Wedding Planning and Preparations Calendar

At first thought, the enormity of planning a wedding almost seems an impossible task. As long as you plan things carefully and take things bit by bit, organising your wedding is however something that will be achieavable. Just pace yourself and spread things over the months before your big day, and eventually you'll find that everything will fall neatly into place. Our wedding planning calendar here will give you an idea of how to get all the main tasks done gradually as the clock ticks toward the big moment. Clicking on the hyperlinks will give you more detail of each task, with some useful ideas on how to proceed and hints on making things as straightforward as possible. Remember, this is all leading up to the day which will be totally yours, and not only the day itself but also the planning should be a great experience that you can achieve together. Have fun with the preparations and the enjoyment will make things fly by with a minimum of worry.

1 Year before the big day:

A year before your wedding day you should ask permission for the bride's hand in marriage from her parents. Usually there is a meeting of families and an inital giving of gifts upon requesting the bride's hand too.
Once you have the parents' approval you can start planning the wedding guest list. Bear in mind that the more guests you have, the more expensive the wedding is likely to be, so you should get take into consideration how much the wedding day will cost on average.
To ensure availability you should and start to get some ideas for wedding reception locations as well as choosing a wedding catering service at this stage.
It may be helpful to get someone involved who has been through the whole process of organising a wedding many times before. This is is where hiring a professional wedding planner to help as coordinator and consultant for planning your event can be an excellent idea. Many couples find a professional planner to be an invaluable help, as even though the whole process should be fun, there are bound to be a few stresses and strains that do pop up. A professional will deal with the problems and the whole process, ensuring you aren't stressed out by the inevitable glitches that may occur.

8 months ahead:

At the eight month point before the big day, you can start thinking about what you may want as gifts from your family and friends. Learn about the advantages of a wedding gift list and how to prepare one to make sure that you don't end up with dozens of toasters on the day!
Ensure that your guests are properly informed about everything in the traditional way. Get some useful wedding invitation ideas and tips and read up on wedding invitation etiquette and design as well as wedding gift etiquette and guest list protocol . Following the appropriate conventions will also help you in knowing who will be attending and therefore the likely final size of the reception.
Those professional photos will hold your treasured memories forever. In these modern times you may even want to have the entire event preserved on video. Choosing a Wedding Photographer or Videographer is therefore a vital part of the preparations.
No wedding is complete without floral decoration and arrangements to adorn the event.
You'll want to wear something that makes you look your best at church or at the registry office. Remember that you'll want to feel comfortable too though. Our tips on how to choose your style of wedding dress and groom's suit will get you looking classy in a way that is individually appropriate for you.
Where have you always wanted to travel to? Or what location in the world do you think would be the most romantic? If you want to be sure that you secure your stay at a particular enchating haven, you should start planning your ideas for the best honeymoon destination now. You know what they say - book early and you'll avoid disappointment.

5 months to go:

The day is getting closer now, and it's time to choose the musical backdrop to the big event. Get some traditional classical wedding music ideas and suggestions to give the appropriate ambience to the occasion..
By now you should have a good idea of who you'd like to invite to the church or registry office and to the subsequent reception. Get the low-down on how and when to send wedding invitations to ensure your family and friends can organise themselves to attend the event.

1 month before:

With only a month to go, most of the preparations should now be ready to be slotted into place. Final checks and a wedding rehearsal dinner may be done at this stage to make sure everone knows how everything should go on the actual day itself.
If you feel that yo may end up having the proverbial two left when the music starts after the reception, wedding dance lessons can help you become dazzing on the dancefloor.

1 week

It's only a week to go now before you leave the single life behind forever. It's time to look back, and look forward too. One of the traditional customs is the bachelor or bachelorette party. They don't necessarily have to be bawdy affairs though. We have some suggestions for the best fun alternative bachelor party ideas or some fun bachelorette party ideas and activities to have a final celebration of singletonness.

The Big Day

Finally after all that planning the big day is here. By now you should be fully acquainted with the order and tradition of the Church wedding ceremony, or maybe you've opted for the advantages of a civil wedding ceremony. You'll also have the order and planning of the wedding reception fully organized so that everything goes smoothly. That's it - everything is prepared so enjoy your day before you finally retire to your wedding night.

After the Wedding

Once the day is over you can depart to your honeymoon and relax. When you return, remember to show your appreciation you your guests by writing the wedding thank you cards and notes.

Check out our features on Wedding Customs and Marriage Tradition for a fascinating insight behind the history of the conventions surrounding your big day.

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