A must have simplified guide on how to make your Pinterest board a reality by using the wedding planner London format
First- figure out what kind of planner you are. It doesn’t do you any good to have a super detailed and strict wedding planner london if you’re not the type of person that will stick to it. If you’re the type of person that responds really well to collated lists and color coded files, then get cracking! Your London wedding planner can be just as detail oriented as you are. If you’re the more casual type of girl, that is comfortable adding as you go, it’s great to get yourself a notebook and dump file system. Basically all you need is a file or a box to keep receipts, estimates, and business cards. Add in a small notebook that you can jot down ideas or anecdotes that you’ll need to remember. If you’re the type of girl that loathes planning and has absolutely no drive for it, consider hiring a professional wedding planner London, or maybe just skip it all and elope! Your second priority should be to spend time celebrating your engagement! It’s an exciting time that’s sure to be filled with parties and well wishes. Give yourself and hubby-to-be some quality moments to enjoy before you dive headfirst into the stress of planning. If anything- now is a great time to choose your wedding party, so you can begin to delegate things like hen and stag do responsibilities.
Host a London Wedding Planner Dinner and Choose Your Date
Invite both sets of parents and plan for an evening that will encompass discussion on budgets and guest lists and the date for your big day. This is an excellent way to involve your families and start your London wedding planner experience. Expect everyone to have their own ideas on who should be invited and what the total that you expect to be paying is. If you’re planning on hiring a professional London wedding planner is filled with really great possibilities. Discuss this with the group to ensure that you get one that shares your wedding values and goals. It’s sometimes best to order in for these dinners, because you’ll want to have the whole scheduled time to devote to the discussion at hand. Even though it seems like only a few small details, the discussion can turn out to be time consuming and very involved.
12 Months Before the Wedding
- Choose a venue: Choosing a venue after you’ve had your London wedding planner dinner allows you to be considerate of guest lists and budgets. This includes visiting and booking venues. Consider both where you’ll get married, and where you’ll have the reception. Now is a good time to consider travel accommodation as well if you’re using separate venues for the ceremony and reception.
- Decide on wedding vendors: Do you want a videographer as well as a photographer? Are you planning on having a bar? What food will you be offering? Do you want a DJ or a band? Who will be providing hair and makeup services? This part of your London wedding planner is mostly recon. Visit or phone any potential vendors and search for the best rates and offers before you book. As you book vendors, we suggest writing them down next to the service they will be providing to you.
- Book your Officiant
- Start considering your decor and any necessary DIY: This is a fantastic part of your London wedding planner to finish after you’ve chosen your bridesmaids. Enlist their opinions and help in tracking down necessary materials or starting to build projects.
- Send Save the Date Cards: This is especially important if you’re planning on having a destination wedding, or you’ll be tying the knot during an exceptionally busy time of year. Enlist the help of both wedding parties if you’re not planning on having your cards professionally addressed.
- Throw your first London wedding planner brainstorm event: Making sure everyone has clear and open lines of communication is a must! That, and how much fun is it to get to throw a scheduled party with your best friends! These events can be dinners, brunches, or casual get togethers at someone’s house. They don’t have to be fancy, but getting everyone together to make sure you’re all on the same page will save you headaches later.
8 Months Before the Wedding
- Throw a wedding dress party and choose a dress: This is probably one of the funnest parts of a London wedding planner. Get all of your girls together for a champagne brunch and dress shopping day. This gives the boutique ample time for any necessary alterations to the dress.
- Book vendors and discuss expectations: Make sure that your DJ or band is on board with an agreed upon set list including the special songs you’ve chosen for your first dance and any other Daddy/daughter, mother/son dances. Go over menus with caterers and make sure that all of the ingredients for the foods you have outlined in your London wedding planner will be available and in season.
- Make a Register date: Plan a romantic evening with your soon to be hubby and choose which retailers you will register at. A minimum of three is suggested for a wide enough range of gift possibilities. Once you’ve chosen retailers, decide which gifts you’d like to register for.
- Plan the Honeymoon: Even though your London wedding planner won’t extend past the reception, now is a great time to start discussing where you’d like to be after the ceremony. Talk to your bridesmaids/groomsmen about planning hen/stag parties. This only needs to be mentioned to them. As most wedding parties have this on lock down from the moment they say ‘I do’ to you, just making a note in your london wedding planner that it was discussed and is on track is enough
- Throw your eight month London wedding planner brainstorm party
6 Months Before the Wedding
- Select, purchase, and submit addresses for your wedding invitations: choose a calligrapher or paper supplier. Get your invitations on order sooner than later. Make sure and add multiple steps for the invitation process into your london wedding planner.
- Choose your bridesmaid dresses: Host a ladies night in or classic sleepover with your best gal pals! Grab a bottle of wine and start shopping for bridesmaid dresses. Add a booking into your london wedding planner for a dress fitting. Allowing at least six months for the dresses to be ordered and fitted is a good idea in case there are any problems.
- Set up an appointment with your officiant: Now is a great time to book necessities like marriage counseling (if required), or discuss vows structure.
- Book your cake baker and order your cake: This is another fun london wedding planner step that involves both yourself and your fiancé. Go to potential bakers and try samples of available cakes. When you find a baker you like, book them and start talking design!
