The Countdown Is On: 12 Months To Go Until Your Big Day
You’ve just got engaged and are now starting to plan your wedding, and couldn’t be more excited to get started. First things first, congratulations are in order. Getting engaged isn’t something that happens every day, now is it? Don’t make the mistake of failing to celebrate your engagement; wedding planning can wait a week or two. Open some bubbly and celebrate your life-changing news!
Once you’ve celebrated your engagement and shared your news with your nearest and dearest, the next step is to start planning. Of course, with so much to plan it’s easy to get overwhelmed. The best way to ensure that you are able to plan the wedding of your dreams and don’t forget anything is to work month by month. This will make planning your big day that much easier and less stressful.
12 months before the wedding
Set a budget. The first thing that you should do is set a budget. This is important, as, without a budget in place, it’s impossible to do anything else. Sit down with your partner and discuss how much you are both happy to spend.
Put together a guest list. Once you’ve got your budget in place, the next step is to work out who you want to celebrate with. This is important to do early on, as without an idea of how many guests you’ll have attending, you can’t book a venue or get your catering sorted.
Choose a venue. Once you’ve got your budget and guest list in place, you then need to select a venue – or venues. You may want to get married and hold your reception in the same place, or you may want to use two different places. It’s completely up to you. Don’t set the time and date for your wedding, until you’ve booked your venues.
Ten months before your big day
Choose who will be in the wedding party. The next step is to decide who you want to include in the wedding party. This means choosing who your bridesmaids and maid of honour will be and who the groomsmen and best man will be. Don’t feel obliged to ask anyone unless you are definite that you want to include them.
Go wedding dress shopping. Once you’ve got your bridesmaids sorted, you can then start wedding dress shopping. It’s best to do this as soon as possible, to ensure that you’ve got plenty of time to find the perfect dress.
Pick a colour scheme. Once you’ve chosen your wedding dress, you can then select your colour scheme. Although your wedding dress is probably white or cream, it’s still best to wait until you’ve got it to select your colour scheme. Just in case it clashes in any way.
Eight months before
Get your wedding rings. Don’t rush this process, take your time choosing rings that you and your partner love, and that match your engagement ring. If you’re in need of a little inspiration, Pinterest can be a useful resource.
Select your honeymoon destination and book your trip. It might seem a bit early to book your honeymoon but if you want to keep the cost low, the earlier you can book it, the better.
Order your stationery. When it comes to selecting your stationery, you want to ensure that it’s smart, stylish and matches your colour scheme. You also want to make sure that it’s customised like the Paper Themes personalised wedding stationery is.
Six months before your wedding
Select your vendors. The next step is to select your vendors. This includes your caterer, DJ or band, furniture suppliers, barman, and any other vendors that you plan on using. It’s important to book them in advance, as all the best companies get booked up early.
Get the men’s suits and bridesmaid’s dresses sorted. It’s also important to get the bridesmaid’s dresses and men’s suits sorted. The bridesmaid’s dresses will probably have to be custom-made, the suits, however, can be hired.
Three months before your nuptials
Finalise the catering arrangements. It’s a good idea to meet with your caterer a couple of months before your big day to finalise the arrangements. This is the ideal time to discuss any worries or concerns that you may have, such as that one of your guests has a severe allergy, for instance.
Get your flowers and decorations sorted. It’s also important to get your wedding flowers and venue decorations sorted. This means meeting with your florist to discuss how you want the flowers to look, and deciding on the other decorations that you want to use.
Two months beforehand
Get any accessories sorted. If there are any accessories that you want for your big day, such as a guest book, or anything else, now is the time to get these things sorted out. There are plenty of sites online that offer some incredible bits and bobs for weddings, so it’s well worth having a browse to see what’s out there.
Have final outfit fittings. A couple of months before your big day is the perfect time to have your final outfit fittings. That way, if there are any problems with your dress, the bridesmaid’s dresses, or the suits for the men, they can be sorted, ready for your big day.
One month before you tie the knot
Get your marriage license. Don’t leave it any later than a month before your wedding to get your marriage license sorted out. If you don’t have a license in place, then you can’t get married, it’s as simple as that. So it’s a good idea to make your marriage license a priority, to ensure that it is approved with plenty of time.
Finalise the schedule for your big day. Last but not least, it’s a good idea to finalise your schedule for your big day. This should include the time before your wedding, to ensure that everything that needs doing gets done.
So there you have it, everything that you need to know about planning your wedding over a 12 month period.