Wedding Planning Guide – Start Planning Your Wedding

Now that you are engaged, it’s time to start planning your wedding. There are many details to take care of to ensure that everything goes smoothly on your big day. This wedding planning guide will walk you through the steps you need to take to make your wedding day the most perfect day of your life.

Make the Big Decisions First

Setting the date is more complicated than just looking at a calendar and pointing. You should start narrowing it down by thinking about what you’d like the weather to be like on the day of your wedding. Once you have a month or season in mind, call the places you are considering holding your ceremony and reception to find out what dates are available. You need to do this at least six to twelve months in advance. If you wait too long, you may end up having to choose less desirable locations because your chosen venues are already booked.

Decide Who Will Be Involved

Once you have your date and location set, you can start contacting service providers. If there is a certain person you want to perform the ceremony, you should contact them before the date is set in stone. Otherwise, your approach will be to find someone who is available on the date you have chosen. You will also need to arrange for a photographer, florist and caterer during this stage of wedding planning. Also consider whether you will need to hire entertainment for the reception.

This is a good time to think about choosing bridesmaids and groomsmen as well. These people need to be asked well in advance to allow them time to plan for the cost of their dresses and tuxes. The decisions you make about who will be involved in the wedding and who will help with the various tasks required should be made by about six months before the wedding date.

Order the Things You Need

Between four to six months before the wedding, you should make decisions about the bridesmaid’s dresses, groomsmen’s tuxes, menu, invitations, flowers and other items that are going to be needed for your wedding. Now is the time to order these things. You need to allow time for the dresses and invitations to be made, and your caterer and florist will need time to prepare. Now is a good time to register for gifts as well.

The Final Details

By the time your wedding is about two months away, you should have all of the wedding planning details ironed out. Everything that needs to be ordered is ordered, including the cake and your wedding rings. You have purchased gifts for your attendants and planned your ceremony and reception. This is a good time to mail out your wedding invitations so they reach your guests in time for them to make plans to attend your ceremony.

Make sure you need to check the requirements for a marriage license. Most places require you to get the license a certain amount of time before the ceremony. The final fittings for your wedding gown and bridesmaid’s dresses will have to wait until a week or two before the wedding date in case anyone gains or loses weight. At this point, your wedding planning is pretty much done. You have done everything you can to ensure that your wedding day goes smoothly and is full of memories that you will treasure for the rest of your life.