Wedding Planning Checklist
Planning a wedding is a major hurdle that every prospective bride and groom (and their families, relatives and neighbors- in case it happens in India) have to go through. Sure, it’s exciting and overwhelming, but equally stressful too. It is often considered a preliminary test which the couple has to pass; in order to begin the new chapter they are about to pen together. You can always choose to hire a wedding planner to do the job for you, but often that becomes even more of a stress. So here’s checklist that might come in handy when you have decided to become your own wedding planner.
Set a date:
The first step is to set a wedding date depending on the available auspicious date that is also convenient to all the friends and relatives. The setting of the date would also depend on the availability of the wedding hall, mandap banquet hall and so on.
Decide on a wedding budget:
Now that you have clarity on when you would be tying the knot, the next grand step concerns the wedding budget. Decide on a wedding budget that would suit your pocket and try to stick to it. But it would also be wise to keep a backup fund so that you can tackle unexpected expenses.
Prepare the guest list:
This is truly a nerve racking process. Make sure nobody is left out so as to avoid awkwardness in the future. But it is also important to be careful that you stay within your budget. So choose wisely.
Book everything in advance:
Well, it is not rocket science, but still just to make things clear – BOOK EVERYTHING IN ADVANCE. So what all should be booked in advance? Let’s see:
- Wedding hall: If you have a particular hall in mind then make sure it will be available on the set date. If not then you will either have to change the dates or find an available venue to tie the knot. Keep in mind the size of you guest list when booking a hall.
- Wedding Decorators: Check for available wedding decorators and discuss what you want. Discuss the rates, decorating possibilities, the flower arrangements, garland decorations and so on and book things in advance. Refer to the wedding planning websites online for innovative ideas.
- Caterers: Another very important factor of Wedding is good food. Decide on a menu and book the caterer prior to your wedding.
- Wedding Jewelry, Wedding Clothes: These are two major components involved in any wedding. Make sure everything is available, fitting your budget and is a perfect fit for you. Take extra care to make sure that the wedding rings come out perfectly.
- Hair and Makeup- Book the beauticians in advance so that you do not end up having any last-minute disasters.
- Gifts for Family Members: In India, we have the custom of buying gifts for relatives during the wedding season. Make a list of things need to be purchased and do all the shopping well in advance.
- Flight tickets, train tickets for loved ones: If you have plans to cover the travelling expenses of your friends and relatives, then make sure everything is taken care of goes smoothly. Put someone responsible in charge to take care of such things if you have too many things on your plate.
- Wedding Invites: Decide on an elegant wedding invitation template and order the wedding invitations in advance. You can find thousands of beautiful designs on online wedding planning websites.
Sending out Invitations:
The next step is sending out the invitations of course and collecting the RSVPs. Make sure not to leave out any close relatives or friends.
Book accommodation for guests:
Take care of the accommodation facilities based on the number of guests who would turn up. A suggestion would be to look out for accommodation options near the venue for easy commute of guests.
Follow up:
Your tasks are not over yet. Always follow up on the bookings to check if everything is going well and if there will be any delays.
Make arrangements for your honeymoon :
If you have plans to go on a honeymoon then make the necessary arrangements for that like flight tickets, hotel bookings and so on.
Spend time with your partner:
Keep in mind that his is not the last step. Throughout the course of wedding planning make it a point to talk to you partner and spend time with them so that there are no clash of opinions or complaints of feeling neglected.
There you have it. Follow this checklist for a super smooth and tension-free wedding planning experience. It is true that you will hit a few dead ends here and there, but as long as you end up with the right person, it does not matter. Wedding is just a formal ceremony after all; your life after the wedding is what is going to count the most.
To make things even simpler just logon to www.wikiwed.com and we are there to hand hold you at every step of your wedding planning!
