Engagement Party Planning Guide

Congratulations on your engagement! Who wants to wait all the way to the wedding to celebrate? Great news; you don’t have to! An engagement party is typically hosted shortly after you say “YES!” Below is a guide to planning an engagement party. While this guide can help you map out your engagement party, remember these are only suggestions. There are no set rules and you can do literally whatever you want.

Why have an engagement party?

An engagement party serves a few purposes. First and foremost, it is a celebration of your engagement! This is a time for your friends and family to come together and congratulate you in person. Second, it offers the opportunity to begin introducing your family and friend groups. A wedding merges two families (both birth and chosen family count!) and it makes the actual wedding that much more fun if a lot of the guests have already had a chance to meet! Third, who doesn’t love an excuse to gather your favorite people altogether at once?! 

Who hosts the engagement party?

The host of the engagement party is the person that will take on the bulk, if not all, of planning and costs. Traditionally the bride’s parents take on this task, but the host can be anyone, and completely depends on your situation. If the bride’s parents aren’t able to host- or if you have two grooms-, it can be the groom’s parents, other relatives, friends, coworkers, or even the engaged couple! The bridal party typically doesn’t take charge of this event, since they usually are in charge of the bachelor/bachelorette parties and bridal shower. 

When should the engagement party be?

Engagement parties typically occur in the first few months after becoming engaged. This is an opportunity to celebrate the upcoming commitment, without throwing an entire wedding! Aiming at the 3-month-post-engagement mark is an ideal time to host this event, because there is still a “buzz” around your engagement, but you won’t be buried by planning yet.

How should the host pace the engagement party planning?

Below is a sample planning timeline. This will vary depending on the time frame and budget the host has allotted.

• 1 month after engagement- 

  • Decide on a budget for the engagement party

  • Decide on the general “feel” for your engagement party (formal, casual, something in between?)

  • Create a guest list for the engagement party & gather contact info

  • Find & book a venue to host the party

  • Select vendors based on what budget allows and the venue includes

• 2 months after engagement-

  • Send out invitations to engagement party

  • Find decor for engagement party

  • Select attire for engagement party

  • Create a registry (this is something the couple will need to do!)

• 3 months after engagement-

  • Host engagement party

Who should be invited?

Miss Manners says you can only invite people who are invited to the wedding. This is generally the polite thing to do, but with the culture of weddings shifting away from tradition you don’t necessarily need to stick to this guideline. If you find yourself in this situation, make it very clear to those guests that they won’t be invited to the wedding. A nice way to word this is: “Our wedding venue limits the amount of people we can invite, so we had to make some difficult decisions about the guest list! We would still love to celebrate with you, so it would mean a lot to have you at the engagement party!” There are a lot of other cutesy wording options floating around on Pinterest if you wanted to have something written on the invitation about this.

Here is a general outline of who is typically invited:

1. Your bridal party (unless the event is being held in a city far from them)

2. Your immediate families (if your relationship with them allows for this)

3. Your extended families (if your relationship with them allows for this- NOTE: If you invite some immediate or extended family, you DO NOT have to invite them all. Invite whoever makes sense in your unique situation.)

4. Let the host invite some bonus people. The host may have close friends/coworkers/etc. that hear about you all the time! Those people might love to join in the fun! If you are worried about this getting out of hand, give a few parameters for the bonus invitations. Give the host a certain number of their own guests to invite that you are comfortable having around during the engagement party. If you are worried about a particular person or people being invited, make it clear that you aren’t comfortable with those people being invited!

5. Close friends in the area. This isn’t an event that people would typically travel for, so if you have close friends in the area add them to the list!

Pro-tip #1: If the host is attempting to plan a surprise engagement party or the couple wishes to not be involved in any element of planning, a member of the bridal party or other close friends can help form the guest list to include friends of the couple!

How should I invite people?

As always, there are no set rules. Sending formal invitations by mail is great if you have the time and wiggle room in the budget, but necessary by any means! Many other wedding blogs and older generations would disagree strongly with this, though, so be prepared for a host coming from an older generation to find formal invitations necessary. Since the guest list is typically a fraction of the full guest list, invitations can easily be sent via email, Facebook, or even a quick text if the event is intimate enough!

No matter how you choose to spread word about the party, the invitations do not need to be as formal as the wedding invitations. These invitations also do not need to be a reflection of your wedding design in any way. You, or the host, can pick whatever aesthetic makes you all happy!

Pro-tip #2: If you and your host disagree on how invitations should be sent, choosing to mail more casual invitations with bright colors and fun fonts can be a good compromise!

Pro-tip #3: Take this one with a grain of salt, but… pick and choose your battles. There will probably be plenty of opinions coming your way about the wedding that you will need to navigate. If the host of this event feels really strongly about the invitations, this may not be the hill to die on. 

What information should the invitations include?

As always, names, date, location, time will need to be included on the invitation. The host should also specify what kind of refreshments can be expected (appetizers only, full dinner, hosted bar, BYOB, no alcohol, etc.) Guests often will bring gifts for the couple to an engagement party, so if possible, create your wedding registry beforehand! If you are planning on creating a wedding website and building your registry on that platform, you’ll need to create this beforehand. 

The engagement party host may also want to include their name and that is totally fine! People will often word the invites “The parents/aunt/cousin/friend/etc of X invite you to celebrate the engagement of their daughter/son/other to [Fiance name here].”

If you are including guests to the list for the engagement party who are not invited to the wedding you can let them know with the invitation. Explain the reasoning behind the lack of wedding invite, but let them know they are an important part of your life and you’d love the opportunity to celebrate with them!

Pro-tip #4: Wedding website platforms like Zola or The Knot allow you to build your registry before building your website. This allows you the opportunity to provide guests with a list of items you like, without having to create your full website.

Pro-tip #5: Even if you tell people you don’t want gifts, some will bring them anyway. It is always better to receive something you’d actually like, so including a website or registry is a great way to communicate this information.

Who should pay for the engagement party?

Again, the cost of the engagement party typically will fall on the host. This can vary on a case by case basis depending on financial situations. Some hosts may ask you to pay for a portion of the engagement party. If you cannot afford to fund any portion of the party, suggest a more casual or smaller engagement party to accommodate their budget! Much like the actual wedding, budget isn’t what defines the day. The most important aspect is celebrating your love while surrounded by the people who mean the most to you and your fiance! (See the end of blog for full example budget breakdowns.)

Where should the engagement party be hosted?

The engagement party can be hosted in any venue, it will just depend on the size of the guest list and access to space. While the event can be as formal or informal as the host would like, the engagement party is often thrown in the host's home or backyard. If this is not an option or the host doesn’t prefer to host in their home, a restaurant or smaller venue is not out of the norm! Choosing a private room in a restaurant can often be less expensive since so much will be included (i.e. in house catering, tables, chairs, flatware, plates, napkins, drink ware, bar, centerpieces, etc.) 

The engagement party is usually thrown in the city that the host is local to. This may not be the city you live in, so you will need to travel to them. If you find yourself in this situation, you may not be able to invite some of your friends or family that live in your area. That is okay! Communicate with those friends and family so they understand why they aren’t receiving an invitation!

What should we do at the engagement party?

Engagement party activities vary quite a bit from event to event. If you want guests to simply mingle freely throughout the party, go for it! There are a lot of great activities that can be prepared, as well. Lawn games can be set up for guests, a “how well do you know the couple?” quiz that can be played as a group, a guest book can be set out, or any other number of things can be prepared to entertain guests. If you are looking for ideas, be sure to check out our Pinterest board for inspiration! 

