Set Up A Separate Inbox
“Consider creating a separate email address specifically for your wedding. It’s much easier to keep all wedding newsletters, vendor correspondence, and follow-ups in one placewhere both you and your fiancé can access itwithout having emails clutter up your main inbox.”Jenna Miller, creative director at Here Comes the Guide
Apply For A Marriage License
Did you know that getting married comes with paperwork? Before the wedding date, you’ll need to apply for a marriage licenseafter all, this is your ticket to becoming legally wed, and it’s one planning task not to leave until the last minute. Then, after the wedding day, you’ll need a marriage certificate, which proves you’re legally married. Both documents need to be notarized, but specific timing guidelines vary by state and county. “It’s important to do your research on the timelines and deadlines for the location or county where you’re getting married so you understand what you need and when,” says Pat Kinsel, Founder & CEO of digital notary site Notarize. “If you’re not sure, contact the city or town clerk where you are getting married to get confirmation on the timeline and deadlines for documentation.”
For more in-depth help, follow our guide on how to obtain your marriage license.
Create A Planning Timeline
On that note, one key item in your binder should be a timeline of all the planning to-dos. Outline all the tasks that need to be done to create your event and when they need to be accomplished. To get you started, we’ve compiled a detailed timeline for you in the next slides.
Note: If you want to see exactly how it’s done in the Alison Events office, you can also purchase All the Essentials Wedding Planner, a pretty, premade binder with, as the name suggests, all the essentials to plan your big day.
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Prioritise What’s Important To You
Even if you have a strict budget, you dont have to scrimp on everything. Take the time to think about what is most important to you and prioritise those things, then aim to cut costs on the less important elements. Perhaps you have always dreamed of that designer wedding dress but arent as bothered about the cake, or you want to spend more on that unique wedding venue that doesnt require any extra decorations. With some savvy planning you can still create your perfect day on a budget.
Around Seven Months Before The Wedding You Should Be Making Big Decisions
Seven months ahead of the wedding, you should hire a florist, pick out linens and other rentable items, hire musical entertainment for the wedding, choose an officiant, and book a venue for the rehearsal dinner.
Both WeddingWire and The Knot can help you find these vendors, as well as keep track of your planning progress.
It’s also important to book transportation for the bridal party for the wedding months in advance, whether that be a limo, special convertible, or a horse and carriage. Likewise, the groom and groomsmen should arrange their outfits for the day around five months before the wedding.
And, of course, you should buy your wedding bands around five months before the wedding to make sure they look exactly as you’re hoping.
Initial food tastings will also happen around this time, so you can start to imagine your wedding menu.
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What Your Wedding Checklist Should Include
Professionals who help brides and grooms plan successful weddings recommend that you begin chalking out the details 12 to 16 months in advance. This may seem like a lot, but its not, because from booking venues and shopping for outfits to preparing guests lists and hiring makeup artists, decorators, and caterers, there are several elements that you have to pay attention to. Therefore, you should make a wedding planning checklist and add deadlines to each item to hold yourself accountable so that you don’t miss out on anything and tackle the important tasks.
Heres what your wedding checklist should include:
- Send wedding invites
The Must Have Destination Wedding Planner
Amazon
While destination weddings can be fantastic experiences, they can also require a lot of work to go off without a hitch. This book contains many hugely helpful tips for planning a far-away wedding, taking on important topics like how to fill up days worth of events for guests and whether or not to fly in the photographer. With a planner as detailed as this, you can focus less on stressing and more on enjoying your upcoming getaway.
Recommended Reading: Google Wedding Spreadsheets
Choose Your Bridal Partys Attire
Your bridal party has accepted the honor of being in your wedding, and now you have to decide what they should wear.
If you prefer all of your bridesmaids to wear the same dress, its a good idea to provide a few options to choose from and see which one gets the most votes. Youll want to choose a dress that flatters and pleases everybody, so its important to take into consideration the color, fabric and shape of the dress.
The other option is to choose a color you like and let them choose their own dress. It all depends on your theme and the aesthetic that youre going for.
For the groomsmen, decide if you want tuxedos or suits, and in what color. Or, if you prefer a more relaxed look, you could opt for khakis and a button down shirt. Do you want your bridesmaids and groomsmen to color coordinate? Match the colors of the dresses to the mens bow ties for a fun, modern aesthetic.
The Day Before Your Wedding
- Drop off place cards, table cards, menus, favours, table plan, and décor to reception coordinator
- Provide all wedding professionals with an emergency phone number to call on the day of the wedding
- Ensure the cake is on track to be delivered to reception venue – have someone else look after this one!
- Iron out any ceremony details
- Chill out and have a nice dinner
- Get a good nights rest!
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Design & Send Out Wedding Invitations
As soon as youve decided on your wedding style and secured the venue, start planning your wedding stationery. For a destination wedding, save-the-date cards are generally sent out nine months before the wedding date, whereas for local weddings, they are usually sent out four to six months prior.
At six to eight weeks before the wedding, you should get feedback from your invites. To avoid any last-minute snags, request that replies be received no later than a month before the event.
Start With A Wedding Checklist
When it comes to planning a wedding, there are some things that have to be planned before others. The best way to stop yourself from feeling overwhelmed is to take the whole and break it down into smaller parts. Having a checklist is a must! And you dont need to stress, because we have created a for you.
This checklist breaks things down prioritised sections sorted by months to help give you an idea of when to start with what.
