Your Wedding Plan - The 12 Month Guide
Congratulations on your engagement!
We are elated to celebrate your love and lend a helping hand to create the wedding of your dreams. Our wedding plan is a 12-month journey which helps you glide through the year with assurance that all your essential to-do items are taken care of and you aren’t forgetting one single detail. From choosing your wedding bands to saying “I do,” we have equipped you with a complete planning timeline to ensure your year ahead is outlined for you every step of the way. Happy planning love-birds!
Now that you are engaged and naturally delirious with excitement, the first few months are when you’ll lay the foundation for all your wedding plans — and ultimately set yourself up for success with planning the most memorable moment of your life. Whilst we understand you’re probably still bouncing around on cloud 9 and glancing at the sparky addition to your left hand every other minute, we can’t emphasise enough how important it is to start by setting your budget before you skip to any of the wedding planning fun. Your budget will help narrow down the list of venues to consider, predict your guest list number, and help you prioritise what’s most meaningful to you and your fiancé.
Once this has been arranged, you can move on to more appealing aspects such as creating your wedding dream board, looking for that perfect dress, touring idyllic venues, and connecting with suppliers who will bring your wildest wedding dreams to life. The key component is to always align your values, ideals and expectations to the overarching vision and give yourself enough time to do your research. While there are always a few windy roads to navigate with any big event, this will ensure the rest of the wedding planning journey is smooth sailing and nothing short of utter enjoyment.
view our visual wedding guide.
12+ MONTHS
Set a Budget
Before you begin any sort of planning, it’s essential to grasp an understanding of how much you’re willing to spend. While tradition deems the bride’s parents responsible for the cost of their daughter’s wedding, modern-day celebrations rarely stick to that rule. Perhaps arrange a family dinner meeting to initiate a polite conversation about contributions or brainstorm ways those valuable extra dollars can be saved as a couple for your one special day.
Craft a Guest List
Look at extending invitations as a way of being surrounded by those you love and who love you. Ensure the guest list reflects the value of relationships in both of yours and your partner’s life and who will truly compliment the ceremonious occasion.
Locate and Secure Your Venues
As guided above, draw up your guest list before booking your venue. There is nothing more heartbreaking than falling in love with a venue but being limited with the number of guests it can accommodate. Every wedding venue has its positives and not-so-positive attributes, so find a place that appeals to your unique couple style based on your numbers.
Book a Planner
Spoil yourself and hire some help. A wedding planner can offer support with all of the finer, more intricate details. They’re superstars at negotiating with vendors and can enlighten you with ideas and solutions you may not have considered.
Put Together Your Wedding Party
Rely on your closest friends who support you to be there on your biggest day, after all, that’s what friendships are all about. Carefully select the groomsmen and bridesmaids that make sense to stand by you and your hubby-to-be as you declare your everlasting love. When it comes to your day, it’s most definitely not about matched sets; it’s about the people who are more significant. Remember, the photographs will most likely last a lifetime, so those who stand beside you will need to be the people you’re looking forward to displaying on your living room wall for years to come.
9 MONTHS
The Dress
Fact. It can take up to nine months for a gown you’ve ordered to be made and fit perfectly; especially if there’s a pre-marital health kick involved - to ensure that relentless glow before the big day of course! This is the time to also research your hair and make-up artist. Instagram is a great place to start. Book a trial and secure them for the day of.
Book The Essentials: The Caterer, Photographer, and Music Ensemble
If your chosen venue doesn’t cater, you’ll want to start looking into catering companies at this point. When hiring a photographer or videographer, it’s wise to ask if seeing the whole wedding shoot is possible, not just the featured highlights. Also, musical gigs book out fast, especially during summer or wedding season, so be sure to secure the band or DJ for all the right vibes from the start to the very end of the day.
Resources For Guests
A wedding website is truly a godsend for communicating updates and plans for the big day. Once you have this sorted, consider booking a number of hotel rooms for your travelling guests to stay and be comfortable in. Alternatively, provide some accommodation suggestions and contacts via your website as well as travel information.
9 – 6 MONTHS
Book Your Florists
Every florist appreciates a visual. It’s helpful to offer your florist images of arrangements you love and the names of your favourite flowers, particularly those that hold sentimental value to you. Maybe you want to echo the ones your grandmother carried in her bouquet or choose some based off the first bunch of flowers he sent you. Anything is possible. One thing is for sure, however, whether it’s an elegant formal wedding or a barefoot beach wedding, choose a collection that’s reflective of you and the event.
Hire The Officiant
This is the time to find a celebrant who resonates with your couple style and taste. No matter what the setting, whether it be a church, synagogue, mosque, or temple, connecting with the individual who binds you together plays a significant part. Connect with them over a coffee date and establish the tone you wish to embrace.
