6 More Months!!!

We have 6 MONTHS until the big day!

That's right, our wedding is 6 MONTHS from today!

You all know how much I love me some checklists, especially my wedding checklist! As I have shared before me and J, my BB Carolyn & Jake and our friends Seth & Alisha are all getting married within a two month time period . J is the Best Man in Jake & Carolyn's wedding and I am a bridesmaid. J is also a groomsmen in Seth & Alisha's wedding AND Jake, Carolyn and Seth are all in our wedding. So basically July-November are going to be absolutely bananas, which is why this wedding checklist has become my best friend. I am adamantly working on getting as much planned and organized as humanly possible as early as possible so that I can relax and enjoy this summer filled with weddings and showers and then prevent myself from hardcore stressing when September rolls around.

Here's how I'm doing on this next leg of my checklist, compliments of weddingwire.com!

March 2011

X	Set up your registries. Add registries page to your wedding website.
X	Book your photographer. Record deposits and payments in your Budget Tool.
X	Book your florist. Record deposits and payments in your Budget Tool.
X	Book your videographer. Record deposits and payments in your Budget Tool.
X	Search for an officiant.
X	Book your officiant. Record deposits and payments in your Budget Tool.
X	Schedule premarital counseling (if required)

April 2011

X	Reserve hotel rooms for out-of-town guests. Add accommodations and travel pages to your wedding website.
X	Send save-the-date cards (be sure your guest list is finalized first). Include hotel information for out-of-town guests, if it's available, plus your website address.
X	Start shopping for your gown.
X	Search for a wedding cake maker.
X	Select your wedding dress and place the order. Record deposits and payments in your Budget Tool.
X	Order your wedding cake. Record deposits and payments in your Budget Tool.

May 2011

X	Search for a wedding stationer for invitations, plus place cards, menus, announcements (if you'll use them) and thank-you stationery (which you may need to order now).
X	Search for a ceremony musician.
X	Search for a rentals supplier if you need to rent chairs, chair covers, a tent, etc.
X	Book your invitations vendor. Record deposits and payments in your Budget Tool.
X	Book your ceremony musician. Record deposits and payments in your Budget Tool.
X	Finalize your order for event rentals. Record deposits and payments in your Budget Tool.
X	Discuss rehearsal dinner with the groom's parents — who will host? Whoever is hosting should begin searching for a venue. You will also need to negotiate who will be invited.

June 2011

X	Search for a vendor to help with your hair, makeup, or any prewedding pampering.
X	Select your bridesmaid dresses and flower-girl dress, and have your attendants place their orders. Record payments in your Budget Tool.
X	Choose groom's attire; will you purchase or rent? Record deposits and payments in your Budget Tool.
	Rehearsal-dinner host should finalize venue. If you are hosting, record deposits and payments in your Budget Tool.
X	Book accommodations for your wedding night.
X	Contact out-of-town guests and notify them about the hotel block and other discount travel information. Utilize your wedding website to convey this information.
X	Plan and book your honeymoon, including travel, accommodations, and activities.

July 2011

X	Book your hair and makeup appointment. Record deposits and payments in your Budget Tool.
X	Purchase accessories for your gown, such as a veil, shoes, undergarments, and jewelry. Record payments in your Budget Tool.
X	Finalize the text for your invitations and place the order. Also consider purchasing thank-you notes and wedding announcements from the same vendor.
X	Finalize the menu and service details with your caterer.

Set up your registries. Add registries page to your wedding website.
Done and done. Read about it by clicking HERE!

Book your photographer. Record deposits and payments in your Budget Tool.
This is done. Read more about the amazing Sara Jayne Photography by clicking HERE!

Book your florist. Record deposits and payments in your Budget Tool.
This is done. Read about the fabulous Arts & Flowers Design Studio by clicking HERE!

Book your videographer. Record deposits and payments in your Budget Tool.
This is also done. Read about our awesome videographer, eMotion Media, by clicking HERE!

Search for an officiant.
Done. Easy.

Book your officiant. Record deposits and payments in your Budget Tool.
We are using the officiant of the church where we are getting married. Pastor Gayle married my mom and step-dad and was absolutely wonderful. I know she will do a fabulous job marrying us and it's really special that she married my mom as well.

Schedule premarital counseling (if required)
We completed this back in January and I really enjoyed it. I wrote about it briefly HERE!

