Wedding Planner

12 to 18 Months Prior to your Wedding Day

Announce your Engagement to family and friends
Place an engagement announcement in the newspaper
If you are having an engagement party book it and send out invitations
Set wedding date, you may need a couple of options as the venues you choose may be booked on your date
Determine wedding ceremony and reception style, casual or formal, reception centre, marquee, or garden
Determine approximate number of guests, this has a lot of influence in choosing your venue
Set a wedding budget, now is the time to decide who will be contributing and how much
Start thinking about your wedding gown, look at different styles and decide what you would like
Look for a suitable ceremony location and make a tentative booking
Look for a suitable reception location and make a tentative booking
Confirm your ceremony location and pay a deposit
Confirm your reception location and pay a deposit
Choose a caterer and book them (if required)
Choose and order your wedding dress
Choose and book photographer
Choose and book videographer

9 to 11 Months Prior To Wedding Day

Start a display folder that you can gather all your wedding planning information together in, you don't want to lose things like deposit receipts
Begin your guest list, ask parents for a list and do your own wish list, this can be finalised closer to the date
Select your bridal party and ask each of them if they will do the honours
If you are planning to use a wedding planner, find one and hire them now
Select the colour scheme for your wedding, you will need to think about the colours or your chosen ceremony and reception location and attire for your bridal party
Select your reception quartet, band or DJ and start listening to demos
If you are planning an outdoor ceremony, decide if you would like a wet weather option (chapel or marquee)
If you are planning an outdoor reception book marquee and any other party hire

6 to 8 Months Prior To Wedding Day

Book reception entertainment
Choose and book ceremony entertainment
Choose and order bridesmaids attire, involve all bridesmaids
Choose and order junior attendants attire, allow for possible growth
Choose formal wear for groom and groomsmen, organise fittings and book to hire
Meet with and book florist, decide what flowers you require and what style you would like
Choose a gift registry, if using one, and select a big range of gifts with a large price range
Choose your wedding cake and order it
Place a provisional booking on some hotel rooms for out of town guests
Inform all out of town guests of the wedding date as they will need extra travel time
Decide on your invitation wording and design, involve all parents
Plan Honeymoon Organise passports, birth certificates and visa

4 to 5 Months Prior To Wedding Day

Finalise guest list
Finalise caterer and reception details
Reserve bridal suite for wedding night
Finalise wording for all wedding stationary and order it
Finalise ceremony arrangements, including marriage licence
Select gifts for each other
Select gifts for bridal party
Choose a hairdresser and book for your trial and the wedding day
You will need to book in for yourself, all female attendants including flower girls and possibly mothers
You should only need to have a trial yourself, but confirm this with your hair stylist
Choose a makeup artist and book for your trial and the wedding day. You will need to book in for yourself, all female attendants and possibly mothers. You should only need to have a trial yourself, but confirm this with your makeup artist
Hire wedding cars for the bridal party, you will need to decide what sort of transport you need and where the two parties are getting ready

2 to 3 Months Prior To Wedding Day

Choose and purchase bridal accessories, veil, headpiece, jewellery, lingerie and shoes. You will need lingerie and shoes for fittings
Choose and buy grooms accessories, shoes, cufflinks, etc
Choose accessories and shoes for the bridal party and organise for your attendants to try shoes on, jewellery is an excellent gift for your bridal party
Decide on any additional decorations that you would like for your ceremony or reception that are not included. Red carpet, seat covers, disposable cameras, butterflies to release, ideas are only limited by your imagination. Book these services
Any new beauty routines or hair colours or styles should be experimented with now
If you plan a diet and exercise regime to get in shape start it now
Pick up your invitations and start addressing them
Confirm fittings and delivery date of your dress
Confirm with all bridesmaids that they have organised their dresses and shoes, and to try them on again before the wedding date
Decide what bombonieres you would like and make or order them
Ask special guests to do readings or take part in the ceremony in any other way that you would like
Choose a MC, this could be a guest or a professional one
Select ceremony and reception music. You will need to pick music for walking down the aisle, signing the register, the bridal waltz, cutting the cake and any other particular music you would like. A quartet is recommended for this
Talk to the maid of honour and the best man about the hen/ stag parties and any bridal showers that you choose to have. They will need lists with names and addresses of those who you would like to invite
Post wedding invitations out 6 to 8 weeks before the wedding
Have your hair and makeup trials. Having them on the same day gives you an excellent excuse to go out for the night, ensure you take your headpiece and veil
Purchase anything required for the honeymoon

