A wedding planning checklist is possibly one of the most helpful items to have when preparing for a wedding for the first time. Even if you have multiple members of your family and some of your friends helping to plan the wedding, things can still be easily forgotten. Weddings have surely changed over time. This means that even those who claim to have all the knowledge of wedding planning, because they have planned their own wedding years ago, may not be fully up to date with everything that needs to get done.
So, finding or creating your own wedding planning checklist is a must. Some wedding checklists are very simple and provide just the basics. Others are more comprehensive and allow you to keep track of everything you need to get done. This article is meant to include the most essential and basic things you should consider to give you a place to start with your own wedding planning.
Choosing a Date
The first on the list is picking a date. While picking a date is sometimes dependent on your preferred venue and vendor availability, it is one of the most important first steps you can take. In fact, it is best to be a little flexible and pick a few days that work so that you maximize your chances of hiring the vendors and venues that you want for your special day.
When picking a date, it is also important to consider what time of the year you plan to have your wedding, what kind of weather you want, guests’ availability, and your and your partners’ ability to get off work for that time. You might also want to consider what day of the week you prefer to have your wedding. Most people choose Saturdays because most guests can stay out late and not have to worry about work in the morning.
However, if you are religious and know that most of your guests find going to church on a specific day is a priority, you may pick having a different day for your wedding instead so that people don’t have to work or worry about their religious commitments. Occasionally, some couples choose to have their weddings on weekdays because it works best for their schedule.
Picking a date requires you to dream a little bit about the type of wedding you’d like. Things that might help you are deciding if you want outdoor or indoor, winter or summer, late-night or afternoon start/end time, local or destination wedding, etc.
Buying the Perfect Dress
Picking the perfect dress is essential to add to your checklist. Even if you haven’t had time to try on dresses, it’s important to start looking at the styles and colors that you are interested in before your first shopping appointment. Questions to ask yourself to help make the decision are: Are you willing to wear a used dress or do you want one that is brand new? What is your budget? Are you willing to buy online or do you have to try the dress on in-store? What style of dress do you find pretty? This is something you can start searching for early in your wedding planning to ensure your dress arrives before your wedding date.
Finding the Right Venue and Vendors
Finding a venue and vendors for your wedding are the next important steps. While some vendors have plenty of availability, others require booking months, if not years, in advance. If you have a vendor in mind, it is always a good idea to ask them what their availability is around your picked date. You can discuss the budget with them and see what it would take for them to hold your spot.
Deciding on a Style or Theme
Lastly, picking a style or theme for your wedding can be very helpful. In fact, it could even help you decide on the above items as well if you pick this first. Deciding on a theme, style or general color scheme for your wedding can be one of the easiest things to do. Just head over to inspirational websites like Pinterest or Zola to see what’s available.
These are the essential items that you should decide on first. They will help you with every other decision you have to make for your special day.