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©2003 - 2009 Plan A Wedding, All Rights Reserved
Six To Twelve Months Before Wedding
____ Announce your engagement to family and friends. ____ Arrange for your parents and other members to meet together and get to know each other better before you have to start planning. ____ Discuss the style of wedding the two of you want. Discussing budget, dates, themes, colours, formality, location, and number of guests invited.
____ Pick your wedding date and time. Have a backup date incase your first date is booked.
____ Discuss wedding expenses and budget with yourselves and both sets of your parents. Plan a preliminary budge and how the wedding expenses be shared or divided?
____ Choose your wedding party and ask them if they will stand up for you.
____ Make rough draft of guests list. (Those you must invite and those you would like to invite if possible.You may wish to ask your parents if there are people they feel it is important that they attend.)
____ Decide on your colour scheme and theme for your wedding if you're having one.
____ Book your location for the ceremony, your officiant and your location for the reception. Discuss the pre-marital conditions with your officiant if any. The menu you want to serve at your wedding my influence the reception location.
____ Order the bridal gown and other attire accessories.
____ Order the bridesmaids' attire.
____Interview and hire your wedding professionals. The caterer, baker/cake decorator, florist, stationer, photographer, videographer, transportation provider, invitation printer, decorator for the reception and ceremony locations, bar tenders, disc jockey, musicians including organist and/or soloist. Go over all the details with them.
____ Arrange for your engagement photo to be taken.
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Four To Six Months Before Wedding
____ Pick out your wedding rings and select the words for the engraving if you wish to have your rings engraved.
____ Finalize your guests list, allowing for a few extra people.
____ Select and ask the person you would like to act as the Master of Ceremonies at your wedding. ____ Order the attire for the groom and his attendants.
____ Plan decorations for ceremony and reception.
____ Reserve your rentals.
____ Buy your garter, ring pillow, knives & servers, fountain pen and guest book. ____ Apply for your marriage license at the city/town hall.
____Plan and upload your wedding website if you having one. A website can save you money, time and frustration. You can include: a story about yourselves, introduce your wedding party, post maps and directions to the ceremony and reception, post the seating plan for the reception, make a special thanks to people who have really helped you either in life and/or with the planning of your wedding day, you can have links to the local hotels, and online gift registration links to where you are registered to help guests out.
____Register for wedding gifts registry. Many businesses offer wedding gift registry. See our list of online wedding gift registry links. We suggest you register together as a couple either in store or online it also helps if you know the colour scheme of your home if possible.
____ Reserve your hotel room for your wedding night.
____ Make all your honeymoon arrangements and get your passports if needed.
____Send your guests that will be traveling a long distance to your wedding some accommodation information from your local hotels, motels or bed and breakfasts establishments.
____ Book the accommodations for your guests, or your wedding party members if required.
____ Ask for assistance from your attendants and responsible helpers. ____ Start wedding wine if making your own. ____ _____________________________________________________________
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Two To Three Months Before Wedding
____ Address your wedding invitations.
____Mail out wedding invitations 6-8 weeks before your wedding date with a reply deadline of 3-4 weeks before the wedding. Include maps and directions to your places of ceremony and reception. If you have a wedding website include the website address.
____Book the hair, makeup, and nail appointments for everyone in your wedding party if needed. Don't forget the trial run appointments for the Bride about two weeks before the wedding.
____ Choose and make or buy the wedding favours for all your wedding guests.
____ Check on all your professionals' progress and confirm all the arrangements with each of them.
____ Select the gifts for your attendants, parents, and for each other.
____ Pick up your wedding rings and check the sizing and engraved wording.
____ Select or write any special readings, poems, or vows for wedding day.
____ Write your thank you notes for any shower or wedding gifts you have received. Keep up-to-date records.
____ Plan your music for your wedding ceremony and reception with professionals. ____ Get forms for change of address and name if needed.
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One Month Before Wedding
____ Purchase the decorations if you are doing them yourselves.
____ Check all the final details with all your professionals.
____ Have your final fittings for all the women in the wedding party including the Bride.
____ Work on the seating plan if you are using one. Post it on your website if you have one.
____ Meet with your officiant to finalize the plans for the wedding ceremony.
____ Make the arrangements for your rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. Including reservations for the dining location if needed. Notify all people involved of the details.
____ Make the final plans for your transportation to the location for photo taking, ceremony and reception locations and to your honeymoon night location. Make sure there is enough room for everyone involved.
____ Place your wedding announcement in your local newspaper.
____ Apply for your liquor license if required.
____ Plan and print the programs for your ceremony.
____ Keep up with your thank you notes.
____ Remind everyone that will be making speeches at your reception.
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Two Weeks Before Wedding
____ Check-in with all your professionals as needed.
____ Pick up the wedding gown and store it appropriately.
____ Put together "Something, Old, New, Borrowed and Blue" if you are choosing to do this.
____ The Bride has her practice hairstyle and makeup appointments for the wedding day. Have any appointments for waxing, facials and any other esthetics.