Reserve hotel rooms for out-of-town guests. Add accommodations and travel pages to your wedding website.
These are both complete. Check out where our guests will be staying by clicking HERE!

Send save-the-date cards (be sure your guest list is finalized first). Include hotel information for out-of-town guests, if it's available, plus your website address.
The Save the Dates are SENT! They went out yesterday!!! I can't believe it! I will be sharing these with you all very soon!


Start shopping for your gown.
DONE!

Search for a wedding cake maker.
Done, our caterer does cakes. So this was super easy! Read about it HERE!

Select your wedding dress and place the order. Record deposits and payments in your Budget Tool.
Did that in December! Read about it HERE!

Order your wedding cake. Record deposits and payments in your Budget Tool.
We had this done back in November! Read about it HERE!

Search for a wedding stationer for invitations, plus place cards, menus, announcements (if you'll use them) and thank-you stationery (which you may need to order now).
This is taken care of, thanks to my friend Chris! Read more about it HERE!

Search for a ceremony musician.
This was done about 2 minutes after we got engaged! Read more about the music HERE!

Search for a rentals supplier if you need to rent chairs, chair covers, a tent, etc.
DONE!

Book your invitations vendor. Record deposits and payments in your Budget Tool.
DONE!

Book your ceremony musician. Record deposits and payments in your Budget Tool.
DONE!

Finalize your order for event rentals. Record deposits and payments in your Budget Tool.
This is also done, read about my linen inspiration HERE!

Discuss rehearsal dinner with the groom's parents — who will host? Whoever is hosting should begin searching for a venue. You will also need to negotiate who will be invited.
This still needs to be done. J and I have a couple of ideas but we need to get everything sorted out with his parents. I'm hoping to get all of this figured out in the next couple of weeks!

Search for a vendor to help with your hair, makeup, or any pre-wedding pampering.
I have this done and am sooooooooo excited! Read about the amazing place where we're getting ready HERE! and HERE! and check out my hair and make up inspiration HERE!

Select your bridesmaid dresses and flower-girl dress, and have your attendants place their orders. Record payments in your Budget Tool.
We also have this done, and I'm really excited about what we chose! Check out the dresses HERE! and HERE!


Choose groom's attire; will you purchase or rent? Record deposits and payments in your Budget Tool.
We have all of the tuxedos chosen! Sometime this summer we will get a groom's sample to make sure it's what we went and then this will be completed! See what we chose by clicking HERE!


Rehearsal-dinner host should finalize venue. If you are hosting, record deposits and payments in your Budget Tool.
Again....working on this one.

Book accommodations for your wedding night.
We did this. Click HERE for more details!

Contact out-of-town guests and notify them about the hotel block and other discount travel information. Utilize your wedding website to convey this information.
I have pretty much talked to everyone from out-of-town about the dates and tentative plans for the wedding. After the Save the Dates go out and we're a little closer to the wedding I will contact them individually to make sure they've got it all figured out.

Plan and book your honeymoon, including travel, accommodations, and activities.
This is also done! Check out our honeymoon details by clicking HERE!


Book your hair and makeup appointment. Record deposits and payments in your Budget Tool.
DONE! Can't wait!!!

Purchase accessories for your gown, such as a veil, shoes, undergarments, and jewelry. Record payments in your Budget Tool.
I have my veil and my shoes (check them out HERE! and HERE!), I'm pretty sure I know what I'm doing for jewelry (gotta make a decision on that) and I'm still working on undergarments. So I guess I'm half done with this one.


Finalize the text for your invitations and place the order. Also consider purchasing thank-you notes and wedding announcements from the same vendor.
Finished! Now I just need to get them to the printer! I also have our Thank You notes, which I love! You're going to need to wait a long time to see those though!

Finalize the menu and service details with your caterer.
We have the menu all figured out and I am super excited about it, but, like our guests you'll have to wait for the wedding to know what we're serving.


On top of that we have our transportation booked, already have most of the Bridesmaid gifts purchased (and have picked out the Groomsmen gifts), decided on favors and have a bunch of little wedding day stuff (cake topper, toasting flutes, cake set, etc) picked out!

I feel really good about where we're at! No freaking out yet! :) All you past & present brides out there---what's your advice for being prepared and ready for the big day?