So, someone got down on one knee and a date chosen, and it’s time to plan the wedding of your dreams! Many people want a wedding date that’s one year or more away, giving them planning of time to hammer out the details of the wedding, or get used to the idea of taking the big leap!
Whether you chose a date based on a particular time of year, the weather, or what worked best in yours’ and family’s schedules, you’re ready to make it final and walk down that aisle in 6 months or less. That’s great! Plenty of people will tell you that there’s no way to pull off a seamless, fabulous wedding with just six months to plan.
Don’t listen to them! If you have just six months before the day you say I do, we’ll give you a realistic look at what planning the perfect day, step by step. You might be amazed by just how do-able it is!
If you’re ready to sort out the details, take the leap, and start planning, let’s hash out a month-by-month plan for you to successfully plan your big day!
6 Months Out
When you’re six months out from your wedding date, you’ll start at the very beginning. Here you might need to make some big decisions about how to proceed. Let’s take a look at the most crucial beginning stages of wedding planning.
Coming Up with a Realistic Budget
If you want to successfully plan your wedding without jumping in blindly and dealing with money troubles later, you’ll want to start by creating a realistic budget. It’s a good idea to talk to your spouse and a few of your closest loved ones before coming up with your final numbers.
Relationships, family dynamics, and financial considerations vary widely from person to person. Some families will cover the entire cost of the wedding while others may be willing to chip in on specific aspects of the wedding. Still, other couples may decide to cover all wedding costs themselves.
One of the most underrated financial considerations that people forget to make is considering the wedding party. Many people who’ve been apart of a wedding party previously complain that too much financial burden came from being in the wedding party.
While your friends and loved ones want you to have everything you wish for and deserve leading up to your big day, it’s helpful and considerate to think about the costs they’re going to incur and what their financial situations are alike.
If you don’t mind whatever the girls’ are going to plan for things like bridal showers or bachelorette parties, let them know your expectations. If you want some things that are over the top or costly, it’s a great idea to let them know what your budget is to help with those costs.
Before deciding on your final numbers, think about your budget, your short term and long term goals with your spouse, and what you’re willing to pay for as far as the wedding goes.
According to this article written for the New York Post, 48% of couples fight over finances. It won’t hurt to talk about money before the wedding so that you can start your marriage off rowing the boat in the same direction, rather than the opposite.
Making a list of your absolute must-haves, followed by your would-likes, is a great way to see on paper how your budget will stretch. This way, you’ll know where you’re willing to splurge (photographer, live band) and where you want to do your best to save.
Now that you have a pretty good idea of how much you’re going to spend, who’s chipping in for what, and where you’re willing to allocate funds, you’re ready for the next step!
Choose Your Location
With only six months to spare, you might be limited when it comes to traditional venues. It all depends on the type and size of the wedding you’re hoping to accomplish. There are going to be some amazing wedding locations and venues available within your six-month time frame. You might have to get creative and know where to look, but don’t be discouraged!
Remember that because you’re interested in planning a wedding on a shorter timeline, there are some hacks you can use to make your time framework. For example, rather than a Saturday wedding, consider a Friday or Sunday. Doing this might help you stretch your venue funds since weddings these days are often discounted at least slightly compared to Saturday bookings.
Don’t forget to consider some more nontraditional event spaces, which are often less costly than traditional venues. Places like open nature spaces, parks, museums, galleries, restaurants, and a friend’s yard could help you stick to your budget. Plus, if you spend less on the location, you may have more of your budget leftover for other wants.
Making Deposits
When it comes to wedding vendors, many are operating on the one-year-away traditional bookings that many folks do for their weddings. That means you need to make some final decisions at the start of your planning to ensure that you can get the booking you need within six months.
Here’s a list of vendors you’ll want to think about and reach out to sooner rather than later.
- Live band, DJ, or music coordinator
- Photographers/videographers
- Bakers/caterers
- Florists
- Rental companies, if needed – tents, chairs, linens, etc.
- Wedding Planner if you’re using one
- Officiant
- Travel consultant for honeymoon
- Make-up artist/hairstylist
Everyone’s idea of the perfect wedding isn’t the same, so decide which vendors you’re going to be using and start making final decisions on who to book. It doesn’t hurt to have back up plans, in case some vendors fall through or aren’t available on the date you requested.
Dress Shopping
Some women have been dreaming about the day they will find their wedding dress since they were little girls! Others aren’t that into it, although the day may turn out to be somewhat unique. If you’re going all out, remember that a custom wedding dress needs to be ordered six or more months out from your wedding date.
If you’re pushing past that time allotment, you’ll need to accept that there will be a risk that the dress doesn’t come in on time or alterations are rushed to the last minute. If you’re pressed for time and aren’t dead-set on getting a custom dress, there are plenty of options for every budget!
There are ready-to-wear dresses in many bridal shops, off-the-rack non-bridal options, wedding trunk sales, and salon sample sales will all have tons of gorgeous options. When it comes to scheduling fittings, you’ll want to schedule them for a little closer to your wedding date to ensure the best fit on your big day.
