A Bride’s Timeline for Planning Your Wedding

Wedding planning requires you to pay attention to a number of different details, large and small. It can be overwhelming, but having a timeline and a schedule will help tremendously in keeping track of all the details and helping you to feel more comfortable with the process. It’s crucial to be prepared for anything and everything, from insurance to which flowers you want in your bouquet. Plan for what’s most important to you and try to enjoy the process!

10-12 Months Out

As you begin the planning process, the first step is to figure out the budget and wedding style. These details will affect almost everything else about your wedding, from your guest list to your decorations and menu. Prepare an initial guest list to get a rough headcount (you will refine it later), and decide on your wedding party and reach out to those you’ve selected. You want your wedding party to have as much advance notice as possible, and this group will be able to help out with certain parts of the wedding-planning process.

At this time, you should also choose a venue and reserve your date. Depending on your venue choice and its popularity, you may want to take care of this step even earlier, as some venues have waiting lists well over a year.

This is also when you should start looking to find the right wedding dress and plan the accessories (such as flowers and bridesmaids’ dresses).

Start researching vendors, such as the caterer and photographer. Figure out what exactly you need, and look online or ask around in your area to see who’s best suited to what you’re planning.

6-9 Months Out

Hire the vendors and be sure to get the details in writing. This should include:

• Floral arrangements
• The wedding cake
• Catering
• The DJ or any other entertainment
• Gift registry
• Invitations

Make sure to also plan and book where to stay for the wedding night.

You should have already taken care of your wedding dress by this point, but now is the time to shop for bridesmaid dresses and let your bridesmaids know on how to place their orders. You and your bridal party (and the maid of honor in particular) should also go over bridal shower and bachelorette party details and make sure everything is planned for.

Insure your wedding about 8 months out.  Insuring your wedding will cover you in case of unplanned circumstances, from poor weather to vendor cancellations.

3-5 Months Out

By this point, your wedding is starting to feel pretty close. This is when you should prepare rehearsal dinner guest list and book the rehearsal dinner location. You should also finalize your guest list and make sure you have everyone’s mailing address before you send out your invitations. Confirm everything with your stationer, and schedule a pickup date.

For your guests, this is the time to reserve party rentals and order wedding favors. You should have already booked your caterer, but now you can start working out the fine details of your big day’s menu. Think about how the ceremony and the reception will go, and plan the transition between the two.

For your wedding party, you can also take this time to book hair and makeup stylists to ensure that everyone will be camera-ready for the big day. If you want, you can even think about your fitness and beauty regimen in the months leading up to the wedding.

If you plan to read personalized vows in the ceremony, we suggest that you begin writing them now so you have plenty of time to think about what you’d like to say.

By now, make sure that you’ve purchased your wedding rings!

6-8 Weeks Out

The biggest step at this time is to confirm your vendor details. Touch base with them regarding your deposit, the date, and the plan for the day. Wedding insurance will cover cancellations and lost deposits, but why put yourself through the stress? Communicating consistently with your vendors well in advance of the wedding will minimize the risk of misunderstandings.

At this point, you should mail out the invitations. Get a binder, make a spreadsheet, or come up with some other organized way to record and keep track of your guests’ RSVPs and meal choices.

This is also the time to take care of your attire. Having a dress fitting, and if you want any alterations made, this is the time to say so. Make sure you check in with the wedding party as well, to see if they have ordered all necessary attire.

3-5 Weeks Out

The wedding invitations have been sent out, so now it’s time to send out rehearsal dinner invitations.

This is when you want to confirm everything. Finalize your planned vows and readings during the ceremony, as well as the ceremony’s song list and the timeline for the reception (toasts, cutting the cake, dancing, and more). You should also confirm your accommodations for both the wedding night and your honeymoon.

This is also the time to obtain your marriage license and, if applicable, complete any name-change documents. This is also the ideal time to retrieve your wedding rings!

 

 

1-2 Weeks Out

Your wedding is almost here! Now’s time to confirm all of the small details. Give your caterer and your venue the final guest count and set of meal choices, and create your seating chart for the ceremony, reception, or both. Confirm the wedding’s timeline with both the vendors and the wedding party.

Now you will also pick up your gown!

 

This may not be the most fun task, but also take this time to check the predicted weather for your big day. Hopefully, things will be looking good. If the forecast isn’t what you had planned for, contact your venue and your vendors to make sure there’s a contingency plan in place. This is another thing that makes wedding insurance a necessary coverage.

The Day Before and Day Of

Take a deep breath. It’s completely normal to have some jitters right before your wedding. Appreciate your spouse, your wedding party, and all of the guests who came to celebrate with you, and get ready to have one of the most amazing days of your life.

The night before, make sure you go to bed early so you’ll be well-rested and can enjoy your big day to the fullest. Give yourself plenty of time to get ready; the last thing you want is to feel rushed.

There are a few final details to check on right before the wedding. Check the weather so you will know for certain whether you need to prepare for potential disruptions. Once that’s through, put together your vendors’ gratuities in marked envelopes and ask one of your trustworthy guests (or a member of your wedding party) to distribute them to your vendors as a thank-you for helping you put together your big day. Someone should also be put in charge of packing up your belongings after the reception.

No matter the month you choose, consider the worth of planning out and insuring your Connecticut wedding.

 

About Byrnes Agency

At Byrnes Agency, we offer insurance solutions that can be tailored to meet your specific needs. To learn more about our products, contact us today at one of our two locations.

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United States
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