The engagement party is also a great opportunity to allow guests to make toasts! Not everyone will get a chance to speak at the wedding, so having certain friends or family members make a toast at this smaller event is the perfect compromise! 

Keep in mind, while guests often bring gifts to the engagement party, the party isn’t about the gifts. Gift opening at an engagement party isn’t typical and can prove to be a little awkward for the guests who chose not to bring a present.

Is a full dinner expected at the engagement party?

Nope! Everyone appreciates a nice full meal, but it isn’t expected. Just be sure the host specifies either way on the invitation so guests can plan accordingly!

If the host is providing dinner, it doesn’t need to be fancy! A backyard BBQ is completely acceptable! If they want to go all out and have a full 5 course sit down dinner, that is fine, too. As long as they are paying for it, and you are comfortable with it, there are no right or wrong answers to what should be served.

What should be included in the budget?

As always, this completely depends on what the host chooses to include! Below are some typical things to consider budgeting for:

Venue

Catering

Tables, chairs, plates, drink ware, flatware, napkins, etc. 

Bar

Photographer

Music/entertainment

Cake/dessert

Invitations

Decor

Miscellaneous 

Of course there are endless approaches to maximize any budget! Below are 3 example budgets for engagement parties.

• Example Budget #1 (the “bells and whistles” example)-

Overall budget $10k

75 guests, 4 hour party

Party Planner- $850

Venue (includes tables, chairs, plates, flatware, drinkware, and food)- @ $30/person = $2,250

Bar (through venue- beer, wine, & liquor)- @ $25/person = $1,875

Photographer- $500

Music/entertainment (Live guitarist & singer)- $625

Cake from speciality bakery (2 tier 6” base, 4” top tier)- $450

Dessert display (cupcakes, macaroons, & donuts)- $500

Invitations (mailed designer invitations, w/ stamps & envelopes)- @$10/household = $250

Decor- $2,000

2 large balloon displays @$200/arrangement = $400

Florist (8 centerpieces & 4 accent arrangements for signs and special tables)- $1,500

Signage (welcome sign, seating chart)- $100

Miscellaneous- $900

Photo booth (4 hrs)- $500

Party favors (ex. Personalized koozie & bottle openers)- $250

Gift table (sign, card box, etc.)- $100

Guest book/activity table- $50

TOTAL: $9,975

• Example Budget #2 (the “mid range backyard” example)-

overall budget $2k

75 guests, 4 hour party

Venue (backyard)- FREE

Caterer (tacos @$5/person- includes paper plates and plasticware. Provide your own apps i.e veggie tray, DIY cheese board, etc. for additional $25)- $400

Bar (DIY alcohol, hire bartender, & physical bar)- $415

1 signature cocktail (ex. Lemon drop)

2 handles of middle shelf vodka @$40/handle = $80

Mixers/ingredients- $20

1 case of Trader Joe’s Charles Shaw wine (6 red & 6 white) = $40

1/4 keg of light domestic beer = $80

Ice for cocktails & beer tub = $30

1 bartender @20/hr = $80

Folding table w/ table cloth for bar = $30

Rentals (tables, chairs)- $525

8 tables & table cloths @$30/table = $240

75 chairs @ $3/chair = $225

Delivery @$60

Music/entertainment (DJ)- $400

Cake (single tier cake from local grocer)- $35

Invitations (Send out email or create Facebook event)- FREE

Decor- $50

DIY Flowers (Trader Joe’s flowers) 5 bushels @ $5/bushel = $25

Dollar store vases 1 per table @$1/each = $8

Candles & dollar tree candle votives (2 per table)- $2/each = $16

Miscellaneous- $200

Guest party favors (personalized Koozies)- $100

Gift table (sign, card box, etc.)- $50

TOTAL: $2,025

• Example Budget #3 (the “ballin’ on a budget” example)-

overall budget $500

75 guests, 4 hour party

Venue (backyard) - FREE

Catering (potluck; guests bring a dish! ex. the host can provide hotdogs/hamburgers)- $100

Tables & chairs (use friend’s folding tables & chairs, buy dollar tree table covers)- $10

Plates, plasticware, and drinkware (use disposable)- $50

Bar (1 full domestic keg & BYOB)- $250

Music (make playlist and set up your own speaker)- FREE

Cake/dessert (make your own!)- $25

Invitations (Send out email or create Facebook event)- FREE

Decor- $50

DIY Flowers (Trader Joe’s flowers) 5 bushels @ $5/bushel = $25

Dollar store vases 1 per table @$1/each = $8

Candles & dollar tree candle votives (2 per table)- $2/each = $16

TOTAL: $485

As you can see, the third example can easily decrease in price by only offering BYOB, delegating the disposable plates, plasticware, and drink ware as a potluck item, cutting out all decor, and/or skipping dessert. Basically this is all to say, no budget is too small!

Final thoughts on engagement parties-

There is no specific way to throw an engagement party! No matter how the event comes together, it will be a beautiful day celebrating this incredible milestone in your relationship!

If you have any additional questions please feel free to drop a comment or send an email!

Save the Dates, Invitations, and a bit on RSVPs

Sending out Save the Dates and Invitations are SUCH fun parts of wedding planning. For so many people this is the first step that makes everything feel real. Soak in these vital steps, and feel confident you are doing it right by reading the information below!

Before reading on, here are two super useful tips!

Pro-tip #1: A common mistake people make is ordering for guest count instead of household.

Mistake: ordering 250 invitations for 250 guests

Pro planning: ordering 1 invitation per household (i.e average household 3 people/house: 250 divided by 3 = ~83 Save the Dates and invitations)

Pro-tip #2: Order extra! You may want to invite additional people and you will probably want one for keepsake. While you still don’t need to order one for every single guest, rounding up is always good in case you make new friends, have people drop out that you want to replace, or just want a few extra for your own (or parents, family, close friends, etc.) keepsake! Another huge pro to this- the big name stationary sites base their discounts on round numbers, so ordering 100 vs. 84 will end up being less expensive.

Mistake- Ordering 84 save the dates/invitations for ~83 households.

Pro planning: Ordering 100 save the dates/invitations for ~83 house holds.

Save the Dates

Save the Dates are a great way to mentally prepare your guests for your upcoming wedding. You might not have all the details like time, location, attire, meal plan, etc. hammered out, but a Save the Date will let guests know the most basic information about the wedding to plan for. While these are helpful with communicating this information to guests, they do add some cost to your wedding and aren’t necessary for every situation.

When are Save the Dates REALLY needed?

Save the Dates can be useful for every wedding, but you don’t HAVE to have them for any wedding. If you are tight on money, time, or simply just don’t want them you can skip them altogether. Save the Dates are most useful when planning either a destination wedding or when planning a wedding where most of your guests will be traveling. In a situation where guests will need to be traveling it is useful to let everyone know ahead of time. Save the Dates allow guests the opportunity to save money/sent money aside for travel and gifts, communicate with work, and plan for childcare (if necessary).

When should I send my Save the Dates out?

Save the Dates can be sent whenever you have solidified a date and location. You can technically send them before a venue is booked if you are 100% positive of the city and date the wedding will be held, but it is best to send them once the venue is booked. Couples will often fall in love with a venue that isn’t available on their desired date, so they change the date to accommodate the venue. If the date you have chosen means a lot to you and you are positive you will be selecting a venue based on the date and not the other way around, go ahead and send the Save the Dates!

If you are having a lot of out of town guests or planning a destination wedding Save the Dates ideally will be sent a full year in advance. If your wedding is more intimate and still requires a majority of guests to travel, Save the Dates should be sent in the 6-8 month prior range, if possible. If you are planning a more intimate wedding in a shorter time span it may be more efficient to skip the Save the Dates, touch base personally with guests to give them a heads up, and send invitations a little sooner than you would typically.

