When Do I Book My Vendors? Pt4

Fourth Wedding Planning Timeline

How exciting! You are almost there! And it may feel overwhelming right now. But hopefully you have been following the planning tips and previous wedding planning schedule - and are right on time.

Month Before

* Get your marriage license. This process differs depending on your county and state. 

* Have your 3rd dress fitting.  You may also want to schedule this the week before for peace of mind unless your dress fits perfectly at this 3rd fitting

* Enter your RSVP's into you guest list database. Don;t be afraid to call those who you have not heard from.

* Mail out the rehearsal dinner invites.

* Order the alcohol. Since your headcount is complete, you can have an accurate order.

* Mail out your final payments to vendors. You don't want to be worrying about making payments the week or day of. 

* Confirm your hair and makeup appointments.

* Get your hair cut and colored if necessary.

* Send out the directions to all those who are drivers of the wedding party and family. Rented cars, chauffeurs will have time to organize their route.

* Organize a seating chart. Make this chart first on a board & guest names on sticky notes. This way you can move them around until you have a completed arrangement.

* Write your vows! If you are choosing to write your own vows - now is a great time to do it. Don't wait until the night before! 

Week of

* Send the final guest count to your caterer and the venue coordinator & your personal coordinator. Most venue need to know this 72 hours before your wedding.

* Delegate smaller wedding tasks to your wedding party and friends. IE who will carry the flowers from the church to the reception, who will bustle the dress, who is in charge of gifts, and someone to hand out tips to your vendors. (If you hired a coordinator, they also may be able to handle some of the smaller details depending on what you agreed on.)

* Confirm the arrival time with all your vendors if they haven't called you to check in.

* Make arrangements to pick up or have delivered your dress.

* Wear your wedding day shoes around to help break them in. Try to dance in them! 

* Check in with your photographer on the list of important photographs and family members

* Organize tips for your vendors to be given out day-of

* Book a massage or spa treatment, manicure etc to help you relax

* Assemble your welcome baskets for out-of-town guests

* Confirm your honeymoon arrangements & pack for your trip.

For other monthly planning tasks to help keep you on schedule:

 Sixteen to Nine Months

Eight Months

Seven to Six Months

Five to Four Months

Three Months

Two Months

Month Before

Week of Your Wedding

When Do I Book My Vendors? Pt3

A continuation on this weeks tip: Wedding Planning Timeline

Three Months 

* Finalize the flowers and the menu. (Season choices will help keep down the cost)

* Finalize your schedule. Make sure you know the timeline of your ceremony and reception.

* Now is a good time to send this timeline to your vendors. Giving them a preview of the schedule will allow them to suggest changes for a better flow.

* Make your list of all the people giving readings at the ceremony and speeches at the reception. 

* Print your programs and menus. (You can choose to make something simple on your home computer if this is not within your stationary budget.)

* Order or make your favors. This is where you can be creative. (See our latest DIY favors/placement cards art project)

* Have your second dress fitting. Purchase your undergarments. (Save the cut-off fabric from your dress! This can be used creatively as a wrap for your flowers or another decorative detail. IE a small bag.)

* Buy your rings! Doing this now will allow time for resizing.

Two Months

* Meet with your DJ/band. This is the time to review the playlist. Now remember, you cannot dictate every song that is played. But you can suggest nicely that the band or DJ pick up a few songs not in their normal playlist.

* Meet with your photographer. If you like, schedule a walk-thru and suggest locations for photographs.

* Touch base with all your vendors about the schedule. You can do this via a quick phone call, or schedule a lunch for them to all meet up at. 

* Submit your wedding announcement to the newspaper. (Check with the publication about the photograph used as some have strict rules about this)

* Send your invitations! Mailing your invitations now allows for guest to make travel arrangements if necessary.  Set your RSVP for roughly 3 weeks after the postmarked date.

* Enjoy your bachelorette party! Feel free to suggest this idea to your friends if they haven't mentioned it. They will want to celebrate your upcoming-big day too!

For other monthly planning tasks to help keep you on schedule:

 Sixteen to Nine Months

Eight Months

Seven to Six Months

Five to Four Months

Three Months

Two Months

Month Before

Week of Your Wedding

Time-Saving Tip: Wedding Vendors

Here is a little time-saving tip....

When it comes to booking your vendors, it is always a good idea to get as much general information & availability as you can. (whether it be via word-of-mouth, their website, email or a quick phone call.) This will help you determine who is in your price range and the services that are available through them. Once you have your selection narrowed down, choose 3 vendors from that category to meet face-to-face. (ie catering, music, stationary, cake, photography etc). This way the meetings will be about finding your favorite.  Who do you feel most comfortable with?  You will be dealing with your vendors, not just for one day, but during the weeks leading up to your event, and some vendors (ie video &  photography) after your big day for continued service.  So it is really important you feel comfortable with this person.

