Building Your Wedding To-Do List and Timeline
Wedding

Building Your Wedding To-Do List and Timeline

Planning a wedding is equal parts magical and stressful. Even the most organized person can get lost in all the details, which is why the wedding planner industry is thriving! There are countless apps to help both bride and groom keep their day of matrimony as organized as possible. These apps help to keep wedding budgets, guest lists, to-do lists, and everything else organized and streamlined. Below are some things to take into consideration when figuring out when you're going to do what.

Venue Comes First

Your venue will dictate many aspects of your wedding. The size of your guest list, your date, and what colors will be complimentary are areas of consideration. The parameters and provisions of your venue will also give you a starting point for what you need to figure out logistically

Do you need to rent tables and chairs? Is alcohol is allowed? Is the catering provided or do you need to hire an outside provider? What about a photographer? Does the venue have one they have an agreement with, or can you provide your own photographer and customize your own photo album? All these questions can be answered by whomever the event coordinator is for you venue. So, after announcing your engagement, pick out your venue to help frame where to put your attention next.

Vendors

Once you pick your venue and learn what the venue will and won’t provide, you can start shopping around for the wedding vendors you will need. If you are not working with a wedding planner, it is useful to compile all your vendors into one binder or folder to keep everything well organized. It is important to remember when your cake tasting is and what your playlist will look like in one place.

Some wedding vendors, like photographers, cake designers, and DJs often book a year or more in advance. You'll want to start looking as early as possible to provide yourself as many options to chose from. It's always best if you can choose based on quality and not just who's available on your day. Ask for recommendations from friends and family that have gotten married in the area that you have your sight on. Learning from their experiences will allow you to know what to look for and what to avoid. Most vendors are seasoned wedding providers and will lead you through the process, making it mindless for the soon-to-be-married couple.

Gift Registry

One thing that sneaks up on most engaged couples is the gift registry. You might be tempted to treat your registry as a lesser priority, but this is something you'll want to have done before you send out wedding invitations (which should be eight weeks before your wedding). Even better, attaching the registry to the “save-the-date” announcements will give your guests that much more time to track down what you need to start your journey of matrimony. The earlier your registry is done, the more wedding-related pieces of paper will have the registry attached. Exposure is key to a successful wedding registry. The more exposure, the better.

As the big day draws near, start thinking about your “day-of” items. Centerpieces, guest books, table cards, and linens should be on your mind early on in the engagement process. However, these items don't need to be ordered until after invitations are sent. Most of these items are ordered through online vendors, and the vendor will tell you on their website how long it takes from ordering to arrival at your doorstep. Unless you want something customized that is also time-consuming to create, the shipping times are generally reasonable. (teachingchannel.com)

Gift Giving

Grooms and brides should both make sure to have a gift waiting for each other the day of the wedding as an act of love and appreciation of the support in getting to their wedding day. It is recommended that the bride and groom also prepare gifts for those in their bridal party. Bridesmaids and groomsmen typically have to travel to attend a wedding and require much planning to share the newlywed's special day. Make sure they know how much it means to the couple that their wedding guests took the effort to share their wedding day. You can also try a canvas photo for the bride and groom on their perfect wedding day!

In return, brides and grooms can expect to receive gifts from their wedding party.

No matter how looming the task may seem, remember that there are many resources to help you throughout this journey. Doing the work before the special day will help to alleviate any stress when the day actually arrives. It is a day to be remembered — not a reason for anxiety and stress.