- Find out who will be throwing your bridal shower: Discuss dates with them, along with any other relevant pre-wedding fiesta dates (i.e. stag/hen do’s, engagement parties, and london wedding planner brainstorm meetings)
- Reserve hotel blocks for your guests and wedding party: Get a rough idea for any needed accommodations and start talking to available hotels early. Now is also the ideal time for you to make your wedding night reservations as well.
- Rent or purchase the men’s formal wear
- Research, preview, and book hairstylist and makeup artist: This is actually a great hub for your six month london wedding planner brainstorm party. Have your hairstylist and makeup artist over to get you and your girls ready for a night out while everyone catches up on the latest news.
- Host your six month london wedding planner brainstorm party
4 Months Before the Wedding
- Ensure all invitations are finished and sent
- Attend dress fittings: This should include fittings for both the bride and the bridal party
- Organize, make, or purchase gifts: or parents, bridesmaids, groomsmen, and each other
- Plan and purchase outfits: for the flower girl and ring bearer
- Plan, schedule and book your rehearsal dinner
- Schedule a menu tasting with your caterer: Now is a great time to try out the menus that you have noted in your london wedding planner. You can finalize foods and make any necessary changes to the menu without causing hassle for your caterers.
- Purchase wedding rings: Four months provides ample time for resizing should a ring not fit properly.
- Purchase any accessories you or your wedding party will need: Petticoats, tiaras, shoes, jewellery, makeup and more are all things to consider.
- Meet with your florist: Now is the time to discuss arrangement, boutineers, and corsages
- Create an RSVP and wedding gift thank you spreadsheet: Having this to hand will streamline everyone who has RSVP’d. Add in addresses and leave blank cells allotting for bridal shower and wedding gifts received so you can easily write your thank you notes. Leave one copy on your computer and print another out, adding it to your London wedding planner notebook/binder
- Order, or assemble, wedding favors: Another great event to plan your four month london wedding planner brainstorm party around! Invite everyone over to help assemble any favors or table decorations that you plan on having.
- Host your four month london wedding planner brainstorm party
1 Month Before the Wedding
- Ensure invitations are sent and start receiving RSVPs: Sending out all invitations six to eight weeks before the ceremony is rule of thumb. Make sure to set the RSVP cutoff at three weeks after the dated postmark: Enter in all RSVPs into your london wedding planner and computer database
- Touch base with all vendors: Make sure you touch base and contact every vendor you’ve booked.
- Ensure that all vendors information coincides exactly with what you have noted in your london wedding planner.
- Submit a wedding announcement in local papers
- Write vows
- Visit dressmakers and tux rental shops for final fittings: Break in your wedding shoes and encourage others to do the same. Run around the house in your shoes to ensure a no hassle and pain free fit on your big day
- Finalize seating arrangements and make placards
- Create a wedding timeline with every last detail finalized and realized
- Consider hiring a wedding PA or day of coordinator for the day of the wedding
- Get your marriage license
- Host your final london wedding planner brainstorm party
One Week Before the Wedding
- Finalize headcount with caterers and venue
- Print placecards, wedding day timeline
- Pack an overnight bag
- Include sleepwear, toothbrush, outfits, and accessories
- Plan a spa day
- Get a mani/pedi and treat yourself to a day of relaxation, you’ve earned it!
- Send out final payment
- Print out your london wedding planner document: Or make copies of your binder and give them to your wedding planner, maid of honor, or mother.
- Pick up your dress: Try out your entire wedding day outfit and ensure that nothing is amiss. Make sure to add in those special undergarments that you’ve purchased for the occasion as well.
- Call all vendors and suppliers and confirm delivery times: Coordinate this with your venue as well as a setup/teardown schedule
- Delegate day of tasks: Make sure that you have someone to tend the guestbook, organize gifts, bustle your dress, carry your things, man your “oh dear” kit, a point of contact for each vendor, and someone that will act as an usher. Make sure you note each person in your london wedding planner and keep everyone in the know as to who has what job
- Have your Hen/Stag party: Where it’s more traditional to have your hen/stagdo the night before, we’ve all seen the hangover and suggest your big night out be planned a little bit in advance of your big day.
Day Before the Wedding
- Have your rehearsal dinner: Rehearse the entire ceremony from start to finish with both sets of parents, both wedding parties, and the officiant. It’s also really important to ensure that the flower girl and ring bearer are present to help avoid confusion and cold feet on the day of
- Set your alarm: And a backup. And a backup for your backup.
- Confirm all honeymoon related travel and transportation
- Print your vows
- Drop off extras at the venue
- Make sure this is in your london wedding planner and gets double checked!: Include favors, place cards, menus, and seating charts
- Provide any wedding planners and vendors with an emergency contact
- Ensure the cake is on track and to be delivered
- Get plenty of sleep!
The Big Day
Make sure you have your gifts: (bridal party, parents, and each others), rings, vows, marriage license, drivers license, dress/suit and accessories, wallet, cash, tips for vendors, snacks/water “oh dear” kit, umbrella and anything else you might need. Introduce your emergency contact to your wedding coordinator, PA, or venue coordinator. Put your london wedding planner down or give it to someone you trust so you don’t have your nose in the book all day
Assign a family member to be point of contact for the photographer
AND ABOVE ALL
Get Married! Yipee!!
Remember that it’s your special day and friends and family have travelled from far and wide to be there to celebrate you. Take small moments to celebrate them right back! Have fun! You didn’t do all of this mind and back breaking work just to be bogged down in stress all day
