If you’re planning your own wedding without the help of a wedding planner, you may be needing some guidance on what needs planning and how far in advance it needs to be considered. See this as your ultimate wedding checklist.
18 months out
1. Create a wedding folder/ring binder
This is when you should start to collate images of inspiration for your wedding (interiors, flowers, decor, dress, etc.). Flick through bridal magazines and cut out images, or use social media tools like Pinterest to house all of your inspiration in one place.
2. Work out your budget
This is the time when you must sit down with your husband or wife-to-be and come up with a figure. Without a budget, you should not begin to plan or book anything.
3. Create the guest list
Write a guest list for
4. Find a wedding venue(s)
Once you have a rough number of wedding guests, you can find a wedding venue that will cater to that number of guests. Depending on the number of guests and the budget, you may decide to have two wedding venues – one for the ceremony and another for the reception.
5. Get your date in the diary
Conduct in-depth research on wedding venues and make plenty of visits before committing. Once you have found the perfect venue(s), be sure to lock it in, as popular wedding venues can be booked up over a year in advance.
12 months out
6. Throw an engagement party
If you want an engagement party, 12 months out is a good time to throw one. It allows enough time to recover financially before the big day, and it allows you to enjoy your engagement to the fullest with your loved ones. (Remember that whoever you invite to the engagement party should also receive an invite to your wedding day, unless your big day in question is an intimate affair.)
7. Find your officiant
It’s important that you find and book someone who will officiate your wedding. You may already have someone in mind…
8. Research, research, research
This is a good time to research wedding entertainment, caterers, photographers/videographers (You can get help finding a Dallas – Fort Worth wedding photographer here.) and florists, and keep their information in your wedding folder.
Eight months out
9. Purchase your dress
For many women, finding the perfect dress is one of the most important elements in planning a wedding. Expect to try on a lot of dresses before you find
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