Wedding day countdown

Twelve months before
⇒ Announce your engagement. Traditionally the bride’s parents are first to hear the big news.
⇒ Establish the basics: formal or informal; indoor or outdoor; day or night; at home wedding or a destination wedding.
⇒ Decide on a budget.
⇒ Choose several options for date and time.
⇒ Ask close friends or relatives to be members of the wedding party.
⇒ Book your ceremony and reception locations.

Eight to ten months before
⇒ Start shopping for your gown.
⇒ Begin researching and interview vendors: caterers, photographers, videographers, bands or DJs, florists.
⇒ Send out save-the-date cards.
⇒ If you’ll have out-of-town guests, research and reserve accommodations.
⇒ Draft a guest list.
⇒ Register for gifts.
⇒ If you’ll need to rent anything for your ceremony or reception (chairs, tables, tent and so on), contact a rental company.

Six to eight months before
⇒ Sign contracts with and pay deposits to your vendors (caterer, band or DJ, florist, photographer, and so on).
⇒ Schedule a tasting with your caterer and finalize your menu.
⇒ Select bridesmaid dresses and schedule fittings.
⇒ Finalize flower ideas with florist.
⇒ Start planning your honeymoon.
⇒ Finalize song list with entertainment.
⇒ Order your bridal gown and schedule first fitting.

Four to six months before
⇒ Start shopping for invitations.
⇒ Groom: start shopping for your and the groomsmen’s formalwear.
⇒ Start researching and interviewing cake designers.
⇒ Schedule rehearsal with officiant; notify key people (wedding party attendants and other family and friends you may want there).
⇒ Reserve the rehearsal dinner site.
⇒ Book flights, hotel rooms, and other transportation for your honeymoon.
⇒ Prepare directions to the ceremony and reception sites for guests.

Three months before
⇒ Finalize your guest list.
⇒ Order your invitations.
⇒ Order your wedding cake.
⇒ Groom: Rent the groomsmen’s formalwear.
⇒ Hire limousines/other cars for day-of transportation.
⇒ Order favors for guests.
⇒ Shop for attendants’ gifts.

Two months before
⇒ Mail your invitations; be sure to include directions to ceremony and reception sites.
⇒ Find and meet with a makeup artist for a trial run of wedding-day look.
⇒ Make an appointment with your hairstylist to try out big-day ‘dos.
⇒ Confirm your bridesmaids have their dresses and have any necessary alterations finished.
⇒ Buy a guestbook, if using one.

One month before
⇒ Have your final wedding dress fitting.
⇒ Before your florist places your order, be sure that you’re happy with all the flowers and arrangements you’ve chosen; make last-minute adjustments.
⇒ Order or plan in-room welcome baskets—fruit, chocolates, bottled water and other treats, plus a welcome note and an additional copy of directions to the sites—for out-of-town guests.
⇒ Mail invitations for rehearsal dinner.
⇒ Coordinate ceremony and reception responsibilities with your attendants.
⇒ Confirm wedding day details with all vendors.
⇒ Obtain your wedding license; designate a witness.

Two weeks before
⇒ Contact guests who have not returned RSVP cards.
⇒ Deliver a must-take photo list to the photographer, including who should be in formal portraits. Determine when portraits will be shot (before or after the ceremony, or during the reception).
⇒ Get one last pre-wedding haircut or trim and a color touch-up.
⇒ Create a seating chart for dinner, if needed; fill out place cards and escort cards.
⇒ Confirm your honeymoon reservation; share your itinerary with someone in case of emergency.
⇒ Assemble welcome baskets.

One week before
⇒ Give the reception site manager and caterer a final guest head count; include vendors, such as the DJ and photographer, who will expect a meal. Also ask how many extra plates the caterer will prepare.
⇒ Give the ceremony and reception site manager a schedule of vendor delivery and setup times, plus contact numbers.
⇒ Groom: Get your hair trimmed.
⇒ Organize vendor payments and other fees in envelopes to distribute the day of the wedding.

Two to three days before
⇒ Groom: go in for final fitting and pick up your formalwear; confirm all groomsmen do the same.
⇒ Get a manicure and a pedicure.
⇒ Have attendant put welcome baskets in out-of-town guests’ hotel rooms.

Day before
⇒ Bring unity candle, aisle runner, yarmulkes or other ceremony accessories to the site, so you won’t have to think about them on the wedding morning.
⇒ Give your marriage license to the officiant.
⇒ Attend your wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner.
⇒ Present attendants with their gifts at the rehearsal dinner.
⇒ Send out marriage announcements; recruit an attendant to help you.
⇒ Give the best man and/or maid of honor your wedding bands.
⇒ Get a good night’s sleep.

Day of
⇒ Eat breakfast.
⇒ Get hair and makeup done.
⇒ Meet with reception site manager and maid of honor so they can deal with any questions or problems during the party.
⇒ Remember to relax, smile and enjoy your day.

Post wedding
⇒ Send out thank-you notes.
⇒ Change your name, if necessary, on all legal documents.
⇒ Take your bridal bouquet and other wedding mementos to be preserved, if you’re a true sentimentalist.

Adapted from The Knot Ultimate Wedding Planner by Carley Roney and the editors of theknot.com.

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