To plan a perfect wedding, you need to have all the boxes checked on your list, but even before that, you need to have a wedding checklist. An average engagement last 12 months or longer. Your job, in this one year, is to create a comprehensive checklist of all things you need for the celebration. That way, you won’t miss anything or remember it at the last moment, or worse, after the event. So, here we go. Here are 6 things that should be at the top of the list for everybody planning a wedding ceremony in the near future.
The Wedding Rings
The thing you do not want to miss at any cost is checking on the wedding rings. Are they bought, or are they selected, get status updates on the wedding rings every day to make sure that they are picked up from the stores at least 6 months in advance. Till that time, your job is to follow the trends in wedding rings. The oval diamond ring is going hot this season. So, you might want to keep an eye on that one. Some brides simply prefer nude bands for their wedding rings. So, there are some options for that too. If you follow the trend closely, you will see that some designs in bands are more popular than others. So, you want to watch the trends before you pick the rings.
The Trousseau and the Tux
Once the rings are out of the way, you want to concentrate on the costumes. Both the trousseau and the tux take intricate tailoring. To add to that, there is the matter of fitting. So, you want to have a lot of time on hand for trial and fittings and such things. If the costumes need a bit of re-stitching or a nip and tuck here and there, there should be time to do that. Such tailoring jobs may take weeks, depending upon the availability of the tailor. So, aim to get the dress and the suit done and tried with four months to spare till the wedding. 4 months is the ideal time. In 4 months, no one can put on or lose so much weight as to need a retailoring of the costumes.
Bridesmaids’ Gifts
Next, you want to get the gift things sorted. The bridesmaids’ gifts need to be bought and wrapped and kept ready before the big day. Although wrapping 5 gifts may not seem like a difficult or time taking job, you still want to get it done weeks before the day. Wrapping alone won’t do. You need to do some decorations too for which you need to get supplies, but before that, you need to gather some ideas. So, the whole thing with the research time and everything included will take you a week at least, with everything else that you will be doing simultaneously.
As for gift ideas, that depends entirely on the budget. Once again, watching the trends will help. You do not want to get expensive things like a men’s wedding ring unless your own sister is in the group and you want to spoil her one last time before you start a new family. Normally, small pieces of jewelry and trinkets are nice surprises for the maids. There are tons of jewelry for bridesmaids that come under $100. A small bracelet charm, a pair of sterling silver earrings, a colored gem promise ring, or a spa day gift card, there are so many choices to pick from.
The Guest List
The guest list is one of the first things you want to do when planning a wedding. Planning a wedding event is not an easy thing and considering the sundry things involved all at once, it can easily go awry. So, first things first, prepare a guest list. If it’s not possible to make a full list already, at least get the headcounts of all the people you want to be invited to the event. Making the guest list is only the first and small part of the job. Once you have made the list, you will be sending out invites. RSVP, gifts, contact info and organize all information on the guest list so that the following part gets easier. Once you have the guest list already you can start looking at the invitation cards, physical or otherwise. That also will take some time, not to mention the additional time to get them printed.
The Venue
Even before you meet the caterers and go cake tasting you need to select the venue. If the wedding is going to be on your property, then all the better for you. But if not, contact the church, venue, or whatever you have in your mind to throw the party in. Selecting the venue might be a lot more time-consuming than you think. It’s not just looking at photos on your computer, all venues require a preliminary inspection. So, once you have selected a few, you will have to find time to go visit them in person to see if it works for you. Do not make decisions remotely because you cannot avoid going down to the venue at the time of planning the decoration. You don’t want any unpleasant surprises at that time. So, scout your venues before you book one on the concerned date.
A Photographer
Meet the caterers, florists, and bands, but also meet the photographers simultaneously. A wedding is a big event and you want the best artists to cover it. Getting appointments with the best photographers in town is a chore in itself. It takes weeks of calling in and checking before you get their dates. Plus, their calendars are booked months in advance. So, unless you have close contacts that can get you bookings just within weeks, you want to start ahead. Do your research, longlist a few, and start meeting them before thinking of appointing anybody for the event.
Other things you want to keep a tab on are the honeymoon bookings, the caterers, the after-party arrangements, and of course the wedding gift registry.