What is the latest I should send a Save the Date?

This, again, will vary depending on the situation. The absolute latest in any situation that you should send a Save the Date is 2 months out from the wedding (and this still only works for a really intimate wedding with short planning period). For a larger wedding this deadline should be by the 4 month mark. For a larger travel heavy wedding this deadline should be 5 months out. If you can’t make this deadline, skip the Save the Dates altogether and just send an invitation. Even for an intimate wedding, 2 months would be cutting it pretty close. Keep in mind, you will need to confirm with the venue and caterers the final headcount about a month prior to the wedding so you need to have time for people to receive their Save the Date and invitation and then RSVP.

What information should my Save the Dates include?

Save the Dates are just a quick, formal heads up to guests that you will be hosting a wedding on a particular date in a certain city. At minimum the Save the Date should include your names, date, and city. A lot of couples will build a wedding website and include that on the Save the Date as well. Even if the wedding website isn’t 100% completed (and frankly at this point it probably won’t be) providing the link will give guests a resource to check in to for more information as it is made available. If you have your venue locked in you can also include this in the Save the Date.

What should my Save the Dates look like?

Like everything else with a wedding, this completely depends on what you want. A common trend is for people to use a photo from their engagement session as the background of their Save the Date. Another common trend is for people to make their Save the Dates magnets so people can keep them on their fridge or somewhere convenient to find the information.

Invitations

What information should I include in my invitations?

Invitations should be a quick snapshot of all the vital information guests need to know in order to show up to the right place at the right time on the right day. They should include the who, what, when, where, and why of the day (not necessarily in that order). Include both the bride(s) and/or groom(s) names. If someone other than yourselves are paying for a chunk, the majority, or all of the wedding it is common to word your invitation: “X and X invite you to the wedding of their [son/daughter/other- name] to [fiance name here].” The name and address of the venue is vital. They will also need to know what time to arrive. If you have a wedding website you can include the website and let people know that they can RSVP and find more info there. If you don’t have a wedding website, you’ll need to include an RSVP card and pre-stamped envelope for guests to send back. You’ll also need to include a meal card if necessary, attire expectation (even if super casual, let them know!! No one wants to show up in a ball gown when everyone else is in sun dresses!), whether kids are invited or not, hotel block information (even if you don’t have a room block, they will need to know!), transportation accommodations, and information on events surrounding the wedding (pre-wedding welcome event, after wedding brunch etc.). Again, if you have a wedding website, you can list all of this info on the website and have your invite include just the very basics.

Pro-tip: directing guests to a wedding website for more info is a great option if possible. You can update information as plans evolve, include an FAQ page so guests can refer to this instead of having everyone individually reach out to you with questions, and, last but certainly not least, you can have your registry on your website so when guests visit to RSVP they can conveniently purchase a gift.

What should my invitations look like?

Again, the aesthetics of the invitations completely depend on your taste. If possible, it is ideal to have your invitations aesthetic inline with your wedding. Chose colors, shapes, and fonts that are relatively similar to those that will be at your wedding. This will help with a few things. First, this will give guests an idea of what to expect. It can set the tone of formality and give them an idea into color scheme. If you don’t want people to dress in the same colors as your bridal party or vice versa, let them know! Either way, invitations are a great ay to start communicating what those colors will be. Second, photographers love to capture your invitation as a prop on the wedding day. Having this match the overall aesthetic will create for some more cohesive pictures. Again, this is just a suggestion. It is your wedding and there are no rules; do literally whatever you want.

When should I send my invitations?

This will vary depending on a few factors. Some things to consider: when do you need to confirm numbers with the caterer and venue? How many people will be traveling for your wedding? How many people are you inviting (the more people you invite, the more people you will need to track down to confirm RSVP status!!)? For reference, for an average wedding of 150 guests with 33% traveling domestically, you should send the invitations out 2.5 months prior to the wedding, with the RSVP date 1-1.5 months prior to the wedding depending on catering and venue requirements.

When should I have guests RSVP by?

For your own sake, it is best to set the RSVP date at least 1 month prior to your date. Guest count will alter your seat/table count, plate count, party favor count, etc. Never have I ever been a part of a wedding of any size where 100% of the guests RSVP on time on their own without a nudge. Giving yourself some extra time will help alleviate some of the planning that just can’t be done until the final headcount is in. While a month is the minimum, I highly recommend giving yourself at least 1.5 months so you have a full 2 weeks to track people down and get all RSVPs. If you are having a wedding with over 250 guests, give yourself a full 2 months. Even if you are having a wedding of 1,000 don’t give yourself more than 2 months, though. Expectedly, things happen in our guests lives and anything longer than 2 months will allow for too many unforeseeable variables in guests lives and you’ll have to do a lot of adjusting as people’s plans change.

Some great resources to purchase your Save the Dates and/or invitations

There are plenty of boutique vendors that can create incredible custom pieces for you. Everyone will have a different niche aesthetic. If you are looking for something on the less niche and more affordable end check out the following:

www.vistaprint.com

Why I love them- you can really create whatever look you are going for. There are some preset templates you can use if you are ~creatively challenged~ or you can fully customize your own cards if you’re into DIYing the design. Their prints are consistent and good quality. Another huge plus, they are CHEAP.

Pro-tip- Google discount codes before ordering! They are almost ALWAYS running a special. If you can’t find one, create an account BEFORE creating your cards. Save your design and then sit back and wait. Within a week they will email you a discount code.

www.minted.com

Why I love them- Their designs are lovely, their prints are consistent, and they give my clients a discount. Use my code: WEDPLLA for 35% off Save the Dates and 25% off all wedding things.

www.basicinvite.com

Why I love them- My very favorite thing about this site is they offer clear invitations for about $1 each. The next least expensive clear option I have found is $8/each. The price is unbeatable. They offer plenty of other designs or fully customizable blank slate options as well. The prints are consistent and good quality. They allow you to fully customize the invitations and Save the Dates.

Pro-tip- look for discount codes! They aren’t as common as Vistaprint discount codes, but their prices are already lower so it balances out. It is still worth looking for a code though!

Have additional questions? Feel free to reach out via email! theweddingplannerla@gmail.com

As always, happy planning!!

10 Ways to Stay Organized While Wedding Planning

Staying organized is key when it comes to wedding planning! While this may come more naturally for some than others, getting an early start to organization will help everyone equally. If you have found yourself already knee deep in wedding planning with no real organization plan, don’t fret! It is never too late to get on top of organization! Here are 10 great ways to get and stay organized throughout wedding planning!

1. Create a wedding email and check it often.

   Having an email specific to your wedding is helpful for two main reasons. First, this will help keep all of your wedding related emails organized and in one place. Second, once the wedding is over, this will save you from having promotional emails sent from vendors crowding your regular email’s inbox! Having a separate email will only work if you check it often, though!

2. Keep all of your wedding information in one spot.

   There are many ways to go about this. I have come across some amazing hard copy wedding planning journal style books, however, I highly recommend going digital. This allows you to easily edit or add information as your planning evolves. I personally love Google Docs for this. With this platform it is simple to keep your information organized, the documents are easy to send out if you need to share any of the information, you can save all of your contracts into your Google Doc wedding folder, and you can invite your fiancé, bridal party, parents, planner, or whoever else to edit relevant documents (think: to-do lists!!). No matter what platform you choose, it is immensely helpful to keep everything together in one space!