Order For: The Bridesmaids
After the beaming bride, the bridesmaid gowns are the next most important ensemble. From colour to style, now is the time to select what your lavish ladies will be wearing – will dresses be uniform or mismatched? Make sure each bridesmaid has her dress ordered and sized appropriately within this timeframe as well, along with all of their accessories and shoes if necessary.
Order Your Wedding Rings and Bridal Jewellery
There’s no greater reminder of your big day than the rings exchanged by you and your loved one, so it’s critical that you choose carefully at this stage. Thankfully, York has curated a selection of wedding jewellery bound to delight any taste. From classic gold bands, to eye-catching, diamond encrusted pieces, they’re the perfect expression and celebration of love. Of course, our experienced jewellers are happy to arrange a custom design or engraving, and a wide selection of earrings, necklaces, and bracelets are available to help set off your bridal ensemble.
6 – 4 MONTHS
Devise a Reception Timeline
Gone are the days where guests and the wedding party are required to sit down for a five-course dinner followed by a few laps around the dance floor. Not all receptions need to be so involved or regimented. Yours could be a delightful brunch, a cocktail affair, or an intimate family-style gathering. You can also get creative with the wedding cake - towers of donuts, pancakes, churros, and even cheese are increasingly popular options for those wishing to forgo the traditional gateau.
Order Props and Stationary
Order all the wedding day extras that add a touch of glimmer and fun. From your bomboniere to confetti, wedding bubbles, rose petals and disposable cameras - it all counts. This is also where you would order important stationery items such as wedding invitations, RSVP's, thank you notes, place cards, bridal registry cards etc. Aim to have these items printed sixteen weeks prior to the wedding date to allow for overseas guests to make arrangements in good time.
Order The Groom and Groomsmen’s Suits
They say the clothes maketh the man, so it’s a good idea to allow plenty of time for the groom and groomsmen’s suits to be chosen, fitted, and ordered. Whether they match the bridesmaid’s dresses with a coloured tie or pocket square is up to the both of you, though it’s wise to set the groom apart with a contrasting waistcoat, tie, pair of shoes, or accessory.
3 – 2 MONTHS
Service and Reception Plan
Very important, finalise the floor plan for your wedding reception. Start by asking yourself these questions. Where shall the bridal table be situated? How will the guest tables be arranged? Where is wise to position the band? Where is the most visible place to cut the cake? Where will the dance floor be, and where should speeches take place? With all of the strategising taking place, it is the perfect time to also devise your order of service for the wedding ceremony and select (or start writing your own) hymns, vows and readings.
Send Wedding Invitations
When sending invitations, it’s recommended that the RSVP date be set one month prior to the wedding. This will afford you time to contact anyone who is yet to respond. Remember that invitations are a great way to communicate your expectations of guests and the tone of the day itself, so don’t be afraid to inject some personality into them. A fun question, poem, request, or design will give recipients a taste of things to come.
Gift Giving
With your big day around the corner, take care of one last thing before things start to speed up even more. Buy your gifts for the bridesmaids and groomsmen, mum and dad, and of course for each other too. York Jewellers has supported a tremendous amount of clients with this very thoughtful but also very necessary part of the wedding journey. For all your wedding gift needs, book an appointment in-store.
2 - 1 Months
- Pick up wedding rings and get engraved if necessary.
- Create a run sheet for the day or organise the order of toasts and speeches.
- Hold your bridal shower and hen’s celebration and bucks do to avoid any sore heads or accidents close to the big day
- Book an appointment at a beauty salon for at least 1 week before the wedding day for any waxing, facials requirements and arrange a manicure and pedicure for a few days prior.
- Book in the entire bridal party for the wedding ceremony rehearsal. This generally should be held a week leading up to the big day.
- Pack for the honeymoon. You don’t want to start married life with the stress of preparing for a big flight, cruise, or road trip, so it’s good to organise this ahead of time.
- Confirm Confirm Confirm. From the wedding cars to the wedding flowers. The wedding entertainment, hair and makeup artists, the wedding photographer and videographer etc. Ensure everything is triple checked at least one month beforehand.
- Most importantly, have your engagement ring professionally cleaned by the team at York Jewellers to ensure optimal sparkle for all to see on the day.
0 Weeks
Your Wedding Day
As the saying goes, hard work pays off. The most important aspect of this part of the journey is to not worry about a thing and relish every single second of the day. From waking up on the morning you have been forever dreaming about, to unveiling the dress to your loved ones, cherish it. Don’t worry about the weather, don't panic about your lipstick rubbing off, be mindful of the present and create an everlasting moment because one thing is for sure, when the bride is beaming with joy - so is everyone else, and what is more important than that?
For all your jewellery wedding needs, we are here to guide you at York Jewellers.