- A bridal checklist can help to organize all wedding plans.Wedding bouquet the bride on background of wedding dress image by Aliaksandr Zabudzko from Fotolia.com
A bridal checklist includes basic tasks that must be completed after your wedding date is set. These tasks cover the wedding ceremony, reception, legal requirements and honeymoon. Seek assistance from the groom to plan a wedding that meets your satisfaction. Use a bridal checklist to ensure that essential elements of your wedding ceremony and marriage are fulfilled. - Meet with your parents to discuss their level of financial involvement in the wedding. Invite the groom and his parents to this meeting so that everyone can decide who will pay for your wedding. Create a budget that everyone who is financially involved can agree on 12 months in advance. The budget affects all aspects of your wedding plans, including the ceremony location, bridal gown, reception, decorations, food, entertainment and number of guests. Designate certain elements of your wedding to specific benefactors if necessary.
- Meet with three wedding planners to get estimates for their services and discuss all necessary aspects of the engagement party, ceremony and reception. Wedding planners are professionals who can organize most of the technical aspects of your wedding. Services provided by a wedding planner may include scheduling the caterer, photographer, florist, and disc jockey and scouting a location for your ceremony. Hire one wedding planner that fits within your budget 10 months in advance. Agree on service expectations for your wedding to ensure that all important elements for the ceremony and reception are covered.
- List the full name of each guest who will be invited to your wedding on one notepad. Instruct the groom to make a guest list for the wedding, as well. Go through each list, looking for duplicates. Add all names from both lists to determine the total number of guests invited to your wedding. Adjust the guest list according to your budget by removing some names if necessary. Confirm the mailing address for each person or family on the guest list.
- Discuss your wedding ceremony plans in detail with an officiant or clergy member. Check three references for the officiant to verify his or her certifications and reliability. Make a service agreement with the officiant to perform the marriage on the date of your wedding.
- Purchase a bridal gown nine months in advance of your wedding date. Compare all gowns of interest to find one that meets your wedding budget. Make any necessary adjustments to the size and style of your selected gown to ensure a proper fit. Commission a seamstress to design a custom wedding gown if you do not prefer retail selections. Purchase any fabric needed to make the customized gown. Finalize your selections for bridal party attire, including the bridesmaids' dresses and suits for all groomsmen.
- Select all stationery needed for the ceremony, including wedding invitations, save-the-date announcements, thank-you notes, and reservation cards. Wedding stationery can be purchased at retail stores that sell party supplies or office products. You can also hire an artist to produce wedding stationery that is customized to your liking.
- Visit online and retail stores six months before your ceremony to create a wedding registry. A wedding registry is a wish list that includes items that the bride and groom desire. Guests will use this registry to purchase your wedding gifts. Many retail stores have staff members who will help you select items to add to this list. A bridal registry will usually consist of furniture, linens, small kitchen appliances, dinnerware and luggage.
- Discuss important details for the honeymoon with the groom. Agree on your honeymoon destination unless it will be a surprise gift from one of you to the other. Book the lodging, transportation and any special entertainment for the honeymoon at least four months prior to the wedding date. Schedule an extended vacation from work to accommodate your honeymoon if necessary.
- Meet with the wedding planner to schedule a rehearsal dinner three months in advance of your wedding date. The rehearsal dinner normally includes the wedding officiant, bridal party, parents and close friends and relatives. Prior to dinner, you will rehearse the processional, ceremony and recessional with your parents, bridal party and wedding officiant. This will be the time to thank your parents and other guests for their moral support and involvement in the wedding in a toast during dinner, so discuss what you want to say with the wedding planner, as she might have some good ideas. You and the groom will also be presenting the bridal party with gifts as a token of appreciation for their participation in your wedding, so now is a good time to start planning on what to get them. Gift options for a rehearsal dinner include jewelry, cologne and engraved glassware. Additional gifts can be given to your parents and exchanged with the groom, as well.
- Confirm all of the paperwork needed for your wedding with the officiant two months before the ceremony. Obtain a marriage license from your local county clerk's office and wedding announcement form from a local newspaper. Marriage license requirements vary, depending on where you live.
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