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A lot of people get engaged over the holidays. While some of them will opt to set a date for the following summer and have a long, leisurely engagement, many people will prefer to get married the summer or fall following their holiday engagement. When you have no time to waste, jump into the wedding with this quick start wedding planning guide.
The first thing to do after announcing your engagement to your family and close friends is to set a tentative wedding date. Pick a couple of dates that would be acceptable to you, in case one of those days is already booked at your favorite venue. You should also set about forming a general guest list right away, so you know how many people you need to accommodate. Then it is time to start looking for a wedding venue ASAP. The venue is the top priority, because they usually book up well in advance. When you find a location that is the right size and style for your reception and available on one of your preferred dates, put down a deposit immediately so you do not lose out.
With the wedding date now official and your venue booked, the next key things to do when time is fairly short is to find your main vendors. The caterer and the florist are the first to find, followed by the band and the photographer. Then find a baker to make your wedding cake. You do not need to know the exact final design of your cake to reserve a baker, just a general idea of size and concept. Now is not the time to worry about things like limos that can be reserved with shorter notice.
Do you have all your key sellers lined up? Excellent! Next on the list: shopping for wedding gowns, veils, and bridal jewelry sets. Many brides do not realize that they should plan to order their wedding gown six months or more in advance of the wedding date! So if you got engaged over New Year's and are planning to get married anytime before next winter, you need to pick out your wedding dress now. If you have less than six months, do not panic. Bridal salons can often arrange for rush delivery on wedding gowns, and the accessories like bridal jewelry sets and veils often take far less time to order than the dresses.
Next in line is attire for the bridesmaids, the groom, and the groomsmen. This is also a good time to think about finding the bridesmaid jewelry gifts to coordinate with the dresses. At this point, your wedding will be shaping up nicely. Get your invitations, ordered, if you have not already done so. They should go in the mail at least six weeks before your wedding date. With the most important things under control, you can start to get into the more minor details, such as transportation, favors, and the honeymoon.
In the last month or so before the wedding, you should be on about the same timeline as the bride who started her planning with a longer lead time. That is because some things simply can not be finalized until the end. Those details include the seating chart, escort cards, place cards, and the wedding programs. Get together with all of the vendors you hired in the early stages of planning to nail down the specifics about the menu, floral design, song list, and photos wanted. The only thing left will be to book your honeymoon, and to enjoy your beautiful wedding!
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Source by Guy Antonelli
