Posted on: July 29, 2018 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Planning your wedding?  This can and should be one of the happiest times of your life!  You’ve found someone to share your life, dreams and future with!  As many couples can attest to however, this can also be an incredibly stressful time in your life.  There’s so much to do (in addition to the already full life that you lead before) and lots of pressure since your wedding is a supremely important event.  As simple as it may seem, keeping a to-do or checklist is key to maintaining your sanity during the monumental task of planning your wedding.

Studies show that people who maintain a list of tasks to complete stay more organized and focused than those who don’t.  There is also a sense of accomplishment that goes along with the visible proof that you are making progress when you check an item off of your list.  This visual overview of what is needed and how much you’ve already completed will help you to feel motivated to continue when it would be easy to become overwhelmed.

Each couple’s checklist will be unique in some regards, but there are some starting points that are common to every wedding that will help you to get started.

#1.  Set a budget.  Know how much you can spend and allocate amounts to the various items needed.

#2.  Set a date that allows you plenty of time to get the venue you want.

#3.  Book your venue.

#4.  Select and approach the people you want in your wedding party.

#5.  Buy your dress and decide on clothing for yourselves and your wedding party and set up fittings.

#6.  Book your officiant.

#7.  Complete your guest list.

#8.  Order and mail save the dates.

#9.  Book a caterer and determine your menu.

#10.  Order and mail invitations.  Have the organizational tools you’ll need to keep track of R.S.V.P.’s.

#11.  Purchase both of your wedding bands.

#12.  Book your photographer.

#13.  Purchase your wedding party’s gifts.

#14.  Order flowers.

#15.  Order your cake (unless your caterer is providing that cake too).

#16.  Reserve blocks of hotel rooms and get transportation for your wedding day.

#17.  Register for gifts.

#18.  Decide on the entertainment for your reception.

#19.  Plan the rehearsal dinner events and menu.

#20.  Plan your honeymoon.

This is just a starting point, and there are many free tools available out there for you to build your own comprehensive wedding checklist.  If you use a wedding planner, they’ll likely have checklists for you to start with as well.  It is also a great idea to organize your list in a way that reflects desired timing and deadlines.  While engagements typically begin with the presentation of a 1 carat engagement ring or other engagement ring as the star of the proposal, you would be surprised at how many couples wait till it’s nearly too late to order wedding bands for example.  With all that needs to be done and all the demands on your time during the planning of your wedding, creating a checklist and assigning desired completion dates for these items at the very beginning of your planning will help reduce the stress levels and ensure the items that are important to you are completed in plenty of time.

There is also merit in assigning importance values to your checklist items.  Being realistic about what items are indispensable and what items can ultimately be considered optional will play a big role in the successful completion of your tasks.

Start your wedding planning off right with a checklist of your own!

Checklist from Ecodiamond.

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