The Top 10 Wedding Planning Checklists (Part 1)

Congratulations on getting engaged! (Or is it imminent?!) The following list of wedding checklists will help you get started down your exciting journey from engagement to marriage. At first, it’s all about telling friends and family in addition to nonchalantly waving your ring around. And of course, you’ll have to practice saying the word “fiancé” and figuring out how often you can fit into your conversations without looking annoying.

After getting to grips with the new relationship status there’s a possibility that you’ll become a wee bit overwhelmed by that amount of decisions you’ll need to make concerning the wedding ceremony, venue, dress, cake, photographs and more. That’s where ‘The Top 10 Wedding Planning Checklists’ come in. Below is the tip of the iceberg where I’ve outlined the first 5 areas that you’ll really want to get to grips with. Part Two will be out next week. 😉

If you’re eager to get started and know every task there is to know within these areas, I urge you to purchase our book, The Top 10 Wedding Planning Checklists: For Planning & Organizing Your Perfect Wedding that you can purchase in paperback or Kindle at the Amazon store. Some of the checklists we’ve published on our website and have provided a link to them. Check them out and if you like the calibre of information provided, get our book!

Onto the first five checklists…

Wedding Planning Checklist #1– Wedding Planning Software Checklist

When I got married in 1998, options like wedding planning software did not exist. I had to plan everything with a simple checklist! Things have come a long way since those days. Fortunate for you, if you’re planning a medium to large wedding, planning software can be invaluable. Software will allow you to easily decide and maintain the final guest list. Once the list is finalized you can provide the contact file to the printers for the invitations.

The software will hold your budget helping you to decide what is necessary and what is not. Furthermore, software will allow you to maintain a database of professional service contacts and a whole timeline or project plan ensuring things go as smooth as possible. Some software packages also help to record the gifts and create the mailing list for thank you’s.

The Wedding Planning Software Checklist provided on our website and in our book, ‘The Top 10 Wedding Planning Checklists” provides a list of available features enabling you to compare and contrast various software offers to determine the best for you.

Wedding Planning Checklist #2 – Wedding Ceremony Checklist

Choosing the wedding ceremony, preparing for the ceremony in addition to sorting out the props, flowers and payments is enough to make your head spin. Looking at all the planning an organizing for the ceremony alone is quite overwhelming. This element of the wedding is so important.

Just consider the flower options for the wedding party only – not the ceremony or reception:

Bridal Bouquet, flowers for bride’s hair, bridesmaids bouquets, different bouquet for maid of honor, flower girl headpiece, flower girl basket decorations, lower girl petals to toss, grooms’ boutonniere, groomsmens’ boutonnieres, different boutonniere for best man, mother of the bride corsage, mother of the groom corsage, stepmother corsage, father of the groom boutonniere, father of the bride boutonniere, stepfather boutonniere, grandmothers corsages, grandfathers boutonnieres, others?

Quite a bit to think about – eh?

Find a wedding ceremony checklist on the Internet or consider purchasing our book The Top 10 Wedding Planning Checklists on Amazon.

Wedding Planning Checklist #3 – Getting The Perfect Wedding Dress Checklist

Is there anything more important than the dress? Of course not! My mother was a dressmaker and planned on making a dress for me. We went to a wedding dress store to get some ideas. Mom yelled over to me, ‘I found the one,’ and I then tried it on. The dress looked so amazing that mom decided to buy it for me there and then. She explained that she couldn’t make a dress that amazing for that price.

When buying a wedding dress there are quite a few list items that need to be planned. There’s the whole preparation – narrowing down the wedding dress shops, deciding who’s going to help, dressing appropriately to try dresses on, researching the best dress shape for your body and so forth.

Then there’s ordering the dress – it’s imperative that you have several things listed on your contract or order receipt like the dress number, designer, approximate delivery date. And keep in mind that it’s not just the dress – there are several accessories that need to come together to make the dress perfect.

Finally, there’s the whole process of fittings and the before the ceremony process!

The checklist provided in The Top 10 Wedding Planning Checklists provides a list of everything you need to know concerning getting the perfect wedding dress!

Wedding Planning Checklist #4 – Wedding Stationary Checklist

Wedding stationary is no longer about the invitation only. No way… Now days there are stationary options for the engagement announcement, save the date, rehearsal party, wedding ceremony and reception, and of course, the important thank you cards.

But that’s not all; within the wedding invites you’ll need to consider RSVP cards, directions and perhaps a list of accommodation options. Furthermore, there are the place cards, ceremony service, seating plans and menus!

Make sure you know your wedding stationary options as soon as possible as you’ll want to keep a consistent look and feel throughout the journey.

Read CheckListables version of a Wedding Stationary Checklist or purchase “The Top 10 Wedding Planning Checklists” on Amazon to get all 10 wedding checklists in a nicely formatted and easy to reference book.

Wedding Planning Checklist #5 – Choosing A Wedding Reception Venue Checklist

Availability, estimated cost per head, cost for open bar, how long is the venue open, minimum amount of guests, maximum amount of guests, on-site accommodation, discounts, deposit needed and on and on this checklist goes!

It might be that you have a certain venue already picked out. If it’s available for the dates you want, then that’s great news. If, however, you have to shop around it’s vital to compare like for like. Knowing every question needed to ask is impossible if you don’t use or create a checklist first.

One venue might be less expensive however the photo opportunities aren’t as impressive as another venue. When you compare all the elements you’ll find it easier to narrow your selection down to the best one for your wedding.

The wedding reception venue checklist provided in ‘The Top 10 Wedding Planning Checklists” provides a list of everything you need to consider so you can compare each venue.

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All of the Top 10 Wedding Planning Checklists are in an easy-to-use 50+ page letter sized booklet that you can purchase from Amazon.com. Some of the checklists are also available on CheckListables.com. To get more information on our book, check it out here.