Ask the Experts: What to Add to Your Wedding Planning Checklist for a Stress-Free Day

Wedding planning, whilst one of the most exciting periods of a bride’s life, can also be a stressful time in ensuring the best big day possible. Whether you’re on a long countdown for a day full of huge volumes of people and elements, or it’s a soon-to-come intimate day for just your nearest and dearest, there are plenty of points that should be added to your planning checklist. For the ease of knowing everything is covered before the day arrives, preparation is key. Here are some bits to ensure are on the list, before you say ‘I do’!

What to Add to Your Wedding Planning Checklist for a Stress-Free Day

photo by  Heart of Hearts Photography  – full wedding here

Book in for your Wedding Dress Fitting Early

For brides, the dress is guaranteed to be a key factor in their day, whether it’s a large-scale mansion affair or a simple registry office ceremony. The industry of wedding dresses is a big one! Lacey, long, white, short, unique, fitted, flared, the list of options is endless; your perfect dress is out there! Industry standards state that the ideal time for picking out the dress for you is between ten to, as far in advance as,  eighteen months. But the purchase doesn’t end there. If it’s a fitness journey to get you feeling the best for when the big day comes, or it’s a change to your general body composition, it’s likely that the body that chose your dress and the body that heads down the aisle in it will be different. It’s therefore imperative to ensure you have multiple dress fittings booked in closer the the big date itself. 

Ensure to have a seamstress on hand you’re confident in, whether it’s one you’ve used for years or a recommendation from a friend. The traditional timeline is that brides pick up their final, good-to-go dress around a month before the wedding. To reiterate though, this final pick-up should not be the only fitting appointment between picking out and picking up your dress. Acknowledging the usual rate of body composition change, try to head for around three fitting appointments per annum time scale. 

Ultimately, the internet is going to tell you a wealth of the best time scales when it comes to the politics of dress-buying. Remember that you know your body best and how it may change. Let that be the biggest factor in how many fittings you have. 

photo by Brooke Buck Photography – full post here

Get a Final Headcount

Don’t be the impossible-to-reach guest! Your big day likely will involve a range of suppliers, from food caterers to venues setting up seat arrangements. Typically, most vendors tend to have a final headcount around a month prior to the big day, but this may be less for smaller parties. To avoid unnecessary pressure surrounding final numbers, a good idea is to add an RSVP deadline to guest’s invitations. Send out one final reminder around a week before and then anyone who doesn’t comply to letting you know by the deadline, should be marked as not coming. As a soon-to-be bride and groom, the stress of knowing whether guests can make it shouldn’t be apparent, so ultimately if it is, it’s likely these are not your most valued guests and relationships. 

photo by  Eros Dangelo – full wedding here 

Have Everything Written Down

A wedding planning checklist is an essential tool to keep organised during the planning process. Whether you’re going for pen and paper or taking on digital tools, there’s a huge plethora of options to keep all the elements of a big day, in one place. It’s vital to not forget all the minute details to ensure everything comes together just the way your Pinterest board suggests. Here are some key points that seem smaller, but can create the biggest difference to your day: 

• Table names can be as original or novelty as you’d both like. 
• Table decor is a great way to bring in a colour scheme. 
• Documentation that isn’t the obvious photographers and videographers. Photo booths are hugely popular in the world of event planning. If you want to keep it traditional, a guest book can allow guests to send you a little message of love as you embark on married life. 
• The morning of details: makeup and hair artists, breakfast, and guest transportation. 

Photo by Natasha Fernandez

Practise your Vows

From traditional ‘I Dos’ to vows displayed by song, this point in the ceremony is a great way to get creative! For the more reserved couple, you could even embrace a private vow recital or get guests involved in guiding you into married life. For the most personal approach, writing your own for your other half can help ensure the most memorable moments. It shouldn’t be a stress point in the big day, so if the thought of it is more nerve-provoking, get creative and change up the format. The only nerves should be surrounding not tripping down the aisle, not the recital of love! 

photo by Tarren Bailey Photography, LLC – full shoot here 

Double Check Food and Dietary Requirements

The last thing you or your guests want is for individual requirements to not be met when it comes to the food. It’s ultimately the part of the day that will be the most memorable and you certainly don’t want that to be for the wrong reasons! Again with the invitations, why not consider adding a box for people to add their requirements in? Whether it’s vegetarianism or allergies, guests are sure to feel far more respectfully included if they know their foodie differences are being taken care of. Maybe just as you confirm headcounts for the vendors then, do one last check to ensure guest requirements haven’t changed! Be the inclusive couple, to ensure everyone has the best day. 

photo by Photography by Cambrae – full shoot here 

The best day of your life can only become that with planning and preparation. Hopefully, a period that will only happen once in a lifetime, so take it all in, enjoy, and embrace the chaos of becoming a bride!

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