____ Confirm all your honeymoon plans, pick up travelers cheques and flight tickets if needed.
____ Follow up with your guests who have not responded yet. Get your family and friends to help you call them if needed.
____ Make your seating plan and place cards if needed for the reception.
____ Write any reception toasts you will be giving.
____ Men have their appointment for their attire alterations.
____ Arrange for house sitter and care for any pets while you are away on your honeymoon.
____ Arrange for someone to take the wedding gown to be cleaned and preserved after the wedding. (Be sure to tell them about any dirty spots on the gown and what made the spot after the wedding so it can be cleaned properly.)
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One Week Before Wedding
____ Check-in with, and confirm all the details with all your professionals.
____ Give your seating plan and final guests count to your caterer. Take in consideration of any guests that have replied yes if they have special dietary needs or allergies.
____ With liquor licence buy the liquor and wine for the reception if not provided by reception location.
____ Assign your attendants and helpers jobs for the wedding day, include all the details of where and when things should be done. Be specific and write the details down.
____ Write your wedding day schedule if you're doing one. Give a copy to your professionals, your parents and to all your wedding party. Include what time events are scheduled and the addresses.
____ Start packing for your honeymoon.
____ Make a checklist for the ceremony and the reception of things that need to be done and items that need to be taken to the locations.
____ Pick up all the men's attire. Check the sizes and make sure nothing is missing and everything is functioning like zippers and buttons.
____ Wrap the presents for your attendants, your parents, and your partner.
____ Arrange for your wedding gown to be cleaned and preserved while you are on your honeymoon. Make sure you tell the person in charge of this task if you have spilled anything on your gown on your wedding day. They can tell the cleaners so it will be taken care of appropriately.
____ Wrap the wedding cake if you are handing out pre-wrapped cake.
____ Break in wedding shoes -Wear only around the house with socks, be careful not to scuff shoes.
____ Plan any meals needed for the wedding party before the wedding on the wedding day. ____ _____________________________________________________________
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Day Before Wedding
____ Have a massage to help keep you relaxed. ____ Confirm details with professionals. ____ Wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner are usually planned for this day. ____ Decorate and setup your location of the wedding reception if you are doing it yourself and you have access to the location.
____ Decorate your place of ceremony at the rehearsal if possible.
____ Make up your Emergency Anti-Panic Bag.
____ Finish packing for your honeymoon.
____ Make a rental list for the person returning rentals and a cleanup list for the person in charge of the reception cleanup.
____ Take your marriage license to the rehearsal for your officiant.
____ Bring any money or cheques in envelopes for anyone who needs to be paid before the day of wedding to the rehearsal. The officiant and/or musicians if they have not already been paid.
____ Give the gifts to your attendants, your parents and/or to each other at rehearsal party if you wish.
____ Have manicure done if you don't have enough drying time on wedding day. ____ Ensure everyone's cell phones are fully charged for wedding day. ____ _____________________________________________________________
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Day Of Wedding
____ Give extra time for getting ready. Try to be ready for the wedding at least 1 hour earlier than planned. Between make-up, hair, transportation, getting dressed, flowers, traffic, visiting, someone forgetting something, photographers and videographers, you may loose more time than you think. You're better off circling the block for awhile, than being late for the wedding ceremony.
____ Have flowers delivered to need places, this includes bouquets, boutonnieres and corsages.
____ Give your wedding rings to the appropriate persons, Maid of Honor, Best man or the person in charge of the ring pillow.
____ Give your Best Man sealed envelopes with payment for any professionals that have not been paid already.
____ Finish packing for your honeymoon. Pack your luggage, honeymoon tickets, and passports. Have everything taken to the hotel or reception location so you don't have to go back home for them.
____ Marriage license to the ceremony if it wasn't taken to the rehearsal.
____ Add last minute things in Emergency Anti-Panic Bag. Make sure someone brings it along with you.
____ Decorate the cars if needed.
____Decorate and setup the place of your ceremony and reception if it was not done yet. If your location has more than one wedding going on in the same day, sometimes you have to decorate and setup last minute. Make sure if you have to do this you have arranged for enough help to get the job done in time. You may need to arrange for someone to take decorations down at the place of ceremony immediately after.
____ Give your gifts to your parents if it wasn't done at the rehearsal party. Have someone delivery your present for your spouse to be when they will be getting ready for the wedding if you haven't already given it to them.
____ Get lots of sleep and don't forget to eat and drink enough water. You don't want to pass out. Take care of yourself so you can be at your best.
____ Move your engagement ring to your right hand. ____ Have everyone dressed and ready at least 1 1/2 hours before the wedding for the photographer to take pictures. ____ Have a wonderful day and cherish every moments.
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www.PlanAWedding.ca
©2003 - 2009 Plan A Wedding, All Rights Reserved
