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Weddings are made in heaven, although plans are executed on earth! Well, planning for a wedding is one of the most stressful tasks ever. There are so many things to do, buy, handle, and execute, and sometimes it can be pretty overwhelming.
Planning is the key to success to make your wedding day run smoothly and keep yourself less stressed. Before your big day, you need to consider the critical factors: the wedding budget, venue, choosing a bridal attire, finalizing guest lists, determining catering and bar cost, and a few other details. While many couples take help from wedding professionals to manage the show, a detailed wedding planning checklist can be a savior if you don’t want any professional assistance. With the help of a wedding checklist, you can make all your planning so much easier and avoid last-minute stress.
Why Do You Need A Wedding checklist?
A comprehensive wedding checklist is a step-by-step guide to help you manage your budget, time, and to-do lists more effectively. A printable wedding to-do list is an awesome alternative to the traditional bound book and pen. A printable wedding checklist is easy to carry and grades your needs for a wedding into timelines and priorities. The good news is there are downloadable free versions online that you can print out. And if you choose to check off your tasks virtually, there are options too.
Basic outline of A Wedding checklist
Planning for your wedding day is not an easy feat, and your planning should start as soon as you get engaged or even before. We have outlined some of the most crucial activities and to-do lists – right from pre-wedding to honeymoon and beyond, depending on the time left for your wedding day.
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12 Months
Get your wedding inspiration! Research, speak to experts and work out your budget, color schemes, venue, and guestlists. Look for vendors, photographers, caterers, florists, etc. Keep all your quotes and contacts in a binder.
9 Months
Meet and finalize your vendors – photographers, caterers, florists. Decide on the scope of service, budget, and payment terms. Buy your wedding dress considering your venue, theme, and budget. Don’t forget to register your wedding website. It should be up and running before you start inviting your guests.
6 Months
Finalize your invitations cards and guestlists. For outstation guests, plan for transportation. If it is a destination wedding, don’t forget to finalize accommodations for guests. Once you are done, it’s time to send “save-the-dates”!
4 Months
Order your wedding cake, book a makeup artist of your choice. Then, go for the first wedding dress fitting and finalize accessories for the big day. Next, compile a list of closest friends and family members and finalize the bridal shower guest list.
3 Months
Order your wedding ring, finalize your wedding day menu and print it. Also finalize the event schedule and keep a printout handy.
2 Months
Send out invitations to your guests, discuss the entire plan with your vendors again to avoid any last-minute confusion. Host your bachelor/bachelorette parties at your house/venue.
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1 Month
Get your marriage license, resend your invitation card, get booze and non-perishable items, wedding day gifts, etc. well before the wedding day.
3 Days
Touch base with vendors and communicate if you want to make any minor changes. Make payments to vendors and stay cool.
Post Wedding
Clear all payment dues and head to your dream destination for the much-awaited honeymoon.
7 Best Wedding Checklists
We’ve compiled 7 wedding planning checklists (printable versions) for your wedding preparation. Depending on how much time is left, choose a wedding list that fits into your plan. They’re easy to carry, and they help you with seamless wedding planning.
1. Real simple ultimate wedding planning checklist
For brides who would prefer to have their wedding checklist domiciled online, real simple is your go-to. Log onto the website and register your details to access the checklist. It uses a tick and store style to save every piece of information as you check off items. It is comprehensive as it breaks down all tasks into topics and subtopics. So you know what is required of you to do at every point. It’s also convenient because you go everywhere with your phone or iPad.
Real Simple – The Ultimate Wedding Planning Checklist for All Engaged Couples
2. The Perfete six months wedding timeline
This printable complete wedding checklist is awesome for brides with six months or less before their weddings. This is a checklist that helps you prioritize your tasks for you to finish in record time. It guides you from the beginning of wedding planning to the very end of it.
Perfete – 6 Month Wedding Planning Timeline
3. She knows the wedding planning checklist and timeline
Made out of beautiful orange and grey prints, this wedding planning checklist isn’t bulky. You will find all your most essential tasks on a single page. It begins by showing you how to research and get inspiration for creating websites and all. There are boxes that you will tick for every task completed. This checklist is a sure way to keep you grounded.
Sheknows – Wedding planning checklist and timeline
4. The Knot Wedding Planning Checklist
This personalized, organized, and detailed wedding to-do list from theknot is simple, easy to use, and with tons of features. You can add, remove and update to-dos to fit your requirement according to style, theme, and budget. Moreover, it lets you organize all the details – right from vendor information to contact details at a click of a button.
The Knot – Wedding Planning Checklist
5. Zola wedding checklist
Zola is arguably one of the best wedding planner checklists. Whether you’re creating a local or destination wedding checklist, Zola got you covered. Once you type in your wedding date, it will automatically create a wedding timeline checklist based on it. If you don’t have a date yet, it will give you an estimated timeline for planning your wedding. Zola customizes your checklist to fit the guest list, wedding location, religious, cultural, and other rituals. It also allows you to delete and add tasks at your convenience.
Zola – Free Wedding Checklist to Simplify Planning
6. Botanical paperwork free wedding checklist and binder inserts
This wedding checklist comes in cute colors like blue, beige, and pink. So you can download it in any color that appeals to you. The free wedding checklist groups your tasks into an order of importance and timelines to fit your wedding date. You can quickly check off tasks as you go. The best part is that it’s a sustainable checklist that comes with other tools to help you stay on track.
7. Little wedding guide printable wedding checklist
Little wedding guide offers a ready for marriage checklist that is printable and comprehensive. This checklist guides you on how to plan a wedding, starting from engagement to shopping, and all through up until the wedding day. If you are stuck and need more help or advice regarding tasks, links are provided for that.
Little wedding guide – Wedding Checklist