Are you preparing for a wedding soon, or do you want to get ready for it early on? Whichever it is, it helps to have a wedding planning checklist. One of its best benefits is that it saves you time and headaches when the day is nearby.
What exactly should you include to make the perfect checklist? We put together this list of the top 7 must-have items in your wedding planning checklist.
Ready to learn more? Keep reading!
1. Set Your Budget and Priorities
A great way to start is by setting your priorities and your wedding budget. That way, you know what to work on first and keep your options within your range.
This step is crucial to ensure you spend only a little time browsing options out of budget. At the same time, it keeps you from working on parts that you can decide on later.
When you begin the rest of the preparations, you'll see the importance of this step. Try to avoid changing these during the process to cater to different things. Instead, use them as your guide while you set other plans.
2. Pick a Theme or Inspiration
While some people don't see why style matters, it's good to cross it off the list early on.
When you pick a theme or main inspiration for the wedding, the rest of your choices will centre only around that. Thus, it saves time looking around and keeps everything within the theme!
It's also where you decide if you'll hire a wedding planner. They are responsible for handling the preparations and managing your wedding.
A planner may not suit you if you want to room for more customization. Your decision here will determine what you will focus on moving forward, so choose well!
3. Check and Choose Your Vendors
Another vital part of your planning checklist is to choose your vendors. It includes the venue, reception food, new jersey wedding photography (or wherever it is you are going to be getting married), hair and make-up, and other wedding-related stuff.
If you're planning pre and post-parties, you'll also need to look into party products. These could be a bachelor party koozie, bride-to-be décor, and more.
Adding this to the list reminds you that it's crucial because it involves some of the most significant parts of the wedding.
4. Complete the Final Guest List
Your budget and how intimate you want to make the event usually determine the number of guests. Professionals categorize their size by small, medium, and large numbers.
A small wedding has around 50 or fewer attendees, a medium one is about 100 or more, and a large one has over 150 guests. Calculate the expenses to see if you need to shell out more money or reduce the number of attendees.
5. Send Out Invitations
One step most people overlook when making wedding plans is to send out invitations. You would already have a complete guest list, prepared invitations, venue, and date by then.
When sending your invitations, it's best to do it a few months before the actual day. That way, your guests have enough time to fit it into their schedules before they respond.
It allows you to scale the number of confirmed attendees. Also, it determines whether you'll need to invite extra people to make up for those who can't go.
6. Shop Your Attire and Accessories
A part of wedding planning that many look forward to is shopping for the attire, especially for the bride. Make a step to get it done early.
Some people spend months just picking out their attire. It's natural to want an option that fits your ideal vision best, so it's alright to take time. If you're getting them custom-made, they could take even longer, so it's best to start early.
The attire also includes clothes for the entourage to wear. But if it's out of your budget, you can let them know the theme and specifics of the attire instead.
A part of choosing attire also includes the accessories, usually the bouquet. In most weddings, the entourage will have their pieces to wear during the ceremony.
7. Book the Extra Accommodations
Before we finish this wedding checklist, yours should include booking the accommodations. That means transportation, hotel rooms, and other extra services needed.
For example, your venue requires the bride to ride from the waiting room to the ceremony grounds. If that's the case, you need to rent a car or hire a driver.
If you're planning a destination wedding, it's best to offer rooms open for your guests. Let your attendees know about having them available or if they need to book the rooms themselves.
Try not to start booking these accommodations too close to the wedding date. With all the rush from wedding planning, this step is one you could easily overlook. But when that happens, you're in for a series of frustrations.
You can start booking these when your final schedule and reservation list are ready!
Get Ahead With the Perfect Wedding Planning Checklist
Planning a wedding is only some fun and games. It's way more severe than it looks. All the more so when you remember it's for such a big day.
The planning process alone takes a lot of time and has many more steps to cross out. If you have everything you need in your wedding planning checklist, there's no need to worry!
What do you say? Were these wedding tips helpful? If you're interested in more of these, feel free to browse the rest of our blog.
