Tips and Advice - Wedding Countdown

3 months before the big day

• Order your wedding stationery, you need to post your invitations our 6-8 weeks before your wedding date. You need to prepare wording and guest lists.  At this time you should also organize your Order of Service or Mass booklets, you place cards, menus, table plans,  thank you cards, favours, napkins and cake boxes.

• Order your wedding cake – consider having a sponge cake, a fruit cake and a chocolate cake to please all guests

• Confirm church arrangements including music, flowers, fees, music and organist / singer

• Shop for a going away outfit, think of comfort and climate

• Book a hairdresser

• Compile a wedding gift list, pick a number of outlets to ensure your guests have a choice of items and prices

• Choose and book a make-up artist

• Choose your wedding rings

• Finalize your dress and bridesmaid’s dresses – 3 months minimum ordering is the norm

• Order bouquets, headdresses, buttonholes and corsages for the bridal party

• Finalize your honeymoon – including consult your doctor with regards to per-holiday vaccinations, check if you need visas

• Book photographer and videographers
  
   

2 months before the big day

• Discuss your headdress with your hairdresser

• Have a trial with your make-up artist including bridesmaids

• Change your passport to include your new married name and ensure you allow 6 weeks for this process

• Inform your bank, doctor, dentist, optician, of your name change

• Book hotel rooms for the wedding party

• Post invitations 6-8 weeks before wedding date – enclosing your wedding list

• Delegate the recording of wedding acceptances to a relative

• See if any guests will want to stay at the reception venue and book rooms accordingly – ask a friend to organizes this, or enclose hotel details and maps with your invitations

1 months before the big day

• Purchase gifts and thank you cards for the best man, grooms man, bridesmaids, pageboy and parents

• Arrange hen and stag parties at least two weeks before wedding

• Chase up late replies

• Finalize guest list

• Work out seating plan

• Write place cards if you have not got them pre printed

• Finalize numbers for accommodation and reception and inform hotel and catering company in writing two weeks prior to wedding  day.

• Post Thank You cards as soon as you get gifts to avoid missing anyone

• Take headdress to hairdressers for practice session

• Collect wedding rings

• Have final dress fitting

• Familiarize each member of the wedding party with their duties

• Make a full check list of everything and check it twice

• Select lingerie and shoes – try them with your dress to ensure they don’t alter the dresses shape

 2 weeks before the big day

• Get your marriage license

• Have your final hair and make-up trial

• Try on your whole wedding outfit and plan any final adjustments

• If you are leaving from your reception for you honeymoon arrange for your suitcase to be taken to the reception venue and your wedding outfit to be looked after

• Check all details of cake, flowers, photographer and videographers

• Book a manicure for the day before the wedding

the weeks before the big day

• You should aim to have everything organized by this stage but there are a few things still to be done

• Have full rehearsal of the ceremony with all the wedding party present

• Give the best man the order of Service or mass booklets

• Pack your honeymoon case and have your going away outfit ready

• Purchase travelers cheques

• If you are moving to a house together arrange for your belongings to be moved for your return

• Check final details with caterers, photographers

• Collect morning suits

• Pamper yourselves and relax

Jenny's Cakes

David McConkey

www.makeupbyheather.com

jk designs

http://www.nicolamcareejewellery.co.uk

http://www.ianpedlowphotography.

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