Getting started:: How to plan your own wedding
How to plan your own wedding: The complete guide!
Congratulations! You’re engaged! Woooo! Now you’ll be getting questions about your wedding and your ideas! This is the complete guide on how to plan your own wedding with a checklist and everything you need to do to feel stress-free and prepared for your marriage!
Insurance
- Ring insurance is so important in case of it lost, stolen, or damaged
- Typically renters/home insurance can help you for a small monthly rate
- Liability insurance for your wedding in case of cancellation
Create a wedding Gmail
- Don’t be like me, trying to be cute and creating the email with the birth year being the year you met. Gmail will create a child account, and it’s impossible to reverse it. It also limits access to the email from more than one device. Keep it the year you were born!
- An email with both of your names and share the password with your partner
- Use this email to communicate with vendors and all wedding related things that way you don’t get spam to your personal inboxes
Create a spreadsheet for budgeting.
- Ask your family members how much they are comfortable with contributing
- Ask yourselves, how much are you able to save or contribute immediately towards the total budget
Using a spreadsheet, make a guest list
- Start with immediate family
- Potential wedding party members (bridesmaids/groomsmen)
- Move on to close friendships and extended family and even kids
- Columns: name, who invited them (you or your partner), relationship to you/partner, phone number, email, address, a list / b list, rehearsal dinner invite, rsvp response
Start your wedding registries.
- Amazon
- Anthropologie
- Paypal as Honeymoon Fund
Get inspired by wedding design.
From my experience, your vision will change throughout the process – I recommend just saving everything you love and coming back to it after a few months to clean up what you don’t like anymore.
- Instagram #weddings #citywedding #cityweddingphotographer
- Save posts and create boards
- Tiktok #weddings
Get creative and create collages and a wedding mood board of your favorite ideas
Down the road, you can even DIY wedding signage and invitations using these applications
- Picmonkey
- Canva
Think about your wedding day and ask
- (For brides) When is my period? Use the Flo App to track it and choose a wedding date based on it.
- Where is the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception (indoor/outdoor)
- If the weather is bad, are you okay with the indoor option?
- What ideal temperature is it on your wedding day?
- Look into the season’s weather history based on the possible month you decide for your wedding.
- May-June, September- November are the most popular months for New York and New Jersey weddings
- All year round, except for peak summer and hurricane season, are the most popular months for the south like Florida and even Arizona weddings
- What time of day do I see myself having my ceremony?
- Outdoor ceremonies: golden hour (starting 1.5-2 hours before sunset)
- Night ceremonies: best for indoor ceremonies and make it romantic with candlelight
- Are you looking for a Saturday or holiday weekend wedding when it’s most convenient for guests or a way to cut costs and choose a Thursday, Friday, or Sunday wedding?
- Keep in mind that selecting a day other than Saturday/holiday weekend may provide you with more venue options for your desired date, and vice versa. Saturday/holiday weekend dates typically come with higher costs per person. Opting for a Thursday, Friday, or Sunday wedding can also ensure that the most important people are able to attend. I believe that those who truly want to be there will make the effort to take a day off to celebrate with you on your wedding day.
- Do you want guests to travel on your wedding day or will you be providing transportation?
- Does your venue have a hotel option or will they need to stay nearby?
- Hotel block negotiation/contract
- How close is the airport to the venue for out-of-town guests?
- Does your venue allow you to get ready on-site, or will you need to get ready off-site?
- Does your venue allow you to drop off decor the day before and pickup the day after?
- What are the top venues in New Jersey?
- What is the venue’s capacity?
- Do they allow after party’s?
- Does the venue allow pets?
Website design
Optional: Digital save-the-date invites
The Checklist
Download the word doc you can print now!!
