4 Weeks Until You're Married...

There really isn't long to go now, is there? By now all the major stresses should be behind you, but there's still some smaller stuff to get done. The next few weeks are going to fly by, so don't be tempted to leave anything to the last minute. The last minute will be here sooner than you think!

• Your hen or stag night can obviously happen whenever it is convenient to you or your partner. Leaving it too close to the ceremony however, may cause more stress than it's worth. Particularly, if you're on a tight budget, too. A month before the date gives you ample time to recover from any shenanigans yet is still close enough to the wedding for it to be one of your final flings before marriage.
  
  
• Arrange the final alterations for any dresses and suits and make sure that you can maintain the same weight in the final month. Small later alterations are fine (don't leave it too late though), but you don't want to be adding or subtracting too much from the waistline (or anywhere else for that matter).
  
  
• Have a good chat with the photographer or videographer around this point and make sure that they're aware of what you expect from them on the day. Give them a list of photographs that you want taken and then give them the scope to be creative. 

• Confirm any special dietary requirements with the caterers and venue.
  
  
  

• You'll probably need to chase up some of those late RSPVs, too. People are notorious for not replying or mislaying invites. You didn't sign up to be a shepherd, but that's precisely what you'll be in rounding guests up who haven't made up their mind.
  
  

6 Months Until You're Married...

We're continuing with our planning countdown and we're at the 6 month mark. If you're arriving late, then you catch up with our 12-month and 9-months posts.

You're closing in on the final stretch now, and we're not lying when we say that your wedding will be here sooner than you think. We're going to assume now that the venue is booked and that you've already got an idea of the sort of shape the wedding will take. Revisit our previous posts or check out our full plan over at Pink Wedding Days if you need a reminder.

• Start looking around for a hair and make-up stylist and get hungry for ideas. You can find inspiration everywhere: magazines, on television or in film, billboards, books and in advertising. If you're a bit of a creative spark, then why not come up with you're own ideas and talk them over with your hairdresser.
  
• Now is also a good time to begin looking for honeymoon destinations. This will give you ample opportunity to research, plan and book that special trip away. A honeymoon doesn't need to be anything OTT. Mini moons are becoming increasingly popular and a weekend away will be cheap enough if you're willing to shop around: lastminute.com, Trivago, Expedia and Ebookers are all good places to start. Remember that the UK and Ireland offer fantastic short break opportunities and Premier Inn, Travelodge and even Wetherspoon's will often have cheap rooms, sales or discounts to tempt you.
  
• Check to see if anyone in the wedding party needs any accommodation booked either at your venue or in a venue nearby. If you're booking for more than 9 people, see if you can negotiate a discount or some freebies.
  
• Now would also be a good time to buy any dresses or look to hire suits. This will give you ample chance to have them adjusted closer to the time, too.
  
• If you're thinking of slimming down, muscling up or filling out for your big day, then the sooner you start the better and with the lighter evenings you could spend it getting fit with your partner.
  
  
  The six month mark is a really good time to review what you've already done and evaluate what still needs to be done. We're still a little way off the OMG, I'M GETTING MARRIED AND THERE'S SO MUCH TO DO stage, but it'll arrive soon enough. Trust us...

9 Months Until You're Married

Countdown..Geddit?

In our last post, we looked at the things to consider 12 months from your big day. Well, here's the next installment. 

Remember, this isn't a prescription for the perfect wedding; everyone will have different timings and priorities, but use it as a guide. Neither is it exhaustive, you may find your own list is much shorter or much longer, and you'll probably find a degree of overlap between the 9 and 6 month marks, but that's fine. 

• Now's the time to start booking things. It's hugely important that if you don't already have a venue that you start looking now. Once that's done, you can start looking at adding in the other elements.
  
  
• Start thinking of:
  
  booking the DJ or live band, photographer, caterer, toastmaster (if required), cake maker, wedding transport and any additional vendors or services. Remember, there's competition for dates between couples getting married so the sooner you book the better. 
  
• You'll probably already have an idea about the dresses and suits, but around now is the time to make the purchase as this gives plenty of time for alterations.
  
  
• It's also an idea to write up the guest list and start thinking about who is coming. No need to send the invitations out yet, but having an idea of numbers will give you a better understanding of budgeting, and venue space.
  
  
• You're probably going to be thinking about registering your intent to marry. We've already covered that and you can find information on how to do it here.
  
  
• Begin planning the wedding decor and theme. The sooner you do this the less chance you'll have a miss-matched or confused room dressing. Having time to pick-and-choose your theme will give you more scope to experiment and more chance to shop around for the best deal.
  
  
• You might like to start thinking of the fun stuff, too: the honeymoon and hen and stag nights.

Are you 9 months from your big day? How are you planning to organise everything? Get in touch via our contact form or through our twitter page; we'd love to hear from you.

12 Months Until You're Married...

Over the course of the next few posts, we're going to be looking at a timeline of wedding planning. It goes without saying that this can be a very stressful time: the planning, preparing and the paying for. It's important to start as soon as you're able to. We're breaking down a timetable from 12 months right down to the day before. Don't feel like you have to stick to a list, but sometimes being aware of timings can help you to prioritize, and then organise, without running into trouble later on.

• Firstly, you need to set out a budget and promise to stick to it. With the average cost of a wedding now at around £17,000, it's all too easy to overspend. Nobody is saying that you can't have nice things, just be sure that you don't end up broke because you couldn't say no to the bells and whistles.

• Decide what type of visual theme you'll have: traditional? religious? outdoor? themed? If you're not sure, then bridal magazines, Pintrest and websites can be a huge help. Having even the most general of ideas will provide a range of options that can be whittled down and, at the very least, tell you what you don't want.

• Compile a mock guest list to have a rough idea of numbers. This will help when you start choosing venues; there's no point having a guest list of 100 if there's only space for half that. 

• Most importantly at this stage is finding a venue and booking it. The sooner you have that part done, the easier everything else should be. Of course, it's not a race but when you find your perfect venue, secure it on the date you want before someone else does.

• Once the venue is booked, send out the save-the-date cards. Business cards are perfect for this as they're cheap, effective and easy to hand out. Protecting your date should ensure that you don't have any nasty surprises once the invites go out. This also takes the pressure of having to get the invitations out months in advance.

• Start thinking about the bridesmaids, the ushers and the best man. The sooner you decide on who to pick, the more people you'll have to help you out.
  
  Of course, these are just guidelines. Some people will be incredibly organised and some will prefer to leave things closer to the date: whatever works for you is fine.

Just know that the day will be here sooner than you think. 

Image by perfectska04, GNOME icon artists [GPL (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons