WEDDINGthe PLANNING complete GUIDE THE COMPLETE WEDDING GUIDE table of contents 3 WHAT EVERY BRIDE NEEDS TO KNOW 5 TIPS FOR STRESS-FREE WEDDING PLANNING 7 WEDDING PREP TIMELINE 9 NARROWING DOWN WEDDING WANTS 12 THE WISDOM OF OTHERS 13 WHO’S INVITED TO WHAT? 15 CHOOSING TABLE NAMES 18 THE WEDDING WEBSITE 21 TOP REGISTRY LISTS 24 WEDDING SONGS 25 WEDDING SEND OFFS IDEAS 28 ONE FINAL NOTE WHAT EVERY BRIDE needs to KNOW You’re going to be married for over fifty years, but you only get to be engaged for this short period of time I’m sure you mind is racing with all that needs to planned. It’s all very exciting, but it can also be somewhat overwhelming. By the time you get the hang of it, the planning is over! The goal of this guide is to help you plan your wedding day. AND I packed it with all of my best secrets for getting the best out of your wedding planning experience, so let’s dive right in! 1. UTILIZE A WEDDING TIMELINE This is not one of those fly by the seat of your pants type of events. Make an outline of what’s going to happen when and stick to it. I’ve included on for tips for stress-free wedding planning you on the next page! 2. FIGURE OUT TOP PRIORITIES Sit down and make a list of your top three priorities. For me and my husband they were 1) photography 2) that the food was delicious 3) that our guests had a good time. 3. DELEGATE If someone else is fully capable of doing it and you trust them complelety . Well . loosen the reigns just a tad and let them handle it. 4. ESTABLISH “NO WEDDING TALK” TIME ASAP Wedding planning is stressful and can take over your entire life and relation- No one told me you were a professional at running marathons! I ship. Make sure you have some sacred time to just be with your love and enjoy seriously can’t believe it. Well, planning a wedding is a lot like life. running a marathon. Or so i’ve been told. Personally I’ve never run a full marathon so I wouldn’t know. But it’s nice to think 5. PREP YOUR EMERGENCY BAG that after you’ve finished planning your wedding you could be a marathon runner! And girl, I am practically your bestie in this Your wedding is going to be an extremely long day. You may need to pack a few supplies to help you get through it all. I’m talking about, stain remover, a thing. I’ve actually been referred to as another bridesmaid with a small minature sewing kit, double sided tape, safety pins, bobby pins and dif- camera, so I look at this way.. It’s my job to make your life as easy ferent select items to touch up your makeup later in the evening. as possible right now. So here are several tips & tidbits to make sure that you keep your head on straight through the process. 6. PREPARE TIP ENVELOPES It is not uncommon to tip the vendors at your wedding. My personal sugges- tion? Prep the tip envelopes and give them to someone you trust, so that they can make sure that your vendors get them on the day of the event. Make sure the envelopes are clearly labeled. WEDDING PLANNING GUIDE | 5 Wedding Prep 12+ MONTHS BEFORE: 4 - 6 MONTHS BEFORE: TIMELINE [ ] Announce your engagement [ ] Book rehearsal dinner [ ] Plan your engagement party [ ] Research wedding insurance [ ] Create your wedding registry [ ] Update your registry [ ] Decide on a budget [ ] Plan and book honeymoon ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS YOU’LL PROBABLY BE THINKING [ ] Purchase wedding accesories about is when to start taking care of everything! So I’ve included a sample [ ] Schedule your ceremony rehearsal timeline, that the Queen herself would be proud of! IF you’re more of an app 10 - 12 MONTHS BEFORE: [ ] Book accomodations for your wedding kinda person I get it! The Knot has an AMAZING wedding checklist on their [ ] Select your wedding date night app! And it is so incredibly detailed! But best of all... it’s totally free! [ ] Start your guest list [ ] Find and book wedding planner 2 - 3 MONTHS BEFORE: And they wrote an amazing blog post about wedding planning with a 12 [ ] Choose a color scheme [ ] Address and send wedding invitations month calendar that you can find here: https://www.theknot.com/content/12- [ ] Select your bridal party [ ] Order wedding favors month-wedding-planning-countdown [ ] Find and book your venue [ ] Schedule fittings for wedding gown [ ] Book your photographer and tux [ ] Book your videographer [ ] Purchase wedding rings [ ] Book your florist [ ] Purchase guest book [ ] Book your caterer [ ] Write your vows [ ] Order your wedding dress and tux [ ] Send rehearsal dinner invitations [ ] Confirm your wedding day 7- 9 MONTHS BEFORE: [ ] Create wedding hashtag 1 MONTH BEFORE: [ ] Create wedding website [ ] Obtain