Twelve months plus:
- Select & purchase engagement ring
- Announce engagement
- Select the date
- Attend engagement party
- Hire wedding planner
- Draft a preliminary guest list
- Draft a budget
- Begin bridal registry
- Determine the style & formality of the wedding
- Research & select the ceremony site
- Research & select the reception site
- Research wedding vendors
Ten to Twelve months:
- Select wedding party
- Interview & select vendors
◦ Caterer
◦ Photographer
◦ Videographer
◦ Entertainment/music
◦ Florist/event designer
- Shop for wedding gown
- Upon hiring photographer, schedule an engagement session
Eight to Ten Months:
- Purchase wedding insurance
- Order wedding gown
- Organize accommodation & transportation for out of town guests
- Select & order save-the-date cards
- Organize accommodation for the wedding night (and night before)
- Interview & select vendors:
◦ Rentals equipment
◦ Specialty rentals
◦ Lighting
◦ Officiant (if not marrying in a house of worship)
- Research wedding invitations
- Research honeymoon (ex: passport requirements)
Six to Eight months:
- Begin planning ceremony
- Begin planning reception
- Plan the rehearsal dinner
- Plan the pre wedding & post wedding parties
- Begin dance lessons (if necessary)
- Finalize any remaining vendor commitments:
◦ Hair stylist for the wedding day
◦ Makeup stylist for the wedding day
◦ Valet parking (if necessary)
◦ Pastry chef/select wedding cake
- Mail save-the-date cards
- Research other stationary needs (menu cards, place cards, ceremony programs,
thank you cards)
- Order bridesmaids’ dresses
- Help mothers shop for their attire
- Select formalwear for the groom, groomsmen, & fathers
- Research favor options
- Plan & book honeymoon
- Get passports (if necessary)
Four to Six Months
- Finalize guest list
- Order wedding invitations & announcements
- Order invitations for rehearsal dinner & pre/post wedding parties
- Determine reception menu
- Hire calligrapher for invitations & place cards
- Select wedding day transportation
- Shop for wedding bands
- Shop for bridal accessories (headpiece/veil, lingerie, jewelry, etc.)
- Shop for bridesmaids’ accessories (jewelry, shoes, & purses)
- Research ideas for welcome gifts
- Develop a preliminary wedding day timeline/schedule
Three Months
- Address & assemble invitations
- Research marriage license requirements
- Confirm delivery dates on wedding gown & bridesmaids’ dresses
- Compile music list for reception
- Finalize ceremony details & music selections
- Begin creating ceremony program & order
- Prepare a shoot list for videographer & photographer
- Shop for attendants’ thank you gifts
- Make arrangements for preserving bridal bouquet
- Make arrangements for preserving bridal gown
Two Months
- Mail invitations
- Finalize rehearsal dinner plans & send out invitations
- Attend dress fittings/alterations
- Confirm with bridesmaids that they have purchased lingerie and shoes, & have
schedule/attended their dress fitting
- Schedule wedding day hair & makeup trial
- Complete wedding day time line/schedule
- Finalize ceremony program
- Prepare wedding announcement for newspaper
- Attend wedding showers
- Begin collecting wedding accessories
- schedule final beauty/grooming appointments for the week of the wedding: haircut
and/or color, manicures/pedicures, massage, tanning, waxing
One Month
- Obtain marriage license
- Finalize itinerary with vendors & ceremony/reception locations
- Begin making seating plan for reception dinner
- Pick up wedding bands
- Schedule final gown fittings & date to pick up finished and pressed wedding gown
- Call guests who have not responded to invitation
- Start on/complete thank you notes for any wedding gifts already received
- Break in your wedding shoes
- Prepare welcome gifts (excluding perishable items)
Two Weeks
- Confirm final guest count to caterer/reception location
- Confirm rehearsal dinner guest count
- Begin packing for honeymoon
- Begin making final payments to vendors (payments due from this point up to the
wedding day)
- Finalize seating plan & send seating/place cards to calligrapher
- Prepare an “emergency kit” for wedding day mishaps
One Week
- Pick up gown - try it on at the dress makers for final fit & do not try it on
again at home
- Attend final grooming/beauty appointments
- Call/email venues & all vendors to finalize arrangements, delivery times,
& any other details
- Attend bachelor/bachelorette parties
- Finalize packing for honeymoon
- Arrange to have your mail stopped during your honeymoon
- Attend bridal luncheon
Two to Three Days
- Prepare tips for vendors
- Drop off wedding accessories at venue or deliver to the wedding
planner
- Deliver welcome gifts to hotels
- Pack a bag for the wedding day
- Pick up tuxedos for groom, groomsmen, & fathers. Try on & confirm all articles of
clothing & accessories have been supplied
One Day to Go
- Attend ceremony rehearsal
- Distribute the wedding day itinerary to all parents, attendants, & other
involved parties
- Hand over remaining accessories to the wedding planner, church
coordinator, or other organizer
- Attend rehearsal dinner
- Present attendants with their gifts at the rehearsal dinner
- Go to bed early so you will be well rested for the amazing day that lies
ahead of you
The Wedding Day
- Give vendor tips & payments to planner or best man for distribution
- Get beautiful
- Get dressed
- Marry the man of your dreams
Post Wedding
- Leave for the honeymoon
- Have bouquet sent for preservation
- Send gown for cleaning & preservation
- Complete & mail your thank you cards
- Thank your parents & attendants
- Thank your vendors
- Change name
