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The months leading up to your wedding day are sure to be some of the most hectic times of your entire life. When you first decide to marry someone you will spend weeks in bliss before the reality of the huge event you are about to plan finally sets in.
There is a reason that people usually wait a year after they became engaged to actually get married. It is because a wedding requires an extraordinary amount of planning. There are avenues to book, caterers to hire, photographers to hunt down, and usually hundreds of people to contact and invite. It can be a stressful time.
But after months of planning, the big day often creeps closer and closer. When you finally find yourself a month before your wedding day, you should have most things in order already. However, this is the time to make sure you have all of your final preparations in order. Here is a quick and easy checklist to make sure you are prepared when your wedding day finally comes.
Apply for your Marriage License
A marriage license is like your driver's permit. It does not actually marry you. It just says that you are allowed to get married. Regulations for getting your marriage license are different in just about every state. It is important that you contact the city or town clerk's office a month before your wedding day to check on waiting periods and how long your license will be valid for.
Some states require a blood test, and there may also be a small fee for your license. You will need to bring identification that could include your birth certificate, driver's license or other types of identification. All of this is different depending on where you live, so contact your local government office and see what you need to bring.
Talk to your Photographer
Of course, you should have booked your photographer months in advance, but the final month is when you need to sit down with them or call them on the phone to go over all the details.
A good time to talk about the timeline of your wedding day with your photographer is about two weeks in advance. Keep in mind that they will usually have weddings booked every weekend, so if you talk to them too far ahead of time, they might get your information mixed up with someone else's.
Just talk to them about when to show up and the general flow of the day. You may also want to look up other people's wedding photos that you liked and send them to your photographer so they can get an idea of the type of photography you like. Make a shot list that contains all the "must-have moments" of your day.
Have your Final Gown Fitting
It is a good idea to bring a bridesmaid or two with you to your final gown fitting. This way they will learn all the tricks of your dress, like how to bustle the train and button up the back. If you have a really big dress, you'll also want to do a few dry run attempts at going to the bathroom in case you'll need help!
Talk to the Caterer
While you have probably had your wedding menu in mind for months, this is now the time to go over the final wedding menu with your caterer. You should try to have a vegetarian or vegan option available in case any of your guests have dietary restrictions. Also, it is always polite to provide meals for your DJ, photographer, and videographer. These people are working a long day and they'll do a better job on a full stomach.
Schedule your Rehearsal
If you are doing a wedding rehearsal and / or rehearsal dinner, the final month is the time to plan it. It is usually a good idea to just do this the night before your wedding. That way, if anyone is coming in from out of town, they can just get there a night early, rather than a full week.
Plan for Hair and Makeup
Ask yourself if you plan on hiring a makeup artist and hairstylist or if you are going to do it yourself. If you hire someone do it a month in advance to meet with them to try out different styles and colors.
If you are going to do it on your own or with a friend, invite your bridesmaids and friends over a few weeks in advance so you can try out a few different options.
Everything Else
These are just a few of the things to remember in your last month. You also need to print out your wedding program, confirm times with your bridal party and make sure all of your sellers know when they should arrive. Your maid-of-honor or your mother should also try to contact any guests who never sent back their RSVP.
Try not to get too overwhelmed in the last month before your wedding. Just take things one step at a time and be prepared for problems to arrive. If you get too freaked out, call up your bridesmaids and ask them if they can help. That's part of their job!
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Source by Miguel Rosillo