One Year
- Wedding gmail
- Budget spreadsheet
- Contribution & money gifts
- Expenses
- Ring insurance
- Start wedding registries
- Start spotify playlist for wedding music
- Create Pinterest boards
- Guest list spreadsheet
- Venues
- Tour & pick your date
- Fitness plan
- Fitness Pal app
- Nutrition
- Workout schedule/gym membership
9-11 Months
- Save the Dates
- Destination weddings: send save the dates by 9 months before
- Create designs
- Collect your guests’ mailing/email addresses
- Bridal dress shops
- Research local shops online
- Save dress designs to show to your consultant
- Schedule appointments at several shops
- Wedding photographers
- Booking this vendor as soon as you have your venue/date
- Engagement photoshoot
- Prepare & pick outfits
- Plan 2 months before save the dates are sent
- Wedding DJ/Band & Emcee
- Wedding florist
- Wedding planners/coordinators
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- Month of, day of, and full planning services
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- Hotel block/Airbnb for your wedding night
- Getting ready rooms
- Guest stay
- Night of wedding stay
- Premarital counseling
- Finances
- Communication
- Invitation/calligrapher
- Cake tastings
- Start designing your wedding website
- Choose 2-3 Colors & 2 fonts that speak the brand of your wedding day
- FAQ
- hotel block code
- deadlines
- transportation guide
- airport
- what to do near the wedding
- dress code
- children/plus ones?
- indoors/outdoor wedding
- Your story
- Engagement photos and other photos that tell your story as a couple
- RSVP
- Attending/Not attending
- Names
- Number of guests + their names
- Dietary restriction/Meal choice
- Mailing address/email address
- Can they attend rehearsal dinner or other events
- Wedding party
- Names/bio/photos
- Gift registry
- Timeline of events
- addresses/venues
- timing of events
6 – 8 Months
- Decide on first dance songs with parent/partner
- Send save the date
- Send virtually or by mail
- Custom wedding cake order
- Wedding hair and makeup services
- Trials are so important – book them for special occasions like your engagement photoshoot, dress fittings, events you’re attending
- Wedding videographer
- Wedding Officiant and marriage licensing
- 6 months before your wedding
- Honeymoon planning
- 6 months before your wedding
- Finalize your wedding invitation/stationary designs
- Transportation
- If you need transportation from getting ready to the ceremony, reception, hotel, and for your guests.
- Propose to wedding party members
4 – 6 Months
- Alterations
- 4 months before your wedding
- Second – fourth fitting 6 weeks before your wedding
- Final fitting 2 weeks before your wedding
- Dance lessons
- Wedding decor rentals
- Wedding rings
- Make a wedding song playlist to collaborate with your partner
- Start planning honeymoon
- passports
- hotel
- flight
- vaccines
- itenirary
3-4 Months
- Dance lessons
- Send wedding invitations
- Pet or childcare services
- Bridesmaids dress fittings / Groomsmen suit fittings
- Food tastings
- Facial, botox/filler, hair, nail, eyebrow, tanning, waxing and other beauty sessions
- trials leading up to wedding
- ask your consultation when you should be getting the final appointments in
1-2 Months
- Dance lessons
- Pack for honeymoon
- Wear new shoes
- Collect RSVPs/follow up reminders to no RSVPs
- Final guest count due date is typically 30 days before
- Answer vendor questionnaires
- Organize your wedding decor & supplies in labeled boxes
- Breathing exercises/yoga/meditation to manage stress levels
- Neon/wooden custom sign for sweetheart table or photobooth
- Pickup marriage license
Month of Wedding
- Emergency kit & Amazon orders
- Place catering orders: morning/brunch for getting ready
- Dance lessons
- Remind family when and where they have family photos with you on wedding day
- Finalize guest count
- Write your wedding vows
- Final dress fittings
- Hair & Makeup trial the same day
- Beauty appointments
- Final calls with your wedding vendors
- Discuss timelines
- Confirm their attendance
- Make final payments
- Create labeled cash tip envelopes
- Rehearsal dinner RSVPs & followups
- Wedding signs/decor
- Bar
- Allergy food cards
- Transportation
- Timeline
- Welcome
- Guest book/activity instructions
- Emergency kit
- Gift tables
- Welcome gift bags for hotel guests
- Name cards
- Table seating chart
- Ceremony seating
- Ring bearer/flower girl
- Table numbers
- Menus
- Photo upload QR code
- Directions around venue
- Rest in Peace/Memorial table + photographs
- Picture frames or acrylic displays
After the Wedding
- Changing your last name
- Thank you cards
- Share photo gallery link to your guests
- Write wedding vendor reviews
Planning your other celebrations
These are not required and are completely optional
- Engagement party
- Bachelorette/Bachelor parties
- Bridal shower
- Rehearsal dinner
- After party
- Farewell, thank you brunch/luncheon
- Honeymoon
Wedding checklists your can screenshot and save
Download the official 12 month wedding planning checklist for FREE here