Happy hunting... I will continue to post more information on how to select your vendors, questions you should be asking them & general price range and service options throughout this blog.  I will also be interviewing established vendors for advice and tips to consider while planning.

When Do I Book My Vendors? Pt2

Seven to Six Months

* Begin to organize your wedding day timeline. For example, what time will the cake cutting be? (Don't forget to include when you expect your vendors to be on site.)

* This is the time you will want to select your invitation design & get your order out to the calligrapher.

* Mail out your Save-the-Dates.

* Meet with your officiant to map out the ceremony and organize all the official documents you will need. (This varies on the county and religion. A counseling session may also be required.)

* Book your florist.

* Time to get the girls together to shop for your bridesmaids gowns.

* Book your transportation for your day of. (limo or buses, classic cars, shuttles etc.)

* Book any additional necessities for your location. IE lighting components, portable toilets etc.

* Start Planning your honeymoon! You will find better deals available by booking airfare and hotels in advance.

Five to Four Months

* Check in on your wedding invitations. Request your samples & make any revisions necessary.

* Shop for your shoes and have your first dress fitt

ing. Don't forget to bring the shoes so the length of your gown can be determined.

* Time to order the cake! Test 3 different bakers. Be aware that some bakers require more of a lead time then others.

* Compile your song list to coordinate with the events of the day.

* Book your rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner plans.

* Find your hairdresser and makeup artist. Make a few appointments to try out a few on days when you have plans out. This will be a good test to see if the style lasts. And be sure to take a snapshot of the do & makeup for the wedding day.

* Plan out the goodies you will be including in your welcome baskets for out-of-town guests.

* Forward your guest list to your bridal shower planner.

For other monthly planning tasks to help keep you on schedule:

 Sixteen to Nine Months
Eight Months
Seven to Six Months
Five to Four Months

Three Months

Two Months

Month Before

Week of Your Wedding

When Do I Book My Vendors? Pt1

   I had the pleasure of a surprise visit this past weekend from some out-of-town friends.  And was delighted to hear that they have become engaged!  And being only engaged for a few days, they are truly at the beginning stage of their wedding day.  After chatting for some time, we came around to the topic of when should to book the vendors.  And then I thought - What a great topic for the blog!!  So many brides-to-be have no idea where to begin. This will after all be one of the biggest events you will ever plan. But not to worry! It's important to stay organized.  If you are not the 'organized type', do not fret! Thats why the Artful Bride is here!  Below is generally the order you should be prepared to book vendors and complete the tasks of planning. 

1.  Start with your budget! Decide how much is within your means.( For more info read here). Who is helping you with the bills? And by what means are they contributing? (financially, with their time and/or expertise)

2.  How much time do you have?  Do you want a short or long engagement? (Read more about the pros and cons to length of engagement here).

3.  How elaborate an event do you want? (guest number, attire style etc)

Ok so once the 3 big questions have been answered, you are ready to move on the the task of planning out your calendar. I am going to assume for all intents and purposes that you are planning with 16 months ahead of you. (Shorter engagements will obviously require condensing this time frame.)

Sixteen to Nine Months

* Start an inspiration binder! In hear you will place you tear outs of inspirations, whether it be color schemes, flowers, dress ideas, decorations, magazines and food.

* Work out the budget. Determine what you need, then what you want. Determine the amount of time it will take to achieve these details.

* Your guest list. This is a good time to write up a list with columns  that include name, contact info, rsvp, gift and anything else that is important.  And remember cutting down on your guest list will help you save the most money.

* Book your venue! This is when you will need to decide if your ceremony & reception will be in the same location.  Your schedule for the day needs to take into consideration the travel time between the locations. (remember if you are planning a city wedding to account for daily traffic.)

* This is also a great time to hire a planner.

* Choose your wedding party.

* Book your officiant

* Begin your research on photographers, bands, florists, and your caterer. (add these names to a vendor contact list once you begin to narrow them down)

* Throw your engagement party!

Eight Months

* Book your photographer & videographer.

* Book the entertainment

* Start meeting caterers if your location does not provide one. You will need to book this month or early next month. This is very important!

* Dress shopping! This way you have time for alterations & custom gown orders. (3 fittings is normal)

* Book hotel rooms for out-of-town guests. Choose 3 different hotels so guests have a choice of price point.

* Start your wedding website!  You can create your site for free using the Wedding Channel.

Ok so now you can begin your planning.  I will continue posting your monthly schedule information over a series this week so as not to overwhelm you. Links will be available below as they are posted.

Sixteen to Nine Months

Eight Months

Seven to Six Months

Five to Four Months

Three Months

Two Months

Month Before

Week of Your Wedding!

And Congrats again to Matt & Emily!!