3. Make a planning timeline.

   Map out the days/months/years that you have to plan your wedding and then breakdown your vendor searches and planning process into smaller more manageable timeframes. Take into consideration what will be going on in your personal life during this time, and plan your planning around that! Mapping out your “plan of attack” for wedding planning will help you feel confident you are making progress, help you stay on top of your to-do list, and (hopefully) make the whole wedding planning process more fun!! Click here for more on creating a planning timeline.

4. Create a budget outline.

   I may be a little budget obsessed, but it is for good reason! Budget is important! Not-so-fun fact: I once had a friend blow their budget by $60k. That was 200% their initial budget. So how did that happen? The budget wasn’t being tracked and it wasn’t accurately assessed before vendors started being booked. Avoid this situation by creating a full budget breakdown BEFORE booking any vendors. Do some research to make sure your estimates are accurate and allocate money to the things you value most. This will guide every single aspect of your wedding planning, so it is important to get a head start on this early on! Make sure that you stay within budget (or consciously decide to extend the budget) by carefully tracking every expenditure. If you have multiple people funding the wedding, track who paid what, when and using which method. This will be important not only for tracking your budget, but also for tracking what outstanding balances you still have coming. Click here for more on creating a budget outline.

5. Create a Pinterest board(s).

   Wedding planning in the days of Pinterest has been a joy. There is a world of inspiration out there just waiting for you to tap into it. While scrolling through the millions of inspiration pictures your vision may change and that is okay! As your vision shifts, take away pins that are no longer inspiring to you. If you like something about a picture, make a note of what it is specifically that makes you want to incorporate this into your wedding. Pinterest boards are great to share with your wedding planner, florist, decorator, hair and makeup team, and baker, so keep is up to date and organized! Pro-tip: bare budget in mind when looking through Pinterest. Pinterest doesn’t filter for price, and it can be painful to fall in love with a dress or floral arrangement. That being said, just because something looks super expensive doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be. If you really love something, look into it! Maybe it is more attainable than you initially thought! Visit The Wedding Planner LA Pinterest page for inspiration!

6. Keep a running list of booked vendors.

   Have your basic vendor info all on one page so you can find the necessary info at a glance instead of shuffling through contracts. You can format this however works best for you, but it is super useful to include the following information for each vendor all compiled in one document:

   1. Service being provided

   2. Company name

   3. Contact person name

   4. Contact person email & phone number

   5. Number of hours booked (start and end time as soon as known!)

   6. Remaining balance, payment due date(s), and preferred payment method

   7. If they require a vendor meal & dietary restrictions if applicable (usually this will be your planner/coordination team, photographer, videographer, DJ/Musician, and anyone else onsite for longer than 5 hours).

   8. Instagram handle

7. Make lists.

   Lists are your friend. List out everything. Your big to-do list, smaller to-do list, wedding vendor research information, style inspiration, etc. Lists are great because you can track your progress and remember all of the little details that you have been or intend to work on.

8. Build a wedding website.

   This will save you SO. MUCH. WORK. A wedding website will do a lot of organizing for you. Have your registry on the website to easily track gifts. You can even track who you have already sent thank you cards to! Have guests RSVP on the website to easily track those. Provide useful information and updates about the wedding so you don’t have 50 guests calling to ask the same question. A wedding website is an incredibly useful tool

9. Send thank you cards as you receive gifts.

   Speaking of your registry and thank you cards, stay organized and save yourself a lot of time by writing thank you cards as you receive gifts. It is easier to track this if you have a wedding website, but even if you are going a less techy route, be sure to list the gifts you have received, immediately send a thank you, and track the thank you’s once you have sent them. Pro-tip: Trying to write 100 thank you’s at once is daunting and tiresome. Sending thank you’s as gifts come in will allow you the time to write a thoughtful response.

10. Create a seating chart.

    First, let me say, creating a draft of this is helpful if you find yourself randomly with a few extra hours in a day, but you cannot finalize your seating chart until you get your RSVPs back. Second, this topic deserves its own blog. Check back for that one soon! In the meantime, here are two very vague reasons why a seating chart is useful:

    1. Food service. If you are doing plated dinner, you need people committed to a seat so that they can have the meal they were intended. If you are doing food buffet style you need everyone evenly distributed so when table 1 is called there is a predictable amount of people coming over for the catering staff. If you are doing family style, you need to know exactly how many people will be at each table in order to distribute food properly.

    2. Think back to your days of eating lunch at your high school cafeteria. It’s the first day of school and everyone is figuring out who to sit with. There are large groups of people who all love each other and want to sit together so 20 of them crowd around one lunch bench. There are five kids who are kind of friends with some of those people and they want to hang out with them, but they don’t see room for themselves. They scatter and feel a little hurt they weren’t specifically invited to the big table. There is the kid who doesn’t really know anyone so they sit off by themselves in a corner and don’t socialize with anyone. There is also everyone in between. Get ahead of the drama by assigning seats. It will make everyones life easier in the long run

Select Your Vendors Like a Pro

Selecting vendors can be a daunting task. There are SO many options out there so how can you be sure you are making a good choice? It is challenging selecting vendors that fit in your budget or are worth stretching the budget for! There are a few specific steps I take when sifting through and vetting vendors before sending them to my clients. Follow these steps and you’ll be picking vendors like a pro!

***Before you get going on vendor research, I highly recommend making a full budget!! Making a full, realistic budget will help guide your vendor selection. See my full budget guide here***

Decide on a general vision for each specific vendor-

Before diving into the deep end of vendor research, have an idea of what you are after. A few things to shape this vision: budget, what you hope to get out of your contract with this vendor (i.e. how many hours, how many assistants, etc.), what “style” do you want (i.e. what kind of venue do you want, what style of photography do you like, what kind of food do you want, etc.).

1. Venue- indoor, outdoor, mix of both, beach, woods, mountains, all inclusive, DIY, somewhere in between, how late do you want to be there into the evening, will they be hosting other events in the space that day, will they take care of trash removal, do they provide restrooms, power, or any other basic amenities, do they provide tables, chairs, an arbor, a bar space,etc.? For reference, a wedding with 100 guests at a venue that provides only power and restrooms will cost about $7k in rentals, if you go with the most basic rental options. This should absolutely be factored in to your overall cost when selecting a venue.

2. Wedding Planner- do you want to be involved in wedding planning or do you want to think about it as little as possible? You will spend a lot of time with your wedding planner and your wedding planner needs to be able to see YOUR vision in order to create your special day. Make sure that this is someone you are ready and excited to spend time with!

3. Photographer- do you want light and airy, dark and moody, true to color, posed photos, raw emotions, or a mix, how many hours will you need them, do you need 2 photographers or will one suffice (2 are recommended for larger guest counts and spread out venues), do you want an engagement shoot, how many photos are you hoping to get back? Ask to see a full wedding album instead of just the highlights!

4. Videographer- what do you want included in the video? Montage of key events throughout the day, full vows, speeches, and special dances, or a combo of the above? Be sure to look through several examples so you have a clear idea of what your edit will include.

5. Caterer- what kind of food do you want, how will it be served, will they provide apps as well, do they offer plates, cups, and flatware rentals, how experienced are they with larger events, do they provide bussers?

6. DJ/Musician- will they make announcements for you throughout the event, how many sound systems will they bring (you will need 2-3 for most venues if you are doing ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception in different spaces), will they allow you to provide song requests, do they have experience playing to a crowd, can they provide a microphone for the ceremony and reception, how active are they on the mic? HINT: A sound system is the full set up which will include a set of speakers (1-2 speakers for ceremony cocktail hour, 2+ speakers for dinner/dancing), microphone (confirm this with your DJ! Some charge extra), amp, mixer, music device (usually a laptop), and dance floor lighting (where appropriate).

