Preparing for your wedding day

Congratulations and best wishes on your upcoming wedding. You are probably busy with preparation for the most important day of the rest of your life. You want it to be a one-of-a-kind, memorable occasion for you and your guests. The following are suggested items you should have on your to-do or done list. Obviously you should adjust and personalize it and add some touches of your own.

Before the wedding day

Engagement

Send out engagement announcements.

Commemorate the occasion with engagement gifts to each other and maybe even with an engagement portrait.

Have you chosen your Wedding rings? Do leave yourself plenty of time to choose the rings, and shop. Where you purchase, may make a huge difference in price for the exact, same ring.

Wedding Invitations

Once you have set your wedding date, this is also the time to choose and order your invitations and enclosures, envelope seals, thank you notes, all wedding stationery and postage.
Before you choose your wedding stationery you must decide if yours will be a theme wedding. If so, order wedding stationery that will complement your theme.

You may choose to order

  • pre-printed invitations and wedding stationery from one of the invitation publishers, (Very expensive).
  • Order invitations to be printed by a local printer, (More reasonable).
  • Print your own invitations on your home or office printer, (Most economical).

Check the post office for the love, wedding, flowers or other pretty stamps

Don't forget to make reservations for your Rehearsal luncheons or dinners and the hotel accommodations for your out of town guest and for your wedding night.

The Added Touch

Surprise your out of town guests with memorable welcome gifts awaiting them at the hotel.

Attend to the attire and bridal accessories

Make sure that the bride's wedding gown and accessories, the groom's attire and accessories and the attire and accessories for the mothers, fathers and wedding attendants are ordered and will be ready on time. At this time you may decide if your gifts to your wedding attendants' will include jewelry to match and complement their wedding attire.

Attend to the ceremony needs

Purchase your wedding accessories collection. There are many choices of coordinating wedding accessories collections, also called ensembles or sets. The choice is huge and very varied allowing you to select yours by theme, color, heritage etc... Some collection even offer personalized accessories to commemorate the day. The basic collection usually includes flutes, cake serving set, Guest book, pen and garter. A more comprehensive collection will include a unity candle set and a bridal purse. Coordinating photo albums, cake tops and unity candle holders are usually sold separately.

Whether you prefer to purchase online, in a brick and mortar store or have no preference, the Internet avails you of the largest resource of what is available, where, and price range.

Attend to the ceremony needs

  • Secure the marriage ceremony site, (Chapel) and officiant(s) and discuss your needs and theirs.
  • Obtain your Marriage license.
  • Order the flowers (fresh, satin or silk) for the bride, the groom, the wedding party and the flower and ring children.
  • and do not forget a Lucky Sixpence for the bride's shoe.

Having purchased your wedding stationery and bridal accessories, (If you are Jewish, don't forget to order a Mazal-Tov Glass bag for the glass breaking ceremony), you need to assign your attendants, kids and adults, the task you expect each to fulfill as follows:

  • Wedding programs should be handed each guest upon arrival by a person you assign for the task.
  • Guest sign-in book and pen should be placed in a prominent place and have a special person you appointed direct your guests to sign your book upon arrival at your wedding site.
  • Flower girl basket should contain either small flowers or rose petals. Have your flower girl spread petals for the bride to walk on when coming down the aisle.
  • Ring Bearer Pillow is a cushion for the wedding ring to rest on during the ceremony only to be placed on the bride and groom's fingers at the appropriate moment. If you have children place their wedding jewelry on the pillow too. Honor someone dear and special with being your rings bearer.
  • Have you prepared to deliver special wedding vows to each other? family vows? vows to your children if you have any?
  • Unity candles are a set containing a pillar candle and 2 tapers. Traditionally the tapers are lighted by the mothers of the bride and groom but if your children are old enough have them light the tapers. As soon as the bride and groom become husband and wife, each takes a taper, and together they light the unite pillar candle.
  • Double check to be sure that the ceremony site's flowers will be placed in plenty of time before the ceremony begins.
  • Make absolutely certain that each person in your wedding party knows, and is willing and able to fulfil the task assigned them.

Transportation

Arrange for transportation to the wedding ceremony, from the ceremony to the reception and for after the reception.

Attend to the reception needs

Most of your preparations are associated with the reception. To have the wedding reception of your dreams, you'll need to engage various wedding vendors, professionals and service providers.

You need to secure the reception site, caterers, Wedding cake, florists, decorators, musicians, photographers, and videographers. If you have friends and family members who can fulfill any of these tasks, you may wish to ask them first.

Unless you use fresh flowers, order or create your centerpiece for the reception way ahead so you'll not worry about them just before the wedding.

Choose memento gifts for the bridal party. Jewelry and Personalized gifts become treasured keepsakes.

Prepare your favors and assign someone to place the place cards, favors and centerpieces on the tables prior to the reception.

Think about how to add your own personal touches you wish to add.

Do not forget to prepare a speech to honor your new husband / wife.

After the Reception Needs

You'll need to secure the following early enough so as not to have to worry on your wedding day:

  • Lingerie, cologne, additional personal honeymoon preferences
  • Hotel reservations
  • Honeymoon package
  • Lots of enthusiasm

I hope that this information will assist you and make your planning easier. Don't get panicky. Enjoy the preparation for your wedding. And keep mementos. When you have treasured keepsakes, you will look back to this day and you will smile and enjoy the memories.

Have a one-of-a-kind wedding day to remember and a happy and rewarding life together.