Your Wedding Day

This is supposed to be the happiest day of your life, not the most stressful day.  So be sure to enjoy this day to its fullest.  All of your hard work over the past several months is finally paying off.

• Review your list of things you need to bring to the ceremony site
• Give the groom's ring to the best man, or attach to ring bearer pillow
• Give the bride's room to the maid of honor, or attach to ring bearer pillow
• ENJOY the most important day of your life

Enjoying your special day is very important.  Your stress level should be the lowest it has been in weeks!  Now it's time to enjoy your new life as husband and wife.

The Last Week

This is crunch time.  If you have time, try to sneak in a massage or any type of spa time to allow you to relieve some stress.

• Pick up wedding attire and make sure everything fits
• Do a final guest count and let your caterer know
• Arrange for someone to drive your getaway car. 
• Confirm all honeymoon arrangements and pick up plane tickets
• Notify the post office to hold your mail, or have a neighbor hold it for you

Some guests who were not able to make it to your wedding will probably be sending a card in the mail shortly after the wedding.  These cards may contain cash, so it is important to have somebody pick up or hold your mail every day. 

Things you need to do two to six weeks before your wedding.

If things haven't yet gotten stressful, they probably will now.  You are going to have a hard time finding any free time or time to relax. 

• Confirm ceremony details with your minister
• Have final fitting of your gown and headpiece
• Make final floral selections
• Finalize rehearsal dinner plans
• Start packing for your honeymoon
• Contact any guests who have not responded with an RSVP

It might seem a little too early to begin packing for your honeymoon, but if you start early then that will decrease your chances of forgetting anything. 

Things you need to do six to eight weeks before your wedding.

Take a few minutes to review the checklists from before, anything that hasn't been checked off will need to be completed during this time.

• Mail your invitations
• Schedule a time with your hair stylist to practice how you would like your hair styled on the day of the wedding
• Purchase accessories such as toasting glasses, ring pillow, guestbook, etc.
• Mail rehearsal dinner invitations
• Obtain your Marriage License through your county courthouse
• Finalize your menu and beverage order for your reception

Before mailing out all of your invitations, take one to your local post office to make sure it does not require extra postage.  Be sure your invitations include an RSVP card and maps to your ceremony site for out of town guests.

Things you need to do two to four months before your wedding.

This is an extremely busy time for you and your fiance. 

• Select a bakery and order your wedding cake and a groom's cake.
• Shop for each other's wedding rings
• Order your passport if traveling out of the country for your honeymoon
• Purchase gifts for your wedding attendants
• Purchas honeymoon attire and luggage

Sometimes it is easy to forget about things you will need for your honeymoon because you are so focused on your wedding day.  If you are going somewhere warm, don't forget sunblock.  If you are going somewhere cold, pack some extra scarfs and gloves.

Things you need to do four to six months before your wedding

Things are going to start picking up at this time.  This is when time is going to fly by and your wedding day will be here before you know it.

• Create and finalize your guest list
• Order your invitations and other stationary
• Set the date, time, and location for your rehearsal and rehearsal dinner
• Begin booking your honeymoon, if you are going on one
• Register for gifts
• Select your guestbook and gift attendants as well as cake servers

When selecting your honeymoon destination, it is a good idea to book through a travel agent.  This way you can get your resort and airline tickets taken care of at the same time.

Things you need to do six to nine months before your wedding.

By this time, you should already have your wedding date and venues selected.  If you do not, then you will need to get that done as soon as possible. 

• Select your Wedding Party, this includes maid of honor, bridesmaids, best man, groomsmen, ushers, as well as a flower girl and ring bearer. 
• Book all of your vendors, these include your florist, photographer, videographer, DJ or musicians, and caterer. 
• The bride will need to schedule an appointment to try on and purchase a wedding gown.
• Bridesmaids need to select their dresses, shoes, and jewelry.
• Groom and groomsmen need to select and order their tuxes. 

When selecting dresses for  your bridesmaids, see if the bridal shop has a sample or a swatch of their dress colors.  Then you can take that swatch to your florist to try to get the flowers to match closely with the rest of the colors.

Things you need to do nine or more months before your wedding.

The average wedding is planned within 9-12 months.  So here are some things you should try to get done shortly after your engagement:

• Announce your engagement (local newspapers, collegians, wedding blogs, etc.)
• Select a date for your wedding
• Determine your budget and how the expenses will be shared between the bride and the groom, the groom's parents, and the bride's parents
• Reserve your ceremony and reception sites
• Hire a wedding planner (if necessary)

When selecting your date, narrow it down to about 2 or 3 different dates.  This way you can check with your reception and ceremony venues to see which of those dates are available, then match it up with which date works best for you.