WEDDING CHECKLIST
10-12 Months Before
- Introduce both families and officially announce your engagement.
- Find out who pays for what and start a budget.
- Create a guest list and manage it with our easy-to-use tool.
- Compare calendars and select a tentative date.
- Choose your wedding party.
- Create a wedding website to share your engagement.
- Consider whitening your teeth for your engagement parties and photographs.
- Conduct interviews and hire a wedding coordinator if applicable.
- Decide if you want premarital counseling.
- Start looking photos of wedding dresses for inspiration.
- Send your engagement photo to the local paper.
- Begin thinking about where you want to honeymoon.
- Visit and book your reception site, and arrange for parking.
- Visit and book your ceremony location, including rehearsal time.
- Create a save-the-date guest list.
6 - 9 Months Before
- Alert out-of-town guests of wedding date and/or send a FREE save-the-date email.
- Find a bridal salon and begin trying on wedding dresses and veils.
- Bring stockings, heels, a strapless bra, and a hair clip to each appointment.
- Get in shape for your wedding gown by starting an exercise routine.
- Get ideas for honeymoon locations and research pricing.
- Start looking at floral designs and interview florists for style and cost.
- Search for menu ideas and start meeting with caterers.
- Research wedding photography and interview wedding photographers/videographers.
- Get ideas for music and interview bands/DJs.
- Finalize flower and décor ideas, and select a florist. Include specifics of each floral arrangement in your contract.
- Sign a caterer.
- Order your gown and wedding veil.
- Shop for and select the perfect bridesmaid dress.
- Book your honeymoon!
- Find out if your ceremony location requires liability insurance.
- Finalize contracts with your wedding photographer and videographer.
- Book your DJ/band.
- Browse and purchase wedding dress accessories, including shoes, lingerie, purse, and gloves.
- Choose your officiant and discuss ceremony ideas.
- Start thinking about all of your gift registry options.
- Select three hotels in varying price ranges and reserve rooms for out-of-town guests.
4 - 5 Months Before
- Start thinking about cultural traditions for your wedding.
- View wedding invitation styles and research proper wording.
- Look at photos to get ideas for wedding cake designs, and meet with bakers to taste samples.
- Discuss menu ideas with your catering manager.
- Shop for wedding rings.
- Look for the groom’s tux and decide what groomsmen will wear.
- Confirm your bridesmaids ordered their gowns and decide on accessories.
- Have your mother and future mother-in-law coordinate and select their dresses.
- Compare pricing, place your wedding invitation order, and book your calligrapher.
- Purchase your wedding rings and send for engraving if applicable.
- Get ideas for wedding favors.
- Confirm dates for bridal showers and bachelorette parties.
- Make sure you’ve started your registries before bridal shower invitations are sent.
- Choose your baker and finalize wedding cake.
- Reserve rental equipment such as chairs, tables, linens, tents, etc.
- Research and book your rehearsal dinner location.
- Get ideas for wedding hair and makeup.
- Notify any family or friends whom you would like to give readings, sing solos, serve as guest book attendant, etc.
- Interview and hire any additional management staff and babysitters if needed.
- Give your guest list to shower hostesses and check that your registry has enough items. Update wedding website.
- Consider getting wedding insurance.
2 - 3 Months Before
- Finalize guest list and submit invitations to calligrapher.
- Book makeup artist and hairstylist.
- Order your wedding favors.
- Candles, baskets, ring pillow… it’s time to start browsing and purchase wedding accessories!
- Consider signing up for dance classes.
- Schedule your last tasting and finalize menu.
- Find gifts for each other, your attendants, your shower hostess, and your parents.
- Confirm tuxes have been ordered for groom/groomsmen.
- Prep for your honeymoon – do you have everything you need?
- Choose your getaway! Finalize wedding transportation.
- Take care of business: Look into joint bank accounts, insurance, and merging your money.
- Select your music for the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception, and review with musicians, singers.
- Check that there are enough options left on your registry, and update your wedding website.
