If your other half has recently popped the question and your mind has already turned to your wedding planning, you’re ahead of the curve! Your wedding day countdown starts sooner than you might think…
One of the biggest surprises that brides and grooms-to-be get pretty early on is when they start to discover just how far in advance certain things need to be booked in or started on. From the cake design to the all-important wedding dress decisions, there’s so much to think about and as you’ll soon find out, so little time.
Even with a year to go before you say your ‘I dos’, there are suppliers that need to be contacted and arrangements that need to be made already! But don’t fret – as long as you have a rough idea of the time schedule, you’ll do just fine.
To take the stress out of planning for your wedding day, here’s everything you need to do on the run up:
12 Months to Go
With a full year before you walk down the aisle, you might be thinking that you’ve got all the time in the world to sort stuff out; however, there are some things that you should already be thinking about getting locked down.
Your venue is probably the first big thing that you need to think about getting sorted, as most popular places get booked up very far in advance.
Try not to have your heart set on a particular date as this can end up being a bit of a nightmare when you find that perfect venue, only to discover that your special day is already taken! Instead, figure out the month in which you would like to tie the knot and start checking availability ASAP. Having your venue booked in and your date secure will also help you to make some of the other big decisions you’ve got coming up…
6 Months to Go
When the six month countdown starts, you should be starting to decide upon your wedding dress, if you haven’t already!
If you’re buying off the rail or from a sample sale, you’ll have a bit more time to play with (but don’t leave it too late!), however, if you’re having a dress tailor made from scratch or from an existing design, this takes time.
It’s so much fun, choosing a dress for your wedding day, so don’t let time constraints take that away from you. To make the most of your time spent dress shopping, make sure that you get a rough idea of the sort of styles and designers that you like.
This might mean that on your first shopping trip, you make a point of trying on a wide range of styles (including ones you’re not sure are for you) so that you get to know which type of dresses you love, to narrow down your selections when you visit your favourite shops.
3 Months to Go
With three months to go, this is the very latest that you should be booking in your hair and makeup trial for the big day. Want to know more about what happens on your trial run? Take a look at my recent blog ‘What to Expect at Your Wedding Hair & Makeup Trial’ to see how I do things!
At this point you should also be thinking about sorting out the wedding cake, if you’re having one, so make appointments with your top cake designers and enjoy a tasting or two!
1 Month to Go
The final countdown is here and by now, you should have all the major pieces put in place and set into motion.
The final month should be reserved for last minute dress alterations, accessory shopping and most importantly, beauty routines to make sure that you’re looking your very best on your wedding day.
Take a look at my 5 quick and easy beauty tips you should include in your final wedding day preparation for flawless hair and skin.