Wedding Planning Schedule

Wedding planning can seem like a huge task, but not when you do it in small, manageable pieces. Unfortunately, waiting until the last minute to complete tasks is a mistake too many brides make. (Want to know the others? Click here)

The first thing a bride should do is get organized! Block out time for planning and prioritize what you will do when. For a copy of Metro Detroit’s ultimate wedding planner, click here.

Depending upon how long of an engagement you will have, the following schedule can keep you organized.

Shortly After the Big Announcement

1. As you begin to have ideas about the wedding, sit down with both families to formulate a budget. Remember, parents who planned their wedding twenty or thirty years ago can be surprised by today’s costs. Expect to be flexible.
2. Decide on a date that works for both families and your work schedules. Be aware of family birthdays, anniversaries or annual events that may cause a conflict.

12 to 18 Months Prior to the Wedding

1. Begin visiting venues! Peak dates go quickly, so if you have your heart set on a Saturday in June, lock in your venue early.
2. If you are using a wedding planner, begin interviewing now. They can help you with the decisions to follow.
3. Visit bridal shows, the Internet, and look in current magazines or directories for ideas for your wedding day.

9 to 18 Months Prior

1. Hire the photographer, caterer, videographer, officiant, and DJ. Prime dates book quickly, as do good vendors. The earlier you book, the better chance you’ll secure your first choice vendors.
2. Begin looking at wedding dresses. If you are considering a custom designed dress, you’ll want to leave plenty of time for it to be prepared.
3. Schedule your engagement session with your photographer.

6 to 9 Months Prior

1. Bridal party dresses should be ordered, save-the-dates mailed, overnight accommodations reserved for wedding guests.
2. Order your wedding cake, flowers and transportation for the wedding and reception.

4 to 6 Months Prior

1. Reserve rehearsal dinner location, establish bridal registries, rent tuxedos, order wedding invitations, reserve necessary rental equipment.

2 to 4 Months Prior

1. Book your honeymoon and secure arrangements for wedding night accommodations.
2. Schedule appointments for hair, makeup, facials, massages and spa treatments
3. Order reception favors
4. Begin dance lessons if you want a choreographed first dance

2 Months Prior

1. Mail wedding invitations
2. Verify requirement for marriage license
3. Purchase bridal party gifts
4. Create ceremony program

Final 6 Weeks

1. Confirm all vendors, finalize food and beverage choices with your caterer or reception site. Schedule a final dress fitting (tuxes for the gentlemen) and plan seating arrangements for your reception.
2. Establish a timeline for the wedding day.
3. Select songs for your ceremony and special dances
4. Schedule a consultation for your hair and makeup. Many brides do a “dress rehearsal” to make sure they like the look.

Week of Your Wedding

1. Confirm timeline and desired shot list with your photographer and videographer
2. Discuss song selections with your DJ
3. Get plenty of sleep and practice good nutrition
4. Relax! It’s almost time for the big day!

Click here to get started!

Email us or call 248-689-0777

Communicating With Your Bridal Party

Your bridal party will be comprised of your closest friends. So of course, they have your best interests at heart, but they may not always seem to! Often these misunderstandings occur because they do not know what is expected. Not communicating with their bridal party is one of the biggest mistakes brides make. (Want to know the others? Click here)

Explain Their Roles

While your friends will be honored to stand with you on your wedding day, it is possible that they do not know their duties extend beyond that. Here are some of the traditional roles of the bridal party.

• Best Man. The Best Man is the groom’s aide and advisor during the wedding planning process and wedding day. He usually helps to pick out the tuxes, plans the bachelor party and helps to keep the other groomsmen on task. Think of him as the chief of staff of the groomsmen crew. Other duties include keeping the groom on schedule, paying fees and gratuities to the wedding officiant and other vendors, witnessing the marriage license, holding the bride’s ring, and giving a toast at the wedding reception.
• Groomsmen. The groomsmen assist the Best Man in planning and paying for the bachelor party. The often act as ushers for the wedding reception and escorts for the bridesmaids for the day.

