In an ideal world, you need just about 6 months after your engagement to plan the perfect wedding. But as we know it, sometimes life happens and roads turn. It could be your job that requires you to work from 9 to 5 every day and your partner the same, denying you time to plan. Despite all these life happenings, the two of you want to get married and spend the rest of your lives together.
Whatever date you’ve set to have your wedding, our wedding checklist will help you plan just in time. Let’s get started.
Have a budget and stick to it
Most couples would rather skip this step and go straight to cake tasting, but creating a budget is the most important part of planning for your wedding. As you create a wedding budget, start by figuring out who is contributing. Maybe it’s your fiancé or family? Also, find out if anyone else outside your family is willing to contribute. You should be able to know how much each person has proposed to contribute.
Keep in mind that having money conversations can get awkward but you must know whoever is contributing. Ensure to approach these conversations respectfully. It’s okay if some people are unable to contribute.
Wedding cake
Think of the style you want your wedding cake to be, the flavor, shape, and color. The type of icing you prefer, be it vanilla or buttercream (consider season or the weather when choosing to ice) it’s key to know how much the cakes cost. All this information can be provided by your baker. Ensure to have a taste of flavor samples.
Come up with a guest list
Just like creating a budget, couples dread creating their wedding guest list. The process is extremely challenging because you have to consider who to invite and who not. Decide on which relative, friend, co-worker, or cousin you’ll invite. A good example if you invite a first cousin, all the other first cousins will want to be invited. Consider whether to invite your co-workers and your boss. Or maybe should you invite specific children. It’s tough but decisions have to be made. While you do all this remember to link it to your budget.
Pick a style/theme for your wedding
Pick a theme that matches your personality. How to do this is by reflecting on how you’d want to remember your big day. Pinterest offers some of the best boards for inspiration. All this will depend on your décor choice for example the color of flowers you choose, backdrops and all. You want to have photos that you’ll look back on five years from now and say, “this was the perfect wedding for me.”
Shop wedding rings
Wedding rings are the ultimate symbol of commitment between you and your partner. So when you’re shopping buy wedding rings that will be cherished for a lifetime. Also, decide on whether you’ll buy the rings with your partner friends or a family member. Choose whether to purchase from a physical jewel store or order online. Know which metals you want i.e. gold, platinum, or combined metals with unique colors. Consider if you’ll want to buy wedding rings that will complement your engagement ring. Check out the wedding rings Dublin website – it’s packed full of quality wedding rings direct from Ireland.
Find a venue
A venue is the one thing that can’t be left out when having a wedding. The wedding flower trends, wedding cake, and even traditional wedding rings can all be left out. So how do you find the perfect venue? One is talking to a planner first. They are usually much more familiar with the capabilities of space. Or if you like, use the same venue for a wedding you recently attended and liked. However, ensure that this venue aligns with your vision, guest list, and budget.
Find your wedding attire
For your big day, you’ll need to buy your dream wedding dress for the bride and a nice tuxedo for the groom. Research in advance to find what you like. You can browse through bridal magazines, go to bridal boutiques and even check out Pinterest. For the brides, think about if your dress should be embellished, lacy or voluminous. Should it have an open back or not. Upon your first appointment at the bridal store, you can bring all these ideas to life. Be open when explaining to the bridal consultant to get the attire you want.
Book vendors
You’ll realize why so many vendors out there are willing to work with you. They are there to deliver products and services such as wedding invitations, a wedding dress, catering, and music among other things. It’s however important that you find the perfect vendors. A great way to finding great vendors is doing a Google search, checking through other people’s photos, Pinterest, Instagram, and referrals. Ensure to meet the wedding vendors in person to see if you can get along.
Honeymoon
It’s never too early to plan a honeymoon. Will it be a 3-night cruise or maybe a two-week trek? Ensure that you’ve paid up at the resort you’ll be staying in. Shop and pack up your honeymoon essentials such as massage oils, tealight, candles, lingerie, honeymoon playlist songs, and small gifts for each other. Also include travel documents, cash, travel insurance, documents, emergency contact information, and passports.
Wedding invitations and save the dates
Your guests need to mark their calendars for your big day. Invitations and Save the dates should be sent as early as possible to ensure that your loved ones can plan accordingly.
Get a marriage license
Obtaining a marriage license means that you and your partner are legally married. Ensure to get your marriage license in advance or at the right time depending on how it works in your state. For couples that wish to change their names it can be done after the wedding.
Final thoughts
Weddings aren’t easy to plan and one can easily forget the most important items. Having the right checklists will make the process easier and also reduce the stress of having to think from scratch.