Engagement Photos
Some folks skip engagement photos instead of saving their wedding dollars for other splurges. If you want engagement photos, now is the time to book your session. You can use this photoshoot for your save-the-dates, invitations, or use on your wedding website if you choose to make one.
Book Accommodations
Many people have family and friends coming in from all over the place to be present for the wedding. If you have many guests making their way to you, you’ll want to consider making a booking for a block of hotel rooms. This way, you can include the information on invites.
When you reserve a block of rooms through a hotel, guests may often take advantage of a discounted rate since a more significant number of rooms are being booked. If you only have a few out of town guests, you can do some research on the best, affordable accommodations to include as a recommendation with your invites.
5 Months Out
You’re officially one month down and five to go. Here’s a look at the tasks that should be at the forefront of your wedding-planning mind this month.
Organize Your Guestlist
Organizing your guest list is another one of the most important tasks because the number of people invited to your wedding will take a toll on your budget (or not). Having the number of people you’ll serve, and the venue picked out well in advance will give you the best idea of the budget you have to work with for everything else.
Take some time to sit down with your partner and put together a list of the most influential people to you. You can add more than that to your preliminary list. For some families, it’s essential to consult the parents of the bride and groom for additional people to invite as is respectful to some familial relationships.
While considering your guest list, you’ll want to keep in mind your overall budget, the style and size wedding you’re willing to do, and what your chosen venue will accommodate.
Hire a Wedding Coordinator
We recognize that it’s tough to plan a wedding in the best of circumstances. Add in a shorter timeline, jobs, kids if you have them, and all the various details, and it can get a little mind-boggling. If you feel like you need help with some of the features, think about whether or not a wedding coordinator is right for you.
Rather than being overwhelmed with your big day, a wedding coordinator can help you do some of the planning and coordinating of your big day so that you can sit back and enjoy it with less stress. Wedding coordinators have tons of packages, and many are willing to work with your budget to take specified items off your task list.
Choose Your Wedding Party
Asking your friends and family to be a part of your wedding party is a great honor. Many of the wedding party will have planning and preparing to do. It’s respectful to get them on board as soon as possible.
Since you’re on a shorter time frame than most weddings, it’s good to discuss expectations for bridal wear and attire early on with your wedding party. Bridesmaids dresses don’t take as long as custom wedding dresses, but they can take considerable time still. If you’re not feeling too strict on dresses, allow your bridesmaids to choose their dresses within a color palette and similar style to one another.
Decide If a Wedding Website is For You
If you’re going to use a wedding website, you’ll want to get it down now so that you can include it on your save-the-dates. Since you want to get those mailed out this month, it’s essential to have your site up and ready to go here too.
You already had your engagement photos done by now. You can use some of those photos on your site to set the tone for your wedding. A website is a great way to give out some vital information to guests long before they get an invite in the mail.
Your site can have anything you want in it. A lot of couples choose to put a snippet of their personal story on the website. You can include information for your wedding registry, maps of the local area, hotel recommendations, dress code, venue details, and any other information you’d like to share.
Mail Out Your Save the Dates
It’s starting to feel like wedding bells aren’t too far off in the distance at this point! Once you’ve selected and booked your venue, you can begin getting you to save the dates printed and ready to be mailed. In between, you can finalize your guest list and collect mailing addresses.
As soon as you’re able, send out your save-the-dates so that people can begin preparing to attend your big day!
There are plenty of options for getting custom or semi-custom save-the-dates, but on your shorter time frame, you might consider a D-I-Y approach. Some options, either way, are Minted, Shutterfly, and your local FedEx or Kinkos stores.
While you’re working on your save-the-dates, you can start designing your wedding invitations to match and get a head start on them. It never hurts to be over-prepared when you’re working on a six-month wedding plan.
4 Months Out
You’ve made some serious headway about wedding planning at this point, so pat yourself on the back! As time moves closer to your wedding day, things will begin to fall into place. Time is probably going by faster than you thought at this point, so remember to take a breather now and again and take a break when you need it.
Last Minute Vendors
If any of your vendors have fallen through or not panned out, now is your last chance to find appropriate bookings and accommodations. As long as you have your significant vendors booked at this point, you’re in good standing. Take a look at what you’ve got done and make any last-minute bookings for hair, nails, and make-up artists as needed.
Finalize Your Wedding Rings
Just like your wedding dress and other wedding attire, wedding bands are typically made to order. You may find the perfect wedding rings, but they’re not likely to fit you perfectly, so you may have to get sizing or other alterations done.
No matter what your wedding planning time frame began with, you don’t want to wait past the four-month mark to get your rings ordered. You should expect that your wedding rings could take 45 to 90 days to come back from being altered or made to fit you.
While many couples choose their bands from the same store that the engagement ring came from, you don’t have to limit yourself. There are plenty of options for beautiful wedding bands, and many jewelers will work with you to create the perfect band since, ultimately, they want your business.
3 Months Out
It’s official; you’ve reached the halfway mark! Just three months ago, you were saying, “Yes!” Now, three months from now, you’ll be saying, “I do!” There couldn’t be a more exciting time! Keep reading to find out all the tasks you’ll work on at your halfway point.
