Wedding Planning Timeline

A lot of you are probably newly engaged. Here is the official 14 Stories planning timeline to help you through your process!

Twelve+ months before the wedding:

• Make your guest list.
• Build your wedding budget.
• Hire a wedding planner to help you with the vendor-selection process.
• Compare facilities for ceremony, rehearsal, and reception sites.
• Set your wedding date, time, and location.
• Interview and hire an officiant.
• Identify attendants, ushers, and the like.
• Identify a hotel for room-blocks for out-of-town guests

Six to twelve months before the wedding:

• Create a wedding website.
• Order and mail save-the-date cards.
• Set up gift registry.
• Choose a theme, if you like, to be integrated throughout the wedding (you might choose a color theme, or something more specific, like an ocean theme or a Broadway musical theme).
• Compare and hire vendors who may work only one event a day and set aside money for deposit checks:
• Photographer.
• Entertainment.
• Videographer.
• Hair and Makeup Artists.
• Compare and hire vendors who may work multiple events per day and set aside money for deposit checks:

o Caterers.

o Florists.

o Rental party services for chairs, tents, and the like.

o Bakers.

• Select Your Wardrobe:
• Select partners’ and attendants’ clothing.
• Mothers’ clothing choices to coordinate with wedding, if desired.
• Schedule an engagement photo shoot with your photographer.
• Choose Your stationery.
• Select invitations.
• Select stationery for thank-you notes.

Two to three months before the wedding:

• Decide:
• Music for wedding and reception.
• Location and guest list for rehearsal dinner.
• Choose a final menu with caterer.

· Address and stamp envelopes and mail invitations.

· Confirm:

• Confirm flower orders, rose petals, confetti, etc.
• Confirm wedding cake flavors.

· Buy:

• Gifts for all attendants.
• Wedding favors.
• Wedding rings.

· Arrange:

• Transportation for wedding party.
• Hair and makeup trials.
• Ceremony microphone and sound system, if necessary.
• Special champagne toasting flutes if desired.
• Special cake knife and server, if desired.

One month before the wedding:

• Make the following arrangements:
• Get floor plans of venues.
• Decide on seating arrangement for reception.
• Confirm hotel accommodations and honeymoon tickets.
• Determine places for partners to dress.
• Determine places for attendants to dress.
• Apply for and pick up marriage license.
• Get clothing ready:
• Break in shoes.
• Check final fittings on clothing for the partners.

· Sit for wedding portrait.

· Write announcement for paper.

· Attend pre-wedding showers and parties.

Two weeks before the wedding:

• Confirm and notify:
• Verify number of wedding guests.
• Inform caterer of final number and any special dietary needs.

· Print!

• Design and print a program booklet for ceremony.
• Design and print menus for each table.
• Design and print place cards for each table or escort cards.

One week before the wedding:

• Prepare a full day-of schedule.
• Confirm vendors:
• Officiant.
• Photographer.
• Videographer.
• Florist.
• Musicians.
• Baker.
• Favor supplier.
• Rental company.
• Make final preparations:
• Pack for honeymoon.
• Spend at least one quiet evening with each other.
• Make decisions and purchases about personal touches—votives in bathrooms, rose petals, etc.
• Designate someone to transport gifts and flowers from the reception.
• Designate someone to pin personal flowers.
• Buy guest book.
• Write a speech or thank-you words, if desired.

The day before the wedding:

• Lay out partners’ clothing
• Pack partners’ going away clothing.
• Pack toiletries.
• Make out final checks to the officiant, musicians, DJ, photographer, caterer, and any other vendors due a final payment.
• Put aside envelopes for tips for catering staff, musicians, officiant, and drivers.
• Attend rehearsal dinner.

The day of the wedding:

• Get dressed.
• Thank everyone for attending and helping.
• Let your wedding planner distribute the checks; manage the flow; answer all questions; place the place cards, menus, and favors; and do all setup and cleanup!

After the wedding:

• Mail wedding announcements, if you use them.
• Write remainder of thank-you notes.
• Invite family and wedding party as dinner guests.
• Live, love, laugh, and be happy!

Photo by Cheryl Levine