise the return of rental company items
◊ Have someone supervise clean-up of the site, if necessary
◊ Get a signed receipt for the return of all rented items
◊ Have tuxes returned to rental store
◊ Hold day-after breakfast for guests
◊ Transport guests to airports, train stations etc. for their rides home
◊ Hire cleaning service if your home was the site of the wedding festivities
