6 – 8 months before
Date: ______________________
Book ceremony musicians. The Church Organist, Soloist, String Quartet. If your DJ is not taking care of the Ceremony for you.
Meet with the officiant. Map out the ceremony and confirm that you have all the official documents for the wedding (these vary by county and religion).
Order bridesmaid dresses. Allow at least six months for the dresses to be ordered and sized.
Book a florist. Florists can serve multiple clients on one day, which is why you can wait a little longer to engage one. Plus, at this point, you’ll be firm on what your wedding palette will be.
Send save-the-date cards. This is a particularly good idea if you’re marrying during a tourist or holiday season or having a destination wedding.
Select and purchase invitations. Hire a calligrapher, if you want your invitations professionally addressed. Addressing cards are time-consuming, so you need to budget accordingly.
Reserve structural and electrical necessities.
Arrange transportation. Consider limos, minibuses, trolleys, and town cars. (But know that low-to-the-ground limos can make entries and exits dicey if you’re wearing a fitted gown.)
Book portable toilets for outdoor events, extra chairs if you need them, lighting components, and so on.
Start planning a honeymoon. Make sure that your passports are up-to-date, and schedule doctors’ appointments for any shots you may need.
Start composing a day-of timeline. Draw up a schedule of the event and slot in each component (the cake-cutting, the first dance).