Wedding Planning 101: Chapter 4

2 months before

The knot's checklist items
MY extra bonus checklist items

• Buy your accessories - shoes, jewelry, etc.
• It's easier to wait and do this closer to the end of the process because your accessories are dependent on the whole look of your wedding; modern, classic, elegant. Accessories can also reflect your something old, new borrowed and blue! I used my grandmother's broach in my hair, my mother's pin in my bouquet and jewelry from Charming Charlies. No need to go over board and expensive when you can get the same look while saving a dime! 

Photo Credit: Kate Kerr Photography

• Buy wedding party gifts
• I got each of my bridesmaids a Hallmark charm bracelet and one charm each that was special for that person. We did gift cards for our groomsmen and crayola kits for our flower girls/ring bearer.
• We passed these out at the rehearsal dinner along with handwritten thank you cards. 
• Plan ahead if you need to wrap these gifts

Photo Credit: Kate Kerr Photography

• Send Shower Thank you notes
• Hopefully you did this already. You really shouldn't let more than two weeks go by after the shower before sending thank yous

• Have your last dress fitting
• Make sure you bring someone who will help you get dressed on the day to know how to operate, yes operate, your dress and bussel the dress at the end of the night.
• Also, figure out if you need to get your dress steamed closer to the day or if it will be fine in the garment bag. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A GARMENT BAG for the dress and veil!

• Finalize your ceremony
• Call the officiant and make sure you have your date and time set as well as any technology crew booked for your day; microphones, sound system, pianist, etc

• Get your MARRIAGE LICENSE!!!
• EEEK! This is a huge, exciting step! Each state has different requirements so make sure to call your local courthouse to find out if you need blood tests, what paperwork you need, how much it will cost and how long it will be valid. 

• Make a weekend timeline
• Being me...I made a timeline for the bridal party and for the guests. I only ended up giving this out to the bridal party, but I also found that it was helpful to give to our limo driver, photographer and videographer.

• Change your name
• Now this threw me off, The Knot told me to do this before my wedding....but you cn't until you get your marriage license signed by the officiant AFTER your wedding. So I wouldn't worry about this until after.
• You may want to know though, change your social security card first and then driver's license, credit cards, bills, insurance, leases, etc. (Now you can add your spouse as a beneficiary!)

1 months before

The knot's checklist items
MY extra bonus checklist items

• Work on a seating chart for the reception
• On the Knot's website they have a seating chart design tool. It's a bit hard to get used to but as you get responses from the wedding it's easier to find tables for people.

• Confirm final payments
• Make sure you know and agree to all of the final payment amounts.
• Also understand when each payment/final payment is due. Print out a blank calendar and write payments on that if it helps you keep everything straight.

• Toasts
• Remind the host/hostess of the rehearsal dinner to have a little thank you toast planned
• You or your soon-to-be spouse should have something planned as well for the rehearsal dinner
• Remind the host/hostess of the wedding to have something planned for the wedding (work out with your DJ the timeline for the reception)
• Remind MOH and BM to have speeches prepared for the reception. It makes it a bit easier on them if you can tell them at what point they will be speaking (ie after the cake is cut or whatever)

• Have your rehearsal
• Remind everyone a day or so before the times of the rehearsal dinner and make sure out of town bridal party members have transportation from the airport, train station, etc.

**** CONFIRM everything at least one final time with everyone you can!

**** Make sure family and friends helping with the weekend have jobs or know what to do to keep the day moving so that they won't need to ask you pivotal questions during the day

**** We opted to write letters to each other and said a prayer before the wedding without seeing each other. I also wrote letters to my parents and asked them to write one to me that we read privately the morning of the wedding - good things to think about before the day.

WEDDING DAY!

• Get married and enjoy the day!
• Remember everything you can!
• Try to eat, but you probably won't be about to! But if you're going to drink...EAT!
• It's okay if you leave the reception early as long as family and friends know what to clean up/take home for you
• Take time after the ceremony to dismiss your guests to say personal thank yous or go around to each table to say hello to your guests!

Photo Credit: Kate Kerr Photography

Post Wedding

• Breathe a sigh of relief that your planning is finally over!
• Remember that no matter what drama happened during this time in your life, doesn't matter any longer!
• Open gifts and make a list of who gave you what!
• Write thank yous and get them out NO LATER THAN ONE MONTH AFTER THE WEDDING! I'm a fast writer so I had my hubby sign a bunch of blank cards and I just went through and wrote them. I actually got them done in two weeks! Crazy, I know!
• Preserve your wedding dress
• Make sure your groom returns his tux
• Start Married life and read my next series, Getting it Together Because... I'm a Wife!

Photo Credit: Kate Kerr Photography

Happy Planning and Best Wishes!
Thanks for reading!
J.M.