The Wedding Checklist

12 months or earlier

• Tell your parents about your decision to get married
  
• Announce your engagement
  
• Set a date for your wedding
  
• Make a budget
  
• Consider hiring a wedding planner
  
• Decide on the type of wedding you would like:
  
• Location Formality-
  
  • Time of day-
    
  • Number of guests
    
• Develop a record-keeping payment plan to track your accounts
  
• Compile a guest list
  • Grooms family, Brides family and decide who needs to be invited
  • those you need to be invited
    
  • those you should be invited
    
  • those you would be nice to invite
• Decide if you want in invite children with their parents
• Reserve your officiate
  
• Reserve your reception site
  
• Send engagement announcement to newspapers
  
• Select your flower girl and ring bearer
  
• Select your weddings rings
  
• Decide if you would like to have an engagement party
• Select your bridal gown
• Determine your color scheme.
• Order your passport, birth certificate for your honeymoon or marriage license

9-12 months before

• Book your caterer
  
• Book your florist
  
• Book your photographer
  
• Book your video services
  
• Book your chair covers and linens
  
• Book your limousine or wedding transportation service
  
• Order your wedding cake
  
• Book the band and or/ DJ for the reception
  
• Book your musicians for ceremony
  
• Confirm delivery date of wedding dress

6-9 months before

• Finalize your guest list
  
• Select your menu
  
• Design and order your invitations
  
• Register for your bridal shower and wedding
  
• Order your rings
  
• Book your hairdresser and makeup artist
• Order your bombonieres for the wedding guests
  
• Reserve your wedding night bridal suite
  
• Select flower girls dress, shoes and accessories
  
• Select maid of honor and bridesmaids dresses
  
• Choose the mother's oufits
  
• Check your marriage license requirements
  
• Book your honeymoon

3-6 months before

• Meet with the officiate to discuss ceremony
  
• Finalize your menu
  
• Finalize your florist arrangement
  
• Choose the reader for your ceremony
  
• Select your music for ceremony
  
• Have your formal engagement photo taken
  
• Schedule spa day treatments-manicure, pedicure, facial, and massage
  
• Schedule rehearsal dinner
  
• Select and reserve wedding attire for groom, ushers, and father of the bride and groom and ring bearer

2 months before

• Mail the invitations-include accommodation choices and a map to the ceremony and reception
  
• Write vows
  
• Purchase wedding party gifts
  
• Purchase parents gifts
  
• Visit the dentist for teeth cleaned or bleached
  
• Pick up wedding bands
  
• Pick up shoes and accessories
  
• Select song list with your band/DJ
  
• Select songs for the ceremony
  
• Purchase guest book and pen
  
• Purchase seating cards
  
• Schedule final dress fitting
  
• Print out wedding program

1 month before

• Apply for a marriage license
  
• Arrange seating arrangements
  
• Plan the rehearsal dinner party
  
• Have hairdresser work with your headpiece and make-up
  
• Purchase your lipstick
  
• Purchase your perfume
  
• Rehearse your wedding vows
  
• Maintain a record of RSVPs and all gifts received
  
• Arrange final fitting of bridesmaid's dresses
  
• Finalize shopping for wedding day accessories, ring pillow, toasting glasses, nylons,
  
• Make sure all your vendors have maps to all locations, brides home, grooms home, ceremony, park for the pictures and reception
• Find "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a six pence (or shiny penny) for your shoe"

1-2 weeks before

• Pick up attire for the groom and ushers
  
• Finalize the seating plan
  
• Confirm final guest list with the reception and caterer
  
• Confirm accommodations at the hotel
  
• Confirm your honeymoon
  
• Confirm ceremony details
  
• Confirm reception details
  
• Confirm florist order
  
• Confirm videographer
  
• Confirm photographer and confirm special photos you want taken
  
• Confirm all music for the ceremony
  
• Confirm the details with the limousine company
  
• Confirm all music for the reception- first dance
  
• Write place cards and draw a seating chart for the reception
  
• Write speeches
  
• Determine the order for the procession
  
• Have the rehearsal dinner party and give them their gifts at that time.
  
• Contact guests who haven't responded
  
• Pack for honeymoon
  
• Exchange currency, if necessary
  
• Organize bridal kit
  
• Arrange all final payments to your vendors
  
• Deliver your marriage licence to the officiant
  
• Have someone hand out programs at the ceremony
  
• Have someone hand out bombonieres
  
• Have someone take your dress to the cleaners after the wedding
  
• Have someone return any rented items

The Wedding Day

• Give the grooms ring and the brides ring to the best man
• Schedule plenty of time to get ready
  
• Relax and enjoy your wedding!

After the Wedding

• Pick out your thank you picture from your photographer
  
• Send thank you cards with pictures to all your guests
  
• Send thank you cards to all your suppliers

Bridal Kit

• Perfume
  
• Lipstick
  
• Hand lotion
  
• Make-up touch up
  
• Spray for your face-to hydrate your self
  
• Needle and thread
  
• Extra nylons
  
• Clear nail polish for fixing runs in nylons
  
• Telephone list of all suppliers
  
• Tissues
  
• Bottle water with straw
  
• Q-tips
  
• Hair spray
  
• Sanitary needs
• Bobby pins
  
• Travel size tooth brush
  
• Travel size tooth paste
  
• Travel size mouth wash
  
• Stain remover-spray on

Use the Worksheets below as you go through your planning Check List.
***(PDF Format)

• List of Questions PDF only
• Guest List Worksheet PDF or Word
• Flowers and Decorations PDF or Word
• Payment Track Record PDF or Word
• Notes PDF or Word

***Click here to download the FREE Adobe Reader.