- Finalize rehearsal dinner plans and order rehearsal invitations, menus, table numbers, escort cards, and any other stationery accessories.
- Mail invitations eight weeks before your wedding day.
1 - 2 Months Before
- Have your first bridal gown fitting. Remember to bring stockings, shoes, the appropriate bra, hair accessories, jewelry, a camera, and your mom or best friend.
- Finalize ceremony readings and songs, and review with performers.
- Order liquor/beverages not handled by caterer.
- Meet with your officiant to finalize the ceremony, including attendant formations.
- Begin writing your vows if applicable.
- Begin writing thank-you notes for bridal showers and early wedding gifts, and update your registry at the same time.
- Research where to get your marriage license.
- Prepare a photo and video shot list, naming important family members and guests.
- Schedule the bridesmaids’ luncheon and buy attendant gifts if you haven’t already.
- Begin whitening your teeth for your wedding day.
- Consider liability insurance for your reception location.
3 - 4 Weeks Before
- Finalize your jewelry, which may include something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.
- Prepare a must-have shot list for your wedding photographer and videographer.
- Finalize your “must play” and “don’t play” music lists and review with musicians.
- Practice your first dance wearing your bridal shoes.
- Design and order your wedding program.
- Confirm honeymoon and travel arrangements, and give loved ones your itinerary in case of emergency.
- Call guests who haven’t RSVP’d.
- Pick up your wedding rings.
- Get your marriage license, typically no earlier than 30 days before the wedding.
- Research how to change your name.
- Mail your rehearsal-dinner invitations.
- Purchase small candles, candies, and mints for your guest powder room.
- Meet with your stylist to discuss and test the perfect makeup and hair for your bridal style.
1 - 2 Weeks Before
- Have your final wedding gown fitting.
- Finalize your wedding-day schedule (including receiving-line order) and share with attendants, parents, and all vendors.
- Confirm all of your beauty appointments.
- Confirm pick-up times, schedules, and addresses with your wedding-day transportation.
- Pick up your wedding dress and make sure all of your accessories are together.
- Pick up the groom’s outfit, make sure it fits, and gather all of his accessories together.
- Finalize your vows for the ceremony.
- Get your hair colored and trimmed (don’t wait until two days before the ceremony).
- Confirm final headcount.
- Give final attendance numbers to vendors and confirm final date/time for deliverables and pick-ups after wedding.
- Pack for your wedding night and honeymoon.
- Create a “wedding box” to gather your ceremony accessories (marriage license, candles, ring pillow, basket, guest book) and assign someone to transport.
- Prepare a “reception box” for accessories such as guest books, cameras, toasting goblets, cake toppers, etc., and assign someone to transport.
- Prepare all of your wedding favors for transportation to reception venue and assign someone to move them.
- Finalize your seating arrangements (making sure you involve both sets of parents) and submit to caterer.
- Prepare place cards.
- Confirm dates/times/locations for all photo and video sessions the day of the wedding.
- Confirm dates/times/locations with all vendors.
The Day Before
- Prepare a list of payment envelopes – including tips – earmarking who is responsible for distributing to vendors.
- Hand out assignment lists and checklists to ensure everyone knows their tasks, including person responsible for transporting gifts.
- Hand out ceremony box to appropriate person.
- Hand out reception box to appropriate person.
- Hand out favor box to appropriate person.
- Assign someone to mail your announcement cards.
- Gather together your wedding dress, accessories, and bridal emergency kit.
- Get a manicure, pedicure, and massage.
- Rehearse ceremony with officiant and wedding party.
The Wedding Day
- Your day has arrived! You may be nervous, but try to eat breakfast and drink plenty of fluids.
- Take a lavender bath – it’s very relaxing.
- Be sure to wear a button-down shirt for your hair and makeup appointments.
After the Wedding
- Get your wedding dress cleaned and preserved.
- Preserve your bouquet.
- Write and mail your thank-you notes.
- Complete your name-change kit.
- Check into your store’s bridal registry completion program.
- Meet with photographer and videographer to finalize albums/video.