7. Bar- do you need a full service bar, or would you like to build your own bar and hire just the bartenders? Will your venue allow you to DIY the bar? If you are DIYing the bar, will you ned to rent the physical bar? Are you bartenders licensed?

8. Florist- do you want more “traditional” bouquets and centerpieces or would you like something else? Are you looking for other decor rental? A lot of florists also offer vases, candles, and other decor to add to your order. Be sure to look through their portfolios! If you have a go-to florist you typically use, but are looking for a different style, show them some examples of what you would like and see if it is something they have experience with or feel comfortable doing. A lot of florists will do special designs that are outside of their norm but not show examples of this work on their Instagram or website because it isn’t “on brand.”

9. Dessert- what kind of dessert do you want, how do you want your cake to look, how many tiers do you wants the cake to have, will they deliver or do your desserts need to be picked up?

10. Hair and makeup- up-do, hair down, braiding, something in between, heavy contour makeup, natural look, something in between? Be sure to look through portfolios and ask for a trial run day! Trial runs are very important! Not just to make sure you like the styles they come up with but also to see how long your hair and makeup are holding up throughout the day.

11. Rentals- does the company offer unique pieces that will work with your venue, are the rates competitive with other comparable companies in your area, what will they charge for delivery, do they offer same day delivery and pick up, can they extend delivery and pick up is necessary?

Do your own research-

Recommendations from friends or professionals are a great place to start, but doing your own research to make sure they are a good fit for you is vital. Just because a friend or professional has had a good experience with someone, doesn’t mean they are going to be a great fit for you! Friends of friends may offer discounts, but if these people are not professionals then you may be wasting $400 instead of feeling good about spending $800. Ask to see pictures or videos of these “friendors” in action! If they do this professionally on the side, ask for a website or review site link! I’ve seen plenty of vendors that recommend other vendors that they haven’t worked with for a long time. Business quality can change overtime so it is important to confirm the recommended company is still worth your while!

Diversify your Research sources-

Conduct research from a few different angles. A quick google search might not yield the kind of options that you are looking for. WeddingWire, The Knot, Thumbtack, Facebook wedding groups, and sites like these will give you more diverse vendor options! Depending on the type of vendor you are looking for search on Instagram, too!

Always cross reference reviews-

Reviews can vary from platform to platform so it is important to cross reference and be sure that you are getting the most recent takes on the company. Some insight into review companies: anyone can leave a company reviews on Google so companies may ask their friends to leave reviews to raise their overall rating. WeddingWire is similar, but it is more challenging to leave a review on, so friends are less likely to pad the reviews for vendors. Yelp has an algorithm that is meant to weed out “fake” reviews, but a lot of real reviews are taken down in the process (there are also a lot of theories on their marketing approach that can also affect the reviews that show). Be sure to scroll down on the Yelp pages to the “unrecommended” section to read reviews that aren’t weighted in overall.

Read reviews with a different perspective-

Even if you like the quote a company sends and they have five stars across review platforms, be sure to read the reviews and look for consistencies. For example, if I’m looking for DJ/MCs and I see a lot of five star reviews saying how the MC "is really active on the mic,” I’m not going to send that company to a couple who really just wants music and a few key announcements.

Schedule phone or in-person meetings before booking-

It is important to feel comfortable on your wedding day and your vendors a huge part of your comfort! You will spend so much time with certain vendors on your actual wedding day, and even the ones that you won’t, they will still interact with guests! If you have a vendor that runs a little high strung, they may create unnecessary anxiety on your special day. A great way to accommodate this is to make sure your personalities mesh beforehand!

Read through your contracts very, very closely-

This is a legally binding document that should protect you as well as the vendor. Make sure that there is fine print written in about what will happen in the event of cancelation (on either the couple AND vendors part). Numbers and dates should be firm (I.e. by what date will you get sneak peek pics back, when can you expect the full album back, how many photos can you expect back, etc. These examples are specific to photos, but all contracts should be quantitative and clear. This does not apply when booking a wedding planner if you don’t already have a venue secured). A contract that doesn’t protect you is definitely a red flag!! If you find any of these issues and bring them up to a vendor and they are unwilling to adjust the contract to protect you, that is a major red flag and a good sign that you should continue your search!

Other notable tips:

1. A vendor’s experience doesn’t necessarily chalk up to quality of service! Just because someone hasn’t been working weddings specifically for a long time doesn’t mean they should be immediately counted out. If you like their style, food, etc., they are well informed on the effort that weddings take, and they are ready to do what it takes to do an awesome job on your wedding they are still worth considering. If you unsure about them, ask your wedding planner or coordinator! They may be able to offer valuable insight to make sure you are making the best decisions for your wedding!

2. Break up your search into several days. It is easy to get burnt out on sifting through vendors. Packages start to run together, things that would normally stick out become easy to overlook, and the whole experience may become less enjoyable.

3. Be thorough! Don’t settle! You can find the perfect vendor out there for you!

Be sure to check out my preferred vendors list to kick start your search!

Useful links:

Budget planning tips: https://www.theweddingplannerla.com/blog/wedding-budgeting-the-first-step-to-planning

My preferred vendors: https://www.theweddingplannerla.com/resources

Day of Decor/Photo Op Props Checklist

As you think through your wedding day and are organizing the pieces you have bought or rented, work through this list to make sure you have accounted for everything! This will be particularly helpful as you are in those final stages and packing everything up to be moved to the venue! Remember, every wedding is unique and you may not want to incorporate some of these pieces. If you don’t want some piece, don’t force it just because it is on this list! If you have planned for other pieces, feel free to copy and paste this then add in your own specific bullet points.

Getting Ready Space:

• Food

• Something to serve food on

• Plates

• Napkins

• Drinks

• Something to serve drinks from

• Something to drink drinks from

• Signage

• Invitation/Save the Dates (for pictures)

• Speakers to play music from

• Phone or other device to play music from (pro tip: if you are getting ready in a place that won’t have wifi or cell reception download your playlist ahead of time!)

• Special hanger for dress

• Something to wear while getting ready

Ceremony:

• Altar flowers

• Altar Floor decor

• Aisle decor

• Ceremony programs

• Table for special ceremonies (i.e. sand ceremony, glass ceremony, wine ceremony, etc.)

• Decor for special ceremony table

• Signs (welcome, unplugged ceremony signs, etc.)

• Easel for signs

Cocktail Hour:

Gift table

• Linen

• Sign for gift table

• Card box

• Guest book

• Pen(s) for guest book

• Something to hold pens

• Decor for gift table

• Flowers for gift table

Appetizer table

• Linen

• Signs/labels for apps

• Serving utensils for apps

• Plates

• Forks

• Napkins

Self service drink station table

• Linen

• Drink dispenser

• Labels for beverages

• Cups

Bar

• Bar menu

• Flowers

Reception Area:

Seating chart

• Easel for seating chart

• Flowers to dress up easel

Place card table

• Linen

• Place cards

• Sign for place cards

• Flowers

• Other decor

Cake/dessert table

• Linen

• Display for cake

• Cake topper

• Serving set of cake knife and server

• Plates for cake

• Forks for cake

• Napkins

• Cake stand(s)

• Other display items for other desserts

• Other decor

• Flowers

Sweetheart table

• Linen

• Special plates

• Special cups

• Flatware

• Napkins

• Flowers for the top of table

• Other decor for top of table

• Flowers for front of table

• Other decor for front of table

Guest tables

• Linen

• Flowers

• Candles

• Table number

• Table number stands

• Other decor/personal touches

• Plates

• Flatware

• Drinkware

• Napkins

What Information to Share With a Wedding Coordinator

A wedding coordinator is immensely valuable. You are essentially investing in your peace of mind on the day of your wedding. With adequate prep, a great coordinator will walk into your wedding day ready to take care of the details and make sure that all of your hard work is brought together just the way you wanted it. In order to do this, though, there has to be ample communication between you and the coordinator leading up to the day of your wedding. Prior to your wedding good coordinator is going to work with you in the weeks leading up to your special day to thoroughly discuss your plans, vendor contracts, and vision to help you catch any missing details, find solutions to potential issues, and make informed suggestions on how to create the best flow possible for your wedding day. A coordinator will do their absolute best work when all necessary information is communicated!