Generally, the first thing to consider is figuring out where you want to get married. Your wedding venue is the first step. Once you book the venue, youll see the other aspects start falling into place. Remember to start looking at least one year before the time. The weddings industry in South Africa can get very busy in high season and vendors get booked out quickly.
Some questions to consider before starting:
- How many guests are you planning on having?
- Do you want a chapel at the venue?
- Would your guests require transport or accommodation in the area?
- Do you have a theme in mind?
We know that it may seem a little scary to try and get as much done as possible in the first few months, but that way, the last few months wont be as hectic. Youll thank yourselves later promise. If you prefer, you can work with a professional wedding planner and leave all the stressful details to them.
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Allow Extra Time For Clothing Rentals
Most rental companies allow you to pick up the tux or suit only one day before the wedding. When the fit has to be just right, I recommend renting formalwear from a company that can deliver the looks early. Generation Tux delivers suits and tuxedos 14 days before the event, so any fit issues are handled way before the wedding.”Nathan Bellah, director of marketing at Generation Tux
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Arrange Transport And Accommodation
If your wedding venue is out of town, youll need to give guests the option of staying overnight. This could even be at your wedding venue if its a hotel. Guests will need to know if you expect them to contribute to the costs of this or if youre covering it.
Putting together a list of nearby hotels and sending this out to anyone whos accepted an invitation to your special day is a nice touch. Of course, youll also need to arrange cars or other forms of transport if you marry in one location and your wedding breakfast is elsewhere.
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How To Plan A Wedding Step By Step
Just got engaged and not sure where to start? Here’s our how to plan a wedding step-by-step guide to make it as simple and straightforward as possible, so you can keep stress at a minimum.
We have included third party products to help you navigate and enjoy lifes biggest moments. Purchases made through links on this page may earn us a commission.
Your wedding will likely be the biggest party youll ever throwand figuring out how to plan a wedding can feel pretty daunting at first . But whether you want a small, simple wedding or a big, lavish affair, the steps remain the same: Set a budget , find inspiration, start your guest list… well, we break it all down one step at a time below. We recommend focusing on one task at a time so you dont get overwhelmed by the wedding planning process. And if youre in a time crunch, go ahead and delegate some of these responsibilities to family members and friendstheyll likely be glad to help you as you navigate this process.
Get A Marriage License
If youre thinking about how to plan a wedding step by step, remember one of the most important tasksobtaining a marriage license so that you and your partner can actually get legally married! Every state has different marriage license laws, so be sure to study up beforehand. Make sure that you get your marriage license at the right timein advance if theres a waiting period in your state, but not too far in advance if the license expires after a certain amount of time. If you’re interested in changing your name after the wedding, that marriage license will be a critical step in the process.
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Set The Tone Of Your Event
This is the time to decide if you’re having a formal wedding, a casual affair, or a theme wedding. It’s also the time to decide if you’re having a religious or secular ceremony. In short, you need to decide what you want your wedding to feel like. A good way to begin is to sit down with your partner and do some free writing about your ideal wedding. Look at the adjectives that each of you wrote and use those as a starting point. A wedding planning questionnaire can help you get started.
Create A Wedding Website
Setting up a wedding website is the easiest way to do keep your guests in the loop, and one of the most important steps to planning a wedding. Make sure to include all of the important information about your big day on your websitedate, location, travel information, room block details, and more. Nows also the time to create your wedding hashtag to use on social media leading up to your wedding day.
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Dont Be Afraid To Delegate
If a wedding planner is not in your budget, dont underestimate the willingness of your friends and family to help you out. There are so many small tasks that need to be done that you can easily delegate to those who are willing. It will help them feel more connected with your wedding and will also lighten your burden.
Best Seasons To Choose Indoor Wedding Venues
There are plenty of reasons why you would prefer an indoor wedding venue. They can be more economical, often have a dance floor as well as basic seating. Further, indoor wedding venues offer you the privacy that outdoor venues do not offer. Also, you dont have to worry about sudden rainfall or scorching heat. While you can always book an indoor venue, there are 2 seasons when opting for one makes sense.
- Monsoons: Having an outdoor wedding during the June to September season, when rainfall is expected can wreak havoc with your arrangements. To be on the safer side, opt for an indoor venue.
- Months that have extreme climate: Some areas experience harsh climates during particular months of the year. For instance, temperatures soar up to 45°C during April to June in the northern and western parts of the country. It can go as low as 5°C from December to January. An indoor hall will ensure comfort for the bride and groom as well as the guests.
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Involve Your Significant Other
Whitney Neal Studios
Don’t feel like you’re in this wedding planning process alone. Consult with your partner along the way their opinion is bound to be invaluable andeven if they’re only involved in some aspectsit makes wedding planning that much more fun when you can make decisions together. Working towards a common goal not only further bonds you and your partner but also helps you grow as a couple with every issue you tackle as a team.
Be Inspired But Not Led
There can be a real Keeping up with the Kardashians thing going on in the realm of weddings, but unless you have $10 million to spend, its not even worth trying. Absolutely be inspired by other weddings you see, but focus on borrowing ideas on one or two key elements that will enhance your wedding day, rather than adding them in there just because.
The aim of your wedding is not to impress people, it is to create an event where your friends and family can celebrate the love between you and your partner everything else is secondary. Pick a handful of things to splurge on it could be the venue, an award-winning photographer, or a feast that you know will satisfy everyone.
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