And just like that we are back with part three! If you haven’t gotten the chance, please be sure to check out Part One where we covered everything you need to do in the first month, or 12 months before you say ‘I Do’. (You can find that article here: The Ultimate Wedding Checklist: Part One). In part two we were able to cover more ground. That list covers everything that needs to be done 11 months out through 7 months out. (You can check out part two here: The Ultimate Wedding Checklist: Part Two)
Wedding Checklist Recap
Without giving too much away we covered finalizing plans, choosing vendors, wedding dress shopping, blocking out hotels, taking engagement photos and building wedding websites before sending out save the dates and invitations, and that was just in month 10 and 11. Well, let’s get into part three! This post will cover month 6 up until the end of the 2 months out mark. The last month through the day of will be covered in the fourth part of this mini-series.
6 Months Out
1.) Consider Hiring A Lighting Guy… or Girl
This one is completely optional, but it may be worth it to invest in a contractor or vendor that will understand the kind of lighting your photographer and videographer may need. They will be able to make suggestions on where to place concentrations of candles or other mood lighting to get the best results. Again, this is optional but it’s something worth considering.
2.) Catch UP!
This is your breathing month and well, you’re welcome. Hopefully, you’ve been staying on top of things the best you can. If you are up to date on all things wedding by this point, then consider it a relaxing month. This month is perfect for responding to, and following up with vendors, etc. It is also a great opportunity to you to catch up if you are significantly behind!
5 Months Out
1.) Transportation Time
Take a portion of this month to start working on transportation for guests to the venue (if needed). You will also want to start considering your transportation from the ceremony to your reception (if in a different location) as well as your send off from the reception to wherever. Are you renting a McLaren car to speed off in, or getting a classic town car? Are guests taking the local trolley on a scenic route to and from your venue? You should spend some time this month to book for these two differing transportation needs.
2.) Book the Honeymoon
Hopefully, you’ve considered where you want to go and what you want to do on your honeymoon! It’s time to book that trip in by finalizing destinations, plane tickets, researching COVID-19 restrictions, etc. Since we are currently in a pandemic and traveling has changed so much this may take a little more time and research than it used to. Whatever you do just make sure it’s the perfect location that you and your newly wedded partner can enjoy together.
3.) Get the Tuxedo/Suit
Men have it so easy. The most they do on their big day is shave and get dressed. It is not surprising that getting a tux for the big day is about the same. Here is the catch though, the groom is the first-person people see, so it’s important that he be as dashing as the bride is beautiful. Help your significant other in choosing the ensemble and schedule fittings for the groomsmen as well.
4.) Premarital Counseling
This is another optional step. Often, pre-marital counseling is done by individuals with specific religious backgrounds in which it is expected. If you don’t want to go to counseling, you can skip this step, but for those considering and going but are unsure… what can it hurt?
4 Months Out
1.) Food
If the caterers and cake decorators weren’t apart of the “book fast to go vendors” step from the part two post, now is the time to get these things situated. You’ve luckily already started researching different bakeries as well and caterers in seen also in part two so selecting someone and finalizing the menu should be a walk in the park! Be sure to talk with your caterer about customizing/creating themed cocktails and/or deserts. During this stage you will likely be doing a tasting for both the food and the cake. A pro tip is discussing with your baker if you can do a Styrofoam cake. A lot of couples want a huge 6-tiered cake without realizing how expensive those cakes truly are. Most wedding cake decorators will have prices in which the bottom two layers of the cake are real, and each additional layer is just decorated Styrofoam. You get the drama of having a grand cake, without spending an actual grand.
2.) Buy Wedding Bands
Plot twist your engagement ring and wedding band aren’t the same thing. Most people assume that the ring with the big rock on it is the wedding ring, but technically it is the engagement ring. At the ceremony a secondary band is added to the already present engagement ring. This secondary band is what is known as the wedding band. Some engagement rings have wedding bands that were designed to complete the look of a specific ring, while others just purchase a simple band to stack onto their engagement ring. This is for the ladies, the men on the other hand you’re just purchasing his ring since he likely did not get an engagement ring.
3.) Hair and Makeup Trial
This is a straight-forward step that essentially just involves the bride scheduling and going to a hair and make-up test run. Doing so allows the bride and her glam team to get a clear representation of what things will look like the day of. The best thing you can do in this situation is show up with your inspiration pictures and make sure that you still look like yourself on your wedding day. You don’t want to do anything too bold and look back one day when the trends change and be thinking “what was I thinking?” Be specific about what you want and speak-up/make comments so everyone is clear on what you would like to look like on your big day.
3 Months Out
1.) Order the invitations and get ready to send those out!
Obviously, invitations should go with the vibes of the wedding’s venue, reception hall, theme, etc. By this point everything should be spilling into each other, and the entire look of the wedding should be very cohesive. A few tips for crossing this off the to-do list is order more invitations than you think you need, be prepared for recording RSVP replies, check your names and addresses, and then check them again.
2.) Send Off and Guest Favors
Guest favors are in no way a necessity, but if it is something you are interested in doing then you should be sure to begin planning these things well in advance. On the inverse if your send-off includes throwing rice or blowing bubbles, now is the best time for getting this portion of the wedding finalized and completed.
3.) Start Your Vows
You may be one of the best writers in the world and I’d still recommend writing your vows some time in advance. It will give you the opportunity to re-read and make changes as needed!
4.) Meet with the Officiant and Select Ceremony Readings
With step four you are going to want to meet with your wedding’s officiant and go over ceremony details. If there is a “ceremony reading” which is stereotypically done by reading a passage in the Bible this should be disclosed. If the officiant is going to be expected to perform the ceremony in two languages, a script should be provided. Other ceremonial demonstrations should be incorporated as well, such as, jumping the broom, the sand ceremony, candle lighting ceremony, etc. This is also a great time to make sure your officiant has the legal license to officiate a wedding ceremony.
2 Months Out
1.) Send the Wedding Invitations
It is crunch time now baby! This month you should be sending out the wedding invitations and requiring an RSVP approximately one month before the wedding. Hopefully, you prepped last month so all that is left is the assembling.
2.) Send out Rehearsal Dinner Invitations
If you are having a rehearsal dinner, make sure an invitation is sent out to all of the guests invited to this particular event. You don’t want this dinner to be embarrassingly similar to the reception, but you want the colors, themes, and overall aesthetic to be complimentary so be sure to communicate that to the planning and paying parties.
3.) First Dress Fitting
Your first fitting should be anywhere between the two to three months after ordering, and you second one right around the six-week mark. This allows for seamstress to get a clear understanding of the work you want to be done to the dress and provides ample time for him/her to do so.
4.) Get your Marriage License
You can’t legally get married without it so this is a pretty big deal. Every state has different requirements so be sure to check out your state’s requirements before be
5.) Buy Gifts for your Wedding Party
This is of course optional as well, but it is just one more chance to show your wedding party your love and appreciation for their support on your big day. Brides choose anything from personalized wine tumblers to matching pajamas. Whatever you decide to do just remember it’s only intended to be a small token of appreciation, so don’t feel like you have to ball out.
6.) Start crafting any DIYs you haven’t yet
If you are a DIY-er and you made plans to add personalized DIY touches to your wedding, you should start those projects now! Maybe even have a crafting party with your bridesmaids. Nothing bad has ever come from drinking too much wine and a hot glue gun!
Conclusion
If you’ve made it this far, you can make it one more month! You are almost ready for ‘I Do’ and I just hope the planning process was made easier with this ultimate checklist. Next time we are going from 30 days before all the way to the day of! See you soon!