• Maid/Matron of Honor. Much like her counterpart, the Maid or Matron of Honor acts as the sounding board for the bride as she plans the wedding, often attending meetings or bridal shows with the bride. She will help to choose the wedding day attire, plan the bachelorette party, mind the wedding day schedule, hold the groom’s ring and give a toast at the reception.
• Bridesmaids. The bridesmaids assist the bride and maid of honor when asked by helping with the bridal shower, planning and cost of bachelorette party, addressing invitations and other planning tasks. They assist the bride as she gets ready on her wedding day and asks as hostesses to guests at the wedding reception; often by being the first ones on the dance floor to get the party started.

Involve Them In the Planning

As you plan your wedding, it is likely that you will need some assistance to complete tasks such as making decorations, addressing invitations, creating seating charts and more. Your bridal party should be a great resource in helping with these tasks – if you ask. Remember, this is your wedding and they may not know how to help if you don’t tell them.

Share the Timeline

You will work with your wedding vendors to create a timeline for your wedding day. The successful execution of this schedule is dependent upon the cooperation of your bridal party. Share the timeline with them, and explain it’s importance in having the wedding you dream of, so that they have a clear understanding of what is expected of them and when. You will need their cooperation and participation for formal photographs and dances so it a good idea to explain when those will take place and what will be involved.

Thank Them

It is easy to get so caught up in the planning process and the wedding day itself. Be sure to thank your bridal party for the help, friendship and participation in creating the wedding day you dreamed of.

How can we help? Email us or call 248-689-0777

www.mikestaff.com

Communicating With Your Wedding Vendors

On your wedding day, you will trust your vendors to execute your dream wedding plans. One of the biggest mistakes brides make on their wedding day is not communicating well with their vendors. (Want to know the others? Click here.) To avoid this mistake, try some of the following strategies.

Form a Photography and Videography Plan

After the wedding day, you will have very few tangible memories more precious than your wedding photographs and video. When working with a professional photographer and videographer, it is important that you convey your vision to them so they can create the wedding keepsake you desire. Form a photography and videography plan that is built upon your unique wishes by letting them know if you prefer photojournalistic, candid or cinematic images – or a mixture of each. The more specific you are about the type of images that appeal to you, the better your photographer and videographer can capture those images. Discuss images you would like to capture through the day; poses you love and the ones you hate, but don’t create too large of a “shot list”. You want your wedding photographer and videographer to have some artistic license. That’s how he or she captured the images that made you want to hire them.

Discuss Your Musical Tastes

It’s your wedding reception and you should have a say in the soundtrack. Work with your wedding DJ to identify songs that he must play, should try to play, and should absolutely not play. While you should have input in the music played at your wedding reception, it’s not a good idea to create a playlist for the entire evening. A professional DJ knows how to read a crowd and can identify the best song to play next to keep your wedding reception rocking.

Create a “Loose” Timeline

It’s important that you create a timeline for how you would like your wedding day to flow. It’s just as important to realize in advance, that you will need flexibility in your schedule. If the timeline is so tight that a red light on the way to the wedding reception knocks the whole thing off track, you’ll spend the rest of the day chasing time. Work with your vendors to identify when you would like important events to take place, such as the grand entrance or cake cutting, but allow some flexibility. You wouldn’t want to miss pictures against a beautiful sunset because the timeline says you should be visiting table 27 at that exact minute! Click here for the timeline of a typical wedding reception.

Appoint a Helper

It’s your wedding day and you should enjoy it. There will be moments throughout the day that your wedding vendors will need to verify or clarify information from your plan. Consider appointing a close friend, that isn’t a member of the bridal party, to assist your vendors. They can help identify people for family formals, move items between venues, check the setup of the wedding reception decorations, and locate people for your grand introduction. They can also be the point of contact for florists, caterers and other vendors on the day of the wedding. If you decide to appoint a bridal helper, be sure to share her contact information with your wedding vendors too.

We’re ready to help! Email us or call 248-689-0777.