Planning The Wedding

So the big day is upon you. You realize that you have very little time in which to pan your wedding and you need to get started now. The things that need to be accomplished may seem daunting, but they don’t have to be. Take things one day at a time. You have a bit of time right now to relax before getting down to the nuts and bolts of the thing.

You’ve had some time to adjust to the fact that you’re going to be getting married. Now is the time to set a date. In order to pull your wedding together set a date from 6 to 12 months away. It’s important to not make this a fly-by-night situation. Get yourself a notebook, some pens and a folder. This will be your wedding record to help you stay organized.

At least you don’t have to worry about the rings as the Groom is the one who is supposed to take care of that responsibility, but once your date is finalized you can begin to work on a guest list. Consult with your family, your groom to be and his family. Make a list and don’t worry about numbers yet. Once you have the “long list” put it aside into your wedding folder. You won’t need to worry about it right now.

Once you have decided where you want you’re wedding (be it a hall or a church) make sure to contact your respective parish. Book the church and the preacher that will do the ceremony. They will seal in your date. Once you know the day of your wedding and the time it will be and end you can begin the next step.

Time to book a reception hall and you want to do this as soon as possible and to make sure you mail in your deposit immediately and get a receipt for it. You will now know your kitchen situation as well as occupancy. If the occupancy is less than your current list then begin to narrow it down to that number.

Pick your bridesmaids and make sure your husband to be is picking his ushers. Get their sizes along with their agreement to be in your wedding.

Locate a caterer. Look in your phone book or use word of mouth. Get an idea of a menu you would like to serve. Talk to the caterer (they may or may not be the same person who does your cake, but you would decide on the cake around this time as well) and find out the pricing on the meal you have in mind. Do the math using your guest list as a base and see if the price is suitable to you. If it isn’t then either adjust your menu or adjust your guest list.

Finalize the guest list now. Make any changes you have to then prepare the invitations. The simple way is to make a tri-fold with just the invite. If you are getting a bit advanced then you may need to add some cards to the envelope. Either way you’ll get it done then need to mail them out.

About 4 months until your wedding start planning on the theme of the wedding. This will dictate your dress, the cake and any decorations. Make sure you are happy with your decisions as changing it could cause some people to attack you. Once your theme is sealed begin looking at dresses. First choose your gown. Make sure you are comfortable with it. Take a good look at the theme and plan the gowns of your bridesmaids well. You don’t want to have them in ugly green satin. They will all need to be fitted and rentals are never a good idea. Instruct your husband to be on the finer points of a tuxedo. Go with him to get his because most men are witless when it comes to such things. The Ushers will match him in nearly every way.

Music now comes into play. At still around 4 months you will want to decide if you want a band or a DJ. DJ’s offer you a great selection so that your wedding songs will be perfect and not wrought with error or bad vocals and you don’t normally have to worry about the DJ running off to drink. They are also cheaper than bands and put in more time.

A photographer is important and you can not neglect to arrange for one. There are some creative ways for one to handle this. One of my favorite ways is to buy disposable cameras and hand them out to your guests. They can take the pictures they want to make it truly their experience. The benefit here is that you can get double prints from them and will wind up with many more pictures than you would have before and at a price that is cheaper.

About 2 months you need to call a florist and arrange for flowers. Go in to see them and show them pictures of the church and the hall and explain your theme and décor. They will be able to design arrangements that complement everything you’ve done.

Time is running out. You’re gearing up into a frenzy worrying about every detail imaginable. Your RSVP’s have mostly come in. The hall is booked, the church is ready. You have a DJ, your dresses and tuxedo’s, you have your cake planned out and your menu set. You even have your photographer and your decorations. What you have left to do now will seem like a lot, but it’s quite minimal.

You need to be able to get to the church on time and then to the reception. Book a limo to ensure your safe arrival especially for the husband to be as we all know how men can be when on time tables.

Book your hair appointment and those of your bridesmaid for about 8-10 hours prior to your wedding. It’s a safe idea to make arrangements to go to see the stylist a week or so before your appointment to discuss what you want. You will also want to bring with you a picture of your dress.

This is your special day and it should all be done right. Keep your head on straight and be calm. You will get through it then you will be able to finally breathe more soundly.