wedding rings [ ] Book your band or DJ [ ] Call guests who haven’t RSVP’d [ ] Research songs [ ] Pick up wedding attire [ ] Book your officiat [ ] Confirm with all vendors [ ] Finalize vendor team [ ] Assign duties to wedding party [ ] Finalize guest list [ ] Create seating chart [ ] Order attire for wedding party [ ] Reserve a room block for guests 1 WEEK BEFORE: [ ] Create and send save-the-dates [ ] Pack for honeymoon [ ] Find and order wedding cake [ ] Pull together last minute essentials [ ] Find and order invitations [ ] Confirm final deposits [ ] Find and order any event rentals [ ] Prepare thank you notes or tips [ ] Book hair and makeup WEDDING PLANNING GUIDE | 7 WWW.SUSANNAHLYNN.COM | 8 NARROWING DOWN WEDDING WANTS Hiring a full - service wedding planner |OR| Hiring a day - of coordinator Buying or renting decor for the event(s) |OR| Doing DIY projects to save money All inclusive wedding venue |OR| Hiring more vendors Amazing, jaw dropping, venue |OR| Somewhere that is ok, and convenient Bigger guest list & less food |OR| Smaller guest list & more food Band |OR| DJ Off season wedding |OR| Married during the spring or summer Leave for the honeymoon the day after the wedding |OR| Post wedding brunch THE WISDOM OF OTHERS Sometimes the easiest thing to do to make sure you get everything that you want on your wedding day is to ask someone else. Below you have a list of questions to ask a few of your recently wed friends. 1. Favorite memory from your wedding? 2. Number one piece of advice for planning? 3. One thing we have to do on our wedding day? 4. Thing you worried most about that didn’t matter on the day? 5. What part do you wish you spent more time planning? 6. What do you wish you spent more money on? 7. What do you wish you spent less money on? 8. Logistics you wish you’d thought about? WHO’S INVITED TO WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN WONDERING to invite your close friends, family who exactly should be invited to members, and bridal party! The what? If you have you’re NOT alone! rehearsal dinner is a great time to Obviously, everyone is invited to connect with out of town guests, the actual wedding! For the Bridal your family, and your bridal party! shower etiquette dictates that you Only the bridal party needs to be only invite people who are invited at the rehearsal. After the wedding to the wedding! Here you can some couples choose to have a invite your family, bridal party, post-wedding brunch! This is a and friends! The bachelorette/ great place to say good bye to out bachelor party is the perfect place of town guests! Don’t forget to have fun! WEDDING PLANNING GUIDE | 13 choosingTABLE NAMES Really quick I want to give you a few ideas for your table names at your reception so your guests can find their seats and you can add a ton of personality to the special day. As always, take what you like. 1. Standard table numbers 2. Cities you've traveled to 3. Favorite TV Shows 4. Favorite movies 5. Favorite literary figures 6. Superheroes 7. Words for "love" in other languages 8. Colors 9. Favorite bands 10. Famous couples 11. Animals 12. Significant years in your lives WEDDING PLANNING GUIDE | 15 WWW.SUSANNAHLYNN.COM | 16 THE WEDDING WEBSITE Not only is a website for your website pretty ecofriendly and a super easy way to share information with guests pretty much all around the world, but it's just a smart idea. This is the 21st century after all. So here is practically everything that you need to include on your site! .THE BASICS: PHOTOS: REGISTRY: - Names - Across the Years - Link to online registry - Date - Engagment Photos - Honeymoon fund - Times - Venue Photos - Locations SCHEDULE: - Countdown RSVP: - Pre-Wedding Activities - Attending/ Not Attending - Day-Of Wedding TRAVEL: - Number of Guests -Post Wedding Events - Airport Information - Mailing Address - Where to Stay - Dietary Restrictions CONTACT: - How to Get Around - Meal Choice - Phone Number - What to Do in Town - Email address FAQS: - Mailing address YOUR STORY: - RSVP Deadline - How You Met - Plus Ones WEDDING PARTY: - When You Knew - Are Children Allowed - List of Wedding Party - The Proposal - What to Wear - Photos of Wedding Party - A Day in the Life - Parking - Indoor or Outdoor - Accessibility - Photos & Social Media Rules WWW.SUSANNAHLYNN.COM | top registy tips When it comes to the wedding gift registry, there may be a ton of things you "need" and a few things you actually need. That's not for me to decide at all. But, I know that alot of people struggle with figuring out where to start and what to put on their wedding registry so here are some ideas of the most popular items.