The Timeline for Planning a Wedding
Planning a wedding is something that takes a lot of work, so it’s fair to suggest that the more time you give yourself, the better things will go. While it is possible to plan a wonderful wedding in a few short months, doing so means running the risk of not getting everything that you want. The general rule of thumb here is that you should give yourself at least one year to put things in place. Giving yourself ample time means that your stress levels are likely to be reduced, while also ensuring that all the major pieces will fall into place nicely as the month’s progress.
If you do start planning your wedding a year before the big day, there is a basic timeline that you can follow. One year out is when you should be hiring a wedding planner (wedding services), as this is when you will build the foundation for your wedding day. This is also the time when you should be booking your dream venue and also when the bride should start shopping for a dress. There are going to be plenty of fitting and adjustments to make ahead of the big day, so get started with dress shopping ASAP.
Shopping for bridesmaids dresses should start about 6-9 months before the wedding day. This is also a good time to start thinking about the flowers that you will need for your big day. The entertainment is an incredibly important part of your wedding day, which is why booking the band or the DJ should be on your timeline, as well as the photographer, in the 6-9 months out period. The invitations, favors, and cake should be taken care of about 4-6 months before the wedding day. If you have guests coming in from out of town, arranging accommodations should also be done about six months out. It’s worth noting here that a wedding planner can take care of many of these details.
The final four months in the lead up to your wedding day are when you should be out buying rings and thinking about writing your vows. It’s also a good time to start thinking about booking a spot for the rehearsal dinner, especially if you have a big group of people who will be attending. Making appointments for hair, nails, and other beauty treatments should also be done in the weeks leading up to the wedding.
We have only really covered the basics here, and there are probably going to be plenty of other items that need to be added to your timeline. It’s a lot of work, and you should get all the help that you can get, which is perhaps the best argument for a wedding planner. Once all the elements of the wedding are booked, you can move on to some of the other details of your big day, safe in the knowledge that your planner will be staying on top of all those bookings to ensure that they are delivered as ordered.