Wedding Planning Timeline: Your Go-To Guide

FINALLY! The time has come, you’re engaged to the love of your life and you can officially start planning the wedding of your dreams. The day you have been dreaming about since you were eight years old using your bed sheets as a dress and your pillowcase as a veil is finally a reality and its coming much faster than you think it is! Have no fear, Nazareth Hall is here! We have put together the ultimate wedding planning timeline to take the stress out of your special day.

12-13 Months Prior:

Pick your wedding date and venue: It is VERY important to do this far in advance if you have a certain date or time of year in mind. Venues fill up quick!
Set your budget: how much coin are you able to spend? Is showing up to your reception in a horse drawn carriage driven by someone dressed as the fairy godmother from Cinderella REALLY in your budget?
Start to think about your guest list: do you need to invite the lady who lived down the street from you when you were six? Sure, she used to buy Girl Scout cookies from you but haven’t been a Girl Scout in 20 years and you also don’t remember her last name.
GET ORGANIZED: You know what that means??? You are finally able to utilize those five cute notebooks from Target that you bought six months ago when you swore you were going to start a bullet journal this time around.
Select your bridal party
Book your photographers and videographers: it is important to make sure you book these two vendors sooner rather than later, they book fast!

7-10 Months Prior:

Say YES to the dress and pick your bridesmaid’s dresses!
Book your florist and DJ: is that the Cha Cha Slide I hear?
Register for your gifts (maybe don’t register for any more Target notebooks)
Create a wedding website: this is very helpful for your guests to find more information about your venues and about nearby hotels.
Reserve hotel room blocks and put this information on your wedding website
Send out your save-the-dates
Book your honeymoon
Schedule a planning meeting with your venue’s wedding coordinator

5-6 months before:

Order invitations: 6 months in advance
Pick out your rings: kind of important if you ask me…
Book your bakery
Attend a planning meeting with your venue’s wedding coordinator

3-4 months before:

Host your bridal shower
Send invitations
Fit the groom and groomsmen for their tuxes or suits
Book the shuttle service for you and your bridal party. As for the guests going to and from the hotels, make sure to ask the hotels in the area if they offer a shuttle service or know of local companies.
Officially select the dinner options for your reception: “I’ll just take a basket of rolls thank you”

1-2 months before:

Apply for your wedding license: much like the rings I like to think that this is kind of an important step
- Follow this link to find out more information about obtaining a marriage license in the state of Ohio: https://marriage.laws.com/marriage-certificate-ohio
Create name cards for the guests at your reception: be sure to double check your spelling!
Schedule a final meeting with your venue’s wedding coordinator
Meet with your seamstress for your final dress fitting
Create wedding programs to hand out before the ceremony or at the reception
Create your guest table seating chart: if uncle Steve and great aunt Ruth argue about politics and the state of the economy every time they’re near each other maybe don’t put them at the same table.
Confirm with all of your vendors. ALL. OF. THEM.

1-2 weeks before:

Attend a final meeting with your venue’s wedding coordinator (two weeks out, no later): this will help in case there are last minute changes that need to be made and to make sure they have a final guest count.
TREAT YO SELF: no, not to any more target notebooks, please stop buying them. Get your hair and nails done, get a facial, have yourself a day honestly. YOU DESERVE IT.

The day before:

Write checks for your vendors: they have bills to pay and notebooks to buy too
Pack your wedding day bag and your honeymoon bag
Attend your wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner

Day of:

I feel like there was something important I was supposed to do today, but for the life of me I can’t remember what it is…
GET MARRIED
Enjoy every second
Take pictures
Laugh a lot
Cry a lot (happy tears only though)
Tell your new spouse you love them every chance you get
Live happily ever after