What to share with your coordinator:

1. ALL vendor information- If you have booked a vendor because you are getting married, your wedding coordinator needs their information! Send each vendor’s company name, service they are providing, contact person’s name, email address, phone number, and contracted start and end times. Sharing this information will take a ton of pressure off you immediately. Instead of turning to you to fill in arrival time, start time, and strike time of all vendors, the coordinator can begin communicating directly with the vendors. Once the coordinator reaches out, those vendors begin to ask them logistical questions instead of you! As a coordinator, I prefer to have every vendor’s contract. Your coordinator may not necessarily need each one, but it is always best to have them on hand in case anything comes up before or during your wedding so that they can easily find information without having to bother you for basic information.

2. Order lists from vendors- If you have rentals, florals, food, or anything else being dropped off by vendors make sure the coordinator has a list of what needs to be accounted for. Every now and then pieces will be missing from orders. The coordinator can ensure those items are either brought by the rental company later, make sure you are reimbursed for the missing items (depending on time), and/or find replacement items from another company on the spot! *If you aren’t able to share this information, by sharing the contact info, the coordinator can collect the order lists from the vendors on their own!

3. Venue rules and regulations- typically the venue will share this information, but if you already have this information (you should receive it at the time of booking) share it with the coordinator! They may catch some logistical issues, such as trash removal, time restrictions, or other potential issues that can be avoided if thought through ahead of time. When wedding planning there is a ton of information coming at you from a lot of different vendors so it is easy to overlook some of these details. Your coordinator is there to advocate and problem solve with you, but they need all the tools to be able to do this to the best of their ability!

4. Getting ready information- Even if your coordinator won’t be onsite while you are getting ready, sharing this information is important. The photographer, videographer, hair and makeup teams, or even members of your bridal party may need this information. Instead of sharing with everyone individually, sharing with your coordinator streamlines this information into the timeline which will go out to everyone at once. Your coordinator may also catch some logistical issues with transportation, access to water or food, or other details that may have slipped through the cracks!

5. Any rough draft timeline you may have- I typically try to connect with my clients within a few weeks of booking to create a rough draft timeline, even if their wedding is months away. This helps with logistics when booking other vendors. If you already have a rough draft, share it with your coordinator! Most coordinators will help create your timeline, but if you already have one this is a great baseline for the coordinator to build off of. There are, of course, a lot of logistics to think through when mapping out a timeline, but this is YOUR wedding so the order that you want events is the most important thing for coordinators to consider. 

6. Floor plan- if you already have a floor plan, share it with your coordinator! This is the person that will be onsite to make sure everything is coming together while you are focused on getting ready and getting MARRIED!! In order to create the wedding you have worked so hard to put together, your coordinator needs the floor plan! Sometimes the venue will send this over, some coordinators will even help finalize this, but no matter how it is finalized they need a copy!!

7. Decor list & set-up plan- As intuitive as coordinators can be, they aren’t mind readers! You have worked so hard to create your overall aesthetic, so make sure that your efforts are put into practice. Let your coordinator know exactly what pieces of decor you have, where they belong, and how you’d like them arranged. Even if you have hired a decorator, communicate these pieces to your coordinator so you have an extra set of eyes on the project to make sure everything is being done the way you want! If you have a lot of decorations that you don’t have a predetermined vision for, let your coordinator know! They usually have a great eye for design and would be happy to bring this together- but they will need to know this is the case!

8. The name’s of everyone in your bridal party- The bridesmaids and groomsmen are not only likely participating in some key moments for your day, they are also your best friends and therefore a great ally to both you and your coordination team!

9. Ceremony plan & details - Your coordinator will need to know the names and order of everyone walking in the ceremony. They will also need to know who will be sitting, who will be standing, where those sitting will sit, the order in which those standing will stand, the music you plan to use for your ceremony, and which groups will be walking to which songs. They will also need to know about any special ceremonies you plan to have during your wedding ceremony.

10. Any and everything you know about your wedding! The coordinator needs all of the information in your brain to be in their brain! It sounds like a lot of information to share, BUT once they have this knowledge you can take a huge sigh of relief. Your coordinator can take it from there. They may need to ask you a few opinion questions on details after that point, but everything else logistics wise can be taken care of between the vendors!

You gave yourself a gift by hiring a coordinator! You don’t need to worry about anything once you let your coordinator take the reigns! All you need to do is give them all the information in order to maximize the services you have hired them to perform. So share, share, share, then sit back, relax and GET MARRIED!!

Wedding Planning Timeline Outline

Wedding planning is different for everyone and everyone operates on their own timeline. Some people are more comfortable having two years or longer to plan while others only take a few months to plan! This list is a general outline of a suggested timeframe to get the larger tasks done. Of course, you may not want all of these vendors or perhaps you want additional vendors. If you are unsure of how to work those vendors into this overview feel free to reach out! I’m always happy to guide people through the planning process!

I always start with my Full and Partial Planning clients by creating a customized planning outline for them. It is important for me to make sure that the outline both manageable but also realistic. We typically start broad, and then fill in the finer details to make sure everything is done, done well, and done in a timely manor so everyone is happy and no one is overwhelmed!

18-12 months before the wedding

• Have engagement party (typically hosted by family or close friends)

• Decide on a budget and determine what aspects of the wedding you value the most

  Pro-tip: everyone has different things they care about most for their wedding! Decide what you are most looking forward to and what you’d like to allocate a bigger portion of your budget to!

• Decide whether or not you want to purchase event insurance for both the day of (some venues will require this anyway) and also in the event you need to cancel or reschedule for any reason (illness, weather, etc.)

• Decide whether or not you want a wedding planner.

  Pro-tip: If you decide against one initially, but ultimately decide to go with one later on, plenty of planners offer partial planning options! If you are planning a destination wedding outside of your home country, a planner is critical!

• Decide on the time of year you’d like the wedding to take place

• Narrow the date down to a few options

  Pro-tip: unless you are 100% married to a date in your mind, find a few dates, or a range of dates, that you are open to! This will help if you decide on a high-demand venue with a tendency to book out far in advance!

• Create a rough outline of the guest list to help guide your venue search

  Pro-tip: Have at least a ballpark figure of how many guests you will host before you decide on a venue! Many venue’s can only accommodate a set number of guests, so it is important to find one that can hold all of your guests!

• Book a venue (both ceremony & reception spaces if you choose to have the ceremony at a separate location)

• Create day-of timeline draft

  Pro-tip: you can (and will!) make changes to this timeline as you work your way through planning, but having a general idea of the timing of key events on your wedding day will help as you book vendors!

12-8 months before the wedding

• Book caterer (if not included with the venue)

• Book photographer

  Pro-tip: it is best to do this before creating save the dates if you want to use pictures from the engagement pictures for your save the dates!

• Have engagement shoot with photographer

• Figure out what items are not provided by the venue or caterer and source them through a rental company

• Create wedding website for guests to find relevant information, registry, and RSVP.

• If the majority of your guests are traveling from out of town, create save the dates & send them!

