The Wedding Planner

theWEDDING PLANNER A 12-MOnth quide to all of your planning milestones (BE MY M.0.H. Find a vision for your wedding and establish a budget. Decide on a wedding date. Have a few options available. Book ceremony., reception site and caterer. Find a meaningful way to ask friends to be your bridesmaids. Make a rough estimate of your guest count. PLANNING TIP # 1 Haven't quite stowed away $20,000 for your dream wedding? Start saving now. Open a savings account with your fiancé that can directly deposit a set amount, perhaps 10-20% of your income, into the account each month. 12 MONTHS BEFORE PLANNING TIP # 2 8-10 MONTHS BEFORE Create a collage of wedding dress styles you like before you go shopping. Do your makeup and hair similar to how you'll want it for the big day so you'll get a better idea of what you will look like walking down the aisle. INSURANCE Research, shop for, and order your gown. Interview vendors to see who fits best: photographer, videographer and your DJ. Purchase a wedding insurance policy to protect your deposits. Help reserve hotel accommodations for out-of-town guests. Build your gift registry at your favorite retail stores. SAVE THE DATE Start planning honeymoon! Look up early deals on flights and hotels for your destination. Contact rental companies about chairs, tables, tents, dance floor, etc. Order bridesmaid dresses, or Send out your "Save the have the girls pick them out. Date" cards. PLANNING TIP # 3 6-8 MONTHS BEFORE If your chosen venue doesn't provide everything needed for the celebration, check out the International Special Events Society. You can search more than 6,000 professionals and you'll find experts in every area. PLANNING TIP #4 If you aren't sure of the proper way to word your invitations, or are dealing with a situation like divorced or deceased 1-6 MONTHS BEFORE parents, consult Crane's Wedding Blue Book for invitation guidelines. YOU'RE INVITED Attend pre-wedding counseling, if required or wanted. Choose your invitation design or make invitations yourself. Order invitations. Pick out wedding rings. Find a good deal when buying them together. Renew or order passports, if necessary for your honeymoon. Hire wedding-day transport if necessary: limousines, Order the wedding cake. Have a bridal shower. Have the groom and (This could be earlier in the timeline.) groomsmen rent the men's formalwear. town cars, etC. PLANNING TIP #5 The groom can wear anything of his choice as long as he can be distinguished from the groomsmen. The three most common choices are: a tuxedo for formal late afternoon, a 3 MONTHS BEFORE PLANNING TIP # 6 morning suit with a cutaway jacket, or a standard business suit in black, gray or brown. 2 MONTHS BEFORE If you are writing your own vows, use a tone that fits you. Don't include deep passages just because you think it's how it's supposed to sound. Feel free to add a touch of humor: "I vow to become less cranky in the morning." 18 YOU'RE INVITED Design, purchase and print wedding programs. Write your vows; revise Book a makeup artist and Book your hairstylist and decide on a hairstyle. Mail the invitations. them over the next two months test some romantic looks. to make them perfect. Have final gown fitting. Bring your maid of honor along to learn how to bustle your dress. Purchase gifts for your parents, bridal party and each other. Apply for a marriage license. Contact the local Make sure the bridesmaids Contact vendors and have their gowns ready for the wedding. confirm that everything is on schedule. bureau in the town where you will be married. PLANNING TIP # 1 MONTH BEFORE When you have your final fitting, bring along your undergarments, shoes, jewelry, veil and any other accessories you plan to wear. If you're deciding between a few different sets of accessories, bring along a camera as well. PLANNING TIP # 8 To ensure that your photographer gets the best shots, give him examples of good and bad photos of both of you prior to the wedding so he/she knows which angles work for you and which ones don't. WEEKS BEFORE RSVP Plan your reception seating chart. Get final pre-wedding haircuts and colors. Determine poses for portraits and send a list of shots to the photographer and videographer. Finalize the RSVP list and call guests who have yet to send a response. TABLE S Print place cards and table cards for the reception. Give caterer final head count. Deliver final song Attend bachelor and Supply location manager with a list of vendor requests. bachelorette parties! Find out how many extra meals will be prepared, if any. requests to the DJ or wedding band. PLANNING TIP #9 You and your fiancé should sit down and select not only the first dance song, but the tone of the party with all of your favorite tunes. Make sure to include a "do-not-play" list so the "Electric Slide" doesn't pop up out of nowhere. WEEK BEFORE PLANNING TIP # 10 2-3 DAYS BEFORE Ideas for figuring out the order of your wedding party without causing any tension: by height, by alphabetical order, by how long you have known them without regard to how close you are, or leave the decision up to the wedding coordinator and have nothing to do with it! Confirm pickup times and locations with car rental or Determine wedding party positions during the ceremony and the order of the party in the recessional. Reconfirm final details Have the gown pressed or steamed. The groom should go for his final fitting and pick up the formalwear. with all vendors. other transportation company. Provide all wedding professionals with an emergency phone number to call on the big day. Write checks and pay off all balances with vendors. Rehearse the ceremony and attend rehearsal dinner. Give your marriage license to your officiant. PLANNING TIP # 11 The rehearsal dinner can be less formal than the wedding reception, so have fun with it! Invite your close family, your wedding party, their dates, as well as out-of-town guests who have travelled a long way to be with you. It's a great way to introduce everyone before the actual ceremony. THE DAY BEFORE... PLANNING TIP # 12 After a year of planning and prepping, the little details won't seem to matter because, by the end of it, you married the person you love. Try to take in and remember how you felt over everything else. THE BIG DAY! Get married! Give wedding bands to the best man and the maid of honor to hold for the ceremony. Introduce the reception site manager to the maid of honor for questions or problems. Present parents and each other with gifts. Shane Co DIAMONDS · RUBIES SAPPHIRES PEARLS Sources: http://www.mywedding.com/planning-tools http://www.mywedding.com/blog/planning/category/selecting-vendors/ http://www.mywedding.com/blog/planning/selecting-vendors/photography-videography/photo-sessions-explained/ Van Ogtrop. Kristin. " Weddings." Real Simple Magazine Winter 2013: 21, 46, 89, 101, 125. Print.