The Wedding Planning Checklist

To keep your head above water when the two of you finally decide to announce to the world your intentions of getting married and then actually set a date, you both need a wedding planning checklist.

Having a list to consult makes planning this, one of the most significant days of your lives, a lot less stressful and if consistently used, will allow enjoyment (instead of dread!) of the event a much more feasible goal.

Share the Fun

Although in the past, wedding planning checklist responsibilities fell primarily in the lap of the bride, today the trend is such that grooms are accepting their fair share of those needs-to-be-taken-care-of duties. It’s only right when one considers that women now work as hard in full-time jobs as men and sometimes even have children to care for, as well.

A wedding planning checklist should remain flexible. With this in mind, below we’ve created a partial one to get the two of you started. As your wedding day approaches – and don’t wait ‘til two weeks beforehand! – feel free to add to the list as appropriate.

Wedding Party Attire

Divide attire on the wedding planning checklist into the bride’s and the groom’s. For the bride, this includes the wedding gown, shoes, tiara, veil, jewelry, and hair and makeup. Although she’s not expected to pay for them, the bride also should be responsible for ensuring the flower girl’s dresses, her bridesmaids’ dresses, and the mother of the bride’s dress complement her own.

Even though the father of the bride is male, what he wears to walk his daughter down the aisle and give her away falls in her realm of responsibility.

The groom’s attire on the wedding planning checklist includes his tuxedo, shoes, any jewelry he wishes to wear, and as with the bride, he’s not financially accountable but needs to make sure the ring bearer, best man, and any groomsmen wear appropriate formal clothing and shoes.

Don’t Forget the Gifts

Remember to include gifts on your wedding planning checklist. Since all the “supporting players” of your wedding party have taken time and offered their presence and help in making your wedding a success, it’s always appropriate to give each of them gifts. For the bride, she needs to buy or make gifts for her bridesmaids, the flower girl, and a special gift for her maid or matron of honor. Some brides with large budgets gift their siblings, parents, and grandparents, as well.

The groom should show his gratitude with tokens of appreciation to his best man, groomsmen, and the ring bearer. The minister or officiant should always be given a monetary gratuity, as well. The payment and tips for all the service providers – caterer, florist, musicians, bartenders, etc. – should be divided equally between both the bride and the groom.

Remember It’s Only a Start

As we said, this wedding planner checklist is only a partial catalogued inventory of what all you will eventually need to anticipate doing. It’s meant to be a starting point for a much fuller checklist you and your future mate create on your own. Give yourselves a good six months head start from the beginning of your checklist to the actual day of your wedding.

This way, both of you won’t be caught off guard with no “wiggle” room left for emergencies. And if there’s any way possible, relax – and enjoy your beautiful wedding!

See Also:

Printable Wedding Planners