• Begin looking for attire (i.e. wedding dress & tux/suit)

  Pro-tip: on average, wedding dresses are purchased 8 months prior to the wedding, but as long as it is purchased with enough time to have it altered (2-3 months prior) you will be okay.

• Ask friends/family to be in your bridal party

8-6 months before the wedding

• Book bartender if not included with the venue or caterer

• Book a florist and discuss what arrangements will work best with your budget and desired aesthetic

• Book videographer

• Book DJ or band for the reception and ceremony.

  Pro-tip: Remember, many ceremony locations will need an outside sound systems brought in. Make sure that if this is the case with your venue your DJ or musician can make this accommodation

• If most of your guests are local send your save the dates

• Create a room block for out of town guests

• Reserve transportation from hotel to venue and from venue to hotel for bridal party and other guests

• Find a seamstress to alter your dress (you won’t be able to alter this far out, but it is important to reserve your space, as many people will book up)

• Book day-of-coordinator if you have chosen not to have a full planner or if your planner does not include day of services

• Begin working on playlists & song choices for special moments/dances

6-4 months before the wedding

• Begin planning your honeymoon

• Pick out attire for bridesmaids & groomsmen

• Find hair and makeup artist(s) and have a trial run

  Pro-tip: trials aren’t meant to be perfect! They are learning experience for you and your makeup professional. Your professional is learning your skin tone, facial structure, and general preferences. You are learning how your preferred style translates to your face, how well your hair and makeup will hold up throughout the day, and, of course, figuring out if your hair and makeup team is able to hear your feedback and make adjustments accordingly. Now, if by the end of the trial the professional hasn’t earned your trust, of course, consider finding someone who can achieve your hair and makeup goals. It is much better to have this revelation during a trial than on your actual wedding day!

• Hire an officiant

• Order the wedding cake and/or other desserts

• Begin planning gifts for bridal party

• Make reservations at a hotel for bridal party, bride/groom, and family for the wedding night

• Select & order wedding rings

4-2 months before the wedding

• Pick out shoes to wear with your wedding dress

• Take dress to seamstress

• Begin writing wedding vows

• Begin planning bachelor/bachelorette parties

• Begin purchasing decor/personal touches OR decide on decor rental company

• Schedule rehearsal time with venue and reserve a location for rehearsal dinner

  Pro-tip: most venues will allow you to schedule this 45-90 days prior to your scheduled wedding day.

• Apply for marriage license

  Pro-tip: In California 9and many other states), you can apply for your marriage license up to 90 days in advance. Appointments can be difficult to come by! Be sure to schedule an appointment early!

• Design, order, & send invitations

  Pro-tip: If most of your guests are coming from out of town, send the invitations 3.5 months in advance. If most guests are local send invitations 2.5 months before the wedding. Either way, the RSVP date should be no less than 1.5 months prior to your wedding date.

  Pro-tip: RSVP dates should be no less than 1.5 months prior to the wedding, but ideally no more than 2.5 months in advance. 1.5 months allows you time to follow up with guests who haven’t RSVPd prior to any final head count dates w/ the venue, caterer, etc. Any date much more than 2.5 months in advance allows guests a lot of opportunity for things to come up that will change their RSVP response and you’ll find yourself needing to reconfirm numbers with vendors and reworking seating charts!

2-1 month before the wedding

• Bridal shower (typically family or bridal party will plan this)

• Bachelor/Bachelorette parties (if most of your bridal party will be traveling for the wedding, consider having these earlier so that you aren’t asking your friends to travel too much too close together)

• Make sure all bridal party have purchased or reserved their attire for the wedding

• If any bridal party needs alterations, these should be dropped off

• Plan party favors for guests and order the items you need

• RSVPs due- check in with guests who have not responded to invitations yet

• Have final venue walk through

• Create floor plan(s)

• Creating seating chart

• Decide on ceremony details:

  • Processional song(s)

  • Who will walk in your ceremony

  • What order they are walking in

  • Who will stand for your ceremony & the order they are standing in

  • Who will sit after walking in processional & where they will sit

  • If you want any special ceremonies, readings, songs, etc.

  • Recessional song

  • Who will participate in the recessional

  • Where you will go after you recess

  • Where your bridal party and/or family will go after you recess

  • Who your witnesses will be

  • Who will carry rings and vows for ceremony

1 month before the wedding

• Send all song requests to DJ

• Check in with vendors to confirm services, obtain insurance policies (if required by venue), and track any outstanding balances remaining

• Revise timeline & make sure it is up to date with your wants/needs & vendor contracted times

• Send timeline to vendors

• Collect vendor insurance information & share with venue

• Have final dress fitting (this way there is still time if any other alterations need to be made)

• Finalize and confirm all details of honeymoon

• Decide what order you will have bridal party walk for the ceremony and grand entrance

• Finalize floor plan with venue

• Check in with caterer to confirm headcount and finalize the details of the menu

• Pick up dress from alterations if it had to be left behind for further alterations

• Make sure all bridal party has picked up dresses/suits from alterations

• Pick out outfit for rehearsal dinner

3 weeks before the wedding

• Map out all decor and organize it into clearly marked boxes to ensure everything is set up properly on the day of your wedding

• Begin writing thank you notes for any gifts that have already been purchased from your registry

• Finalize wedding vows

• Finalize all song selections (i.e. first dance, parent dances, cake cutting, grand entrance, etc.)

2 weeks before the wedding

• Have final meeting with DJ to go over details

• Have final meeting with photo & video teams to go over details

• Finalize seating chart and transfer it to display form

  Pro-tip: this may seem a little last minute, but THINGS HAPPEN! Last minute guest cancellations and last minute guest confirmations come up so it is best to save this for as late as possible without letting it fall by the wayside!

1 week before the wedding

• Get hair done (color and cut)

• Create day-of checklist to make sure that no personal items or decor is left behind

• Get nails done

• If spray tanning, get spray tan (ideally 36-48 hrs prior to wedding)

• Prepare all bridal party gifts

1 day before the wedding

• Pack for wedding day/night

• Pack for honeymoon

• Have ceremony rehearsal

• Have rehearsal dinner

• Give bridal party gifts out at rehearsal dinner

• Go home. Sleep well

The wedding day

• Read through the timeline in the morning

• Be sure to eat!

• Get ready

• Get MARRIED!

• Have fun :)

How to Create Your Own Wedding Timeline

Hello and happy planning! Let’s talk about the wedding day holy-grail, the beacon in the night, the vendor’s bible - of course, we are talking about nothing other than THE WEDDING DAY TIMELINE! Having a clearly laid out, realistic, and accurate timeline is key to ensuring your day flows as planned.

Note: The following timeline sample timeline is only intended to exemplify a potential flow of a wedding day. When we create timelines, they are formatted in a much more comprehensive format that allows for more details and easier access to information. We create custom timelines for all of our couples! If you are one of ours, we got you :)

General Organization & Getting Started

I typically divide my timeline’s into a few sections:

1. A section at the very top outlining key locations and information

2. Vendor arrival time (w/ contact info & contracted service start time)

3. Getting ready

4. Pre-ceremony (guest arrival) & Ceremony

5. Cocktail hour

6. Reception

After I have the general sections of my timeline carved out, it is time to begin filling in details.

First thing is first, I always say that almost everything in the timeline is as flexible or inflexible as you’d like them to be (with a solid team of vendors and a punctual group of guests, of course), but there are three things in the day that aren’t particularly flexible: the time dinner is ready, a firm “out” time from your venue, and the sunset. Of course, with enough notice, the kitchen can slow dinner to a point and some venues may be willing to add on extra time at the end of the night, though it’s more common for venue contracts to include firm “out” times with hefty fines should the contracted end time be surpassed. The sunset, however, waits for no one.

