This week somehow I have felt things have slowed down a bit, even though this list I’m about to write is anything but short! Maybe I’m getting into the groove, settling into the wedding planning process a bit. As I look at all I’ve accomplished in just four short weeks, I realize more than ever the truth of what I wrote in my very first post of this series: it will all get done!
In five months I will walk down that aisle where the man of my dreams will await, we will exchange vows and wedding bands and be pronounced husband and wife, and we will eat and drink and dance and laugh in celebration with our friends and family. Oh, how I long for April 23 to be here! :)
Until then, I press on, one week at a time! I hope you, too, are settling in. I hope you are enjoying this sweet season. And I hope you are ready to tackle week number four!
how to plan a wedding in 6 months flat: week 4
- finalize guest list (in my experience it may be more difficult than you anticipate to track down addresses from your fiancé, mother, and mother-in-law. have patience, but be persistent!)
- set up your wedding website (I used minted.com for mine. It’s free and so easy to set up. They have tons of cute different templates to choose from… and you can even order matching invitations, menu cards, place cards, and table numbers!)
- design and order your save the dates (you can also do this through minted!)
- choose your bridesmaids dresses (do they have options at the boutique where you got your dress? can they give you a great discount? I wanted to keep my bridesmaids dresses under a certain dollar amount, and the boutique where I got my dress was able to do that for me! so grateful. and know those bridesmaids will be, too!)
- ask your bridal party! (get creative! and then get those ladies to order their dresses! quickly!)
- meet with and hire your photographer (schedule your engagement photo shoot if you are choosing to do one)
- start your registries (we started this week with Crate and Barrel since that’s where my dishes are from. I have 8 sets now, but we would like 12 for hosting dinner parties! to choose where we wanted to open registries, I did a little research online. I actually played around opening registries at quite a few places online and then narrowed it down from there.)
- schedule wine tasting (we are having our wedding at a vineyard! we can either select some of their wine or we can bring in our own and pay a corkage fee; if you are bringing in your own wine to your venue, why not have a little wine tasting party to try some different wines you are considering? believe me, your friends and family will be happy to attend and help you choose! it’s nice to let others be a part of your wedding planning process, too!)
- start researching your honeymoon! (will you go somewhere tropical and stay in an overwater bungalow? yes, please! will you travel Europe together? will you go as far away as possible? or will you go somewhere a little closer? dare to dream… Clay and I are looking at this as the one opportunity we may have to travel somewhere crazy awesome!)
A note about your wedding website: This is the place where you will put all the important info your guests need to know – especially if they are coming from out of town… flight info, hotel suggestions, a digital RSVP if you’d like, helpful info regarding attire – will it be inside or outside? will it get chilly at night? is this a casual or formal affair? You can add links to your registries, and so much more!
But don’t worry just yet about getting all that info. For this week, this is all I added:
- a welcome note with a link to our engagement story
- ceremony & reception location and time
- bridal party info
- a note for the ladies to bring a jacket and wear shoes that won’t sink into the grass!
Congrats on your first month down! Five more to go!