Time to Call the Caterer & Bakers
As your wedding quickly approaches, it’s finally time to finalize your menu and pick out your cakes. You might be doing one or several tastings with your caterer and baker. You can consider this your treat for making it halfway through your wedding planning since you’ll be getting to taste the beautiful foods and cake that will before your big day!
Call your caterer and your baker to start setting up appointments and making any necessary decisions about your cake and menu.
Send Out Those Invites!
You’ve done all the grunt work of the wedding so far. It’s time to continue with some of the more exciting tasks this month! You should have been designing and finalizing your invites along the way, so they should be just about ready to mail at this point.
If you haven’t finished up, now is the time. Keep in mind the location of your wedding when you’re sending out invitations. If you have a local celebration, you can send them out with about eight weeks’ notice. For a destination wedding, allow your guests up to 12 weeks’ notice to start their preparations.
Plan That Honeymoon
The halfway point of your wedding planning is like a big month of treats! If you haven’t done so already, you can start thinking about and planning your honeymoon. Whether you want to go all out and book a resort on a faraway island or take a more budget-friendly staycation, make sure to plan yourself some R&R for after your big day!
Flight and hotel deals can fluctuate, but 6 to 7 weeks away from your dates should offer you some great deals. If you’ve got the spending room left in your budget, treat yourself! If you need to keep an eye on your wedding dollars, get creative! You can have a wonderful time with your spouse-to-be in many affordable vacation spots.
2 Months Out
Your big day is fast approaching, and you may be feeling excited, overwhelmed, anxious, and thrilled! Getting closer to your wedding day can bring about all kinds of feelings you didn’t know you had. If you haven’t had the time yet, now is when you should take a few days off from thinking about the wedding and give yourself a break.
Making Final Preparations
It’s just about that time to start tying up all the loose ends and make your final preparations. Don’t forget to get with your officiant to hash out any last details. Head over to your county clerk if your wedding will be local to order your marriage license. If you’re having a destination wedding, you’ll need to plan accordingly for your marriage license.
Hair, Make-up & Nails
No one wants to be disappointed on their big day! Most people follow the recommendation not to cut or dye their hair too close to their wedding day since a bad cut or dye job could ruin the hopes you had for your big day.
If it’s important to you, you can book trial appointments for your hair, make-up, and nails. Getting your nails done will be an excellent way to relax and try out the style you’ll be rocking on your wedding day. Let your hairstylist and make-up artists give you a little glimpse of how special you’re going to feel very soon on your big day!
Get Your Party On
Last but not least, this month, it’s party time! That’s right; you’ve earned your right for a little celebration at this point. Your spouse will want to have their holiday while you have your bridal shower, bachelorette party, or some combination of both.
It’s customary for your wedding party to throw these parties for you, but if you’re the hands-on type, you may be interested in helping to plan, finalize, and enjoy these celebrations. These parties are a great time to thank your wedding party for hanging in there through all the wedding planning and have a stress-free day or night with friends and loved ones.
1 Month Out
Wow! You’re within the final month of the day you’ll say, “I do,” and spend the rest of your life with your chosen partner! The excitement has probably been steadily building to this point. Remember, now that you’re on the home stretch of your wedding day, try not to over-stress with the details. Everything will be falling into place, and soon enough, you’ll be standing across from your partner, committing a lifetime.
Finalizing Last Minute Details
Your wedding day is shortly on the horizon, now is not the time to forget the minor details, final preparations, and anything last-minute details. Now is a great time to consult your wedding coordinator if you have one.
If not, go through your list of vendors and make some confirmation calls. You’ll want to confirm dates, times, payment schedules, and make any final decisions should they be requesting it. You can use this time to catch up with your wedding party to make sure everyone is on the same page and answer any final questions anyone may have.
Now is also a great time to get without of town guests about any concerns or questions, confirm that they were able to get the accommodations they need, and make plans for spending time with any out of towners while they’re local.
By now, most of your RSVPs should have made their way back to you. You can confirm numbers with your vendors and start thinking about your seating chart if you’re planning to have one. If you’re printing name cards, now is your chance to get them finalized and printed!
Your Wedding Day
Can you believe that the day you walk down the aisle and say, ‘I do” is finally here? You’ve made it through some significant hurdles to get here! From vendor appointments and last-minute details, inviting all your loved ones and a few celebrations along the way, you’re finally ready to enjoy your big day.
If you opted for a wedding coordinator, you’d be able to sit back and relax on your big day. Take in all the details you worked so hard to plan, and don’t forget to live in the moment! If you decided against a wedding coordinator, enlist the help and support of your wedding party and loved ones!
Everyone is sure to be happy to help you enjoy your big day and help you make sure that the whole thing goes off without any glitches. Planning a wedding in a short six months was probably a lot like running a marathon. Today is the day you go from fiance to spouse; it’s a joyous time to celebrate and relish the time spent with those closest to you.
Throw your stress out the window, and enjoy your day!
Conclusion
You did it! Here you thought there would be no way to plan your wedding with a short, six-month time frame. But with a little bit of planning and forethought, anyone can make the wedding of their dreams happen to work with whatever time frame they’ve got. We hope you enjoyed the process along with your special day.