With that in mind, I begin my timelines by Googling the sunset for the date and location in question. That goes into my timeline first. From there, I add in my “vendor access” time and “vendor out” time. If the venue has specified actual event start and end times, then I will fill those in next.

Key Information Section

At the top of the timeline it is important to include the most basic, most pivotal information for you, your family, and your vendors!

Make sure the following information is prominently displayed:

Getting ready locations (for both you and your fiance) including hotel name & address

Reception & Ceremony locations (list separately if not the same venue!!). Make sure to list venue names & addresses!

Coordination team contact information & venue liaison contact information is also super important to place right at the top of the timeline document for easy access to vendors should they have any issues finding the venue, parking, or locating the load-in area!

Bonus: Whenever I create a timeline I always include a “snapshot” of the huge details at the very top of the timeline. This will include:

1. Guest arrival time

2. Ceremony start time

3. Cocktail hour start time

4. Dinner served time

5. Reception end time

6. Vendor out time

This is beneficial for you to keep in mind these key times, and also makes the times easier to reference for vendors.

After the “Key Information” is clearly laid out at the top of your timeline document, you can begin filling in the rest.

Vendor Arrival Section

The first section I include in my timeline is entirely dedicated to vendor arrival times. Although most of this happens simultaneously to the getting ready activities, but I like to clearly list it in its own section so vendors don’t get confused by all of the details that specifically pertain to your getting ready process and vice versa.

Vendor arrival times can typically be found on contracts OR simply ask your vendors what time they plan to arrive based on their service start time! Mine might looks something like this:

Vendor Arrival Timeline Example

11am Vendor access to venue begins

11am Coordinator arrives at venue

11am Hair & makeup arrives to begin setting up

11am Rental company arrives to drop off & set up rentals

12pm Florist arrives to begin setting up

1pm Photographer arrives to take getting ready pictures

2pm Caterer arrives to begin setting up

2pm DJ arrives to begin setting up

2:30pm Bartender arrives to begin setting up

2:30pm Shuttle arrives at hotel to pick up groom & groomsmen

4pm Officiant arrives for sound check w/ DJ

Getting Ready Section

From there, I typically skip to the end of the “Getting Ready” section and work backwards. For example, if guests are arriving at 4pm, I would skip ahead to the end of “Getting Ready” and fill in whatever you will be doing at the time and then work backwards through the day until I figure out what time the hair and makeup team should arrive. When I’m done, it might look something like this:

Getting Ready Timeline Example

11am Bridesmaids arrive at venue to get settled in bridal suite

11am Hair & makeup team arrives to set up

11:15am Bridesmaids hair and makeup started

11:30am Bride eats early lunch

12pm Bride hair and makeup started

2pm Bride finishing touches on hair and makeup

2:30pm Bride dress goes on

2:45pm Bridesmaids photos

2:45pm Groom & groomsmen in shuttle on the way to venue

3:15pm Groom & groomsmen arrive at venue

3:30pm First look w/ bride & groom

3:50pm Bride hidden away in bridal suite w/ bridesmaids for guest arrival at 4pm

3:50pm Groomsmen photos

Pre-Ceremony & Ceremony

From there we move to the “Pre-ceremony/Ceremony” section. This is fairly simple. Start with whatever time you put on your invites (I recommend listing the invite time as 30 minutes prior to your ceremony start time). Make sure to confirm with your officiant the estimated ceremony length. They will have practiced several times and should have a fairly accurate estimate. My timeline might look something like this:

Ceremony Timeline Example

4pm Guests begin arriving / Pre-ceremony music playing / water station open

4:25pm Guests asked to take their seats for ceremony

4:25pm Bridal party lined up for processional

4:30pm Processional Begins

5pm Ceremony Concludes

5pm Couple recesses to bridal suite to take 15 minutes to process ceremony

Cocktail Hour Section

From there, we move to cocktail hour. Be sure to confirm with your catering and bar team their start times and service plans. The cocktail hour section is typically straight forward as well. Mine might look something like this:

Cocktail Hour Timeline Example

5pm Cocktail hour begins

5pm Bar opens

5pm Appetizers served

5pm Lawn games open to guests

5:15pm Officiant, witnesses, & photographer join couple to sign marriage license

5:30pm Family photos

5:50pm Group photos of bridal party

5:55pm Guests asked to take their seats in reception area

Reception Section

That brings us to the reception portion of your timeline. These can very greatly, so before we get to my example, I’ll give you some insight into why I make some of the suggestions I do to so many of my couples:

Pro-tip #1: When guests are initially asked to take their seats for the reception, they have a tendency to make a mass bee-line for the bar instead. Have the announcement made 5 minutes early and plan the next activity 10 minutes after the “official” start of the reception.

Pro-tip #2: If you are planning on doing a grand entrance and involving your bridal party in it, make a clear plan of where they will stand/sit after the entrance. This is especially important if you are going straight into your first dance after. Typically the bridal party will stand around the dance floor out of the way of photos and other guests’ view to watch the first dance and avoid distraction by all attempting to find their seats in the midst of an important moment.

Pro-tip #3: Whether you are eating a plated dinner or going through a buffet, make sure to be the first to eat (most catering, coordination, and venue teams will make sure this happens anyway!). This way you have a chance to eat before you jump into the next round of activities.

Pro-tip #4: If you plan to do table photos, expect to spend about 3-7 minutes at each table. It doesn’t sound like a ton of time, but if you multiply the ladder by 15 tables you’ve suddenly spent almost 2 hours of your night taking table photos!

Pro-tip #5: We typically average toasts out to ~5 minutes each, but take that with a MASSIVE grain of salt. You know your friends! If they are long winded, give them a maximum amount of speaking time and schedule extra time anyway! If your loved ones tend to be on the shy side, plan on 5 minutes anyway! It is better to have extra time baked in than find yourself behind schedule!

Pro-tip #6: Sunset WILL NOT wait. Golden hour starts about an hour before true sunset and lasts about 5-10 minutes after depending on the weather and your location. Take your venue into consideration, though! If you are planning a wedding in the mountains, the sun has a tendency to slip behind them way before true sunset and you’ll need to start your photos earlier!

Pro-tip #7: Cake cutting is fun and people want to see it. If anyone is planning on leaving early though, they will usually wait for dessert. For that reason, you don’t want to schedule it too early, but you also don’t want to schedule it so late that anyone becomes uncomfortable while trying to be polite.

Pro-tip #8: Cake cutting can pull people’s attention from the dance floor. Bring energy back to the dance floor by immediately following it with the bouquet & garter toss, or if you’re skipping those activities, planning a fun upbeat song to follow the cake cutting and running back out to the dance floor yourself!

Reception Timeline Example

6:10pm Grand entrance

6:15pm First dance

6:20pm Bride and groom served plated dinner from caterer before buffet opens

6:30pm Buffet open, DJ releases tables

6:45pm Bride and groom take pictures with each of the tables

7:15pm Toasts (4 toasts)

7:35pm Father/bride dance

7:40pm Groom/mom dance

7:45pm Open dance floor

7:45pm Couple leaves for sunset photos

8:17pm SUNSET

8:30pm Couple returns from sunset photos

8:45pm Cake cutting

8:50pm Bouquet toss

8:55pm Garter toss

9pm Dessert bar open

9pm Open dancing until the end of the night

10pm Music off

10pm Rentals return to collect items

11pm Vendors out

If you have any questions or need guidance on creating your own timeline, feel free to reach out! I’d love to help you! Happy planning!