6 to 8 Weeks Prior To Wedding Day

Decide on vows and readings for the ceremony
Write your ceremony program
Add more gifts to your registry if required
Have your final gown fitting and confirm when the dress is to be picked up
Order drinks if they are not included in the catering package
If required, arrange a babysitter or something to entertain the kids at the reception
Work out wedding day times before you need to confirm bookings
Confirm your honeymoon booking
Book in to have your nails professionally done 1 or 2 days before the wedding. You may wish to just get your own done or the bridesmaids as well

3 to 4 Weeks Prior To Wedding Day

Organise your rehearsal and rehearsal dinner
Contact everyone in the bridal party and ensure that they know what is required of them leading up to and on the day, ensure that they know all the times, check that their attire and shoes are organised
If there are any beauty routines that you are still to do, do them now, facials or teeth whitening etc
Have a meeting with your officiate to finalise your ceremony structure, you will need to let them know the vows are readings that you have chosen
Pick up wedding rings and check their size
Pick up your wedding dress, and store it carefully where no harm can come to it and it won't get creased
Decide what you are using for something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue, also organise your garter if it is not one of these items
Call all guests who haven't rsvp'd, a few days before you need to confirm final numbers
Confirm all reception details including menus and numbers
Arrange seating for reception and let the reception centre or caterer see this asap
Name your place cards and deliver them to the reception centre
Check luggage condition

1 Week Prior To Wedding Day

Have your rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, confirm your ceremony details and time with the officiate
Confirm your ceremony location booking, including time
Confirm flowers ordered and delivery locations and times with your florist
Confirm cake order and delivery location and time with the baker
Confirm photographer time and locations
Confirm videographer time and locations
Confirm your ceremony entertainment including music choices
Confirm reception entertainment including choices
Confirm any party hire including marquee (if required)
Confirm any decorations or specialty items that you have booked
Confirm bombonieres, number and delivery details
Confirm transport, to ceremony, to photo locations, to reception location and leaving the reception, including times
Confirm hairdresser booking, both time and number of people
Confirm makeup artist, both time and number of people
Confirm nail and beauty treatments
Confirm formal wear hire
Confirm wedding night accommodation
Confirm MC
Confirm with any guests who are doing readings or special favours for the ceremony
Confirm with any guests who are doing speeches at the reception
Confirm honeymoon arrangements
Pack for your wedding night
Pack for honeymoon
Arrange refreshments for bridal party while dressing
Check that you have all the accessories that you need, jewellery, shoes, veil, tiara, lingerie, extra pair of stockings, garter, something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue
Have your hen and stag nights
The groom should have a have a hair cut now if required
Leave a copy of your honeymoon itinerary with someone
Organise cash for anything that is to be paid on the day and give it to a trusted person to make the payment on the day

The Day before your Wedding Day

Pack car for honeymoon
Organise someone to transport wedding accessories
Organise someone to return anything hired
Pickup tuxedos the Friday before wedding
Review schedule with wedding party
Gather together everything that you need to get ready on the wedding day and take it with you to where you are getting ready
Drop off anything required to the reception centre
Check that all formal wear items are there and are the right size

After the Wedding Day

Ensure that all formal wear is returned
Take any photos to be developed
Check that all wedding bills have been paid in full
Take your gown and veil to be cleaned
Freeze the top layer of your wedding cake
If you wish to have your wedding bouquet preserved, take it to be done
Within two months write thank you letters