12 Month Wedding Checklist

 

We understand planning your wedding can sometimes feel overwhelming and stressful. So many thoughts run through your mind: what colors do I pick, who will be in our wedding party, where do I find a tux, how do I make my seating chart (just to name a few!)?

Post-Engagement:

First things first, pop a bottle of champagne or cider and celebrate! Take time to spend with your fiance and truly celebrate the start of your forever. After that, it’s time to start planning!

The first step of planning is to find your venue and solidify your date. You’re here reading this blog, so that means that you have (hopefully) inquired with us and reserved your all-inclusive wedding package at Venue at the Grove! If you have yet to inquire, call us now – we would LOVE to speak with you about your dream day!

So, you’ve solidified your venue and wedding date – congratulations! We have set up a 12 month wedding checklist to give you a starting point for planning your big day.

12 Month Before:

-Make a guest list. When putting together your guest list, keep in mind your spending plan and the venue capacity. Think about your closest family and friends who you want to spend your big day with, and make sure they are on your list!

-Start to solidify your wedding party. Ask your family and/or friends to be the ones to stand by your side on your wedding day!

-Connect with your photographer! With our all-inclusive packages, we have a handful of phenomenal photographers that we work with. We will connect you with the available photographers for your big day – all you have to do is select the one you love.

10 to 11 Months Before:

-Have an engagement party! This is 100% optional, and it is another great way to celebrate your love with your family and friends.

-Start shopping for your wedding attire! Are you wearing a dress? Are you wearing a sparkly jumpsuit? Will you be in a red tuxedo? These are things you will want to start thinking about around 10 months out, especially if you need alterations done as you get closer to the big day.

-Meet with our DJs. We work with a couple incredible DJ companies, and we will connect you with them when it’s time. We recommend you speak with all options before solidifying your DJ.

-Book hotel-room blocks for your out of town guests. It is important to get these reserved sooner rather than later. Ask our team for a list of the hotels we have preferred rates with!

8 to 9 Months Before:

-Send Save the Dates (if you plan on doing so). This is the time to prepare your guests with basic information about your wedding! Doing this gives your guests plenty of time to request days off work if needed and schedule travel and accommodations.

-Create your wedding registry. Some popular places to register are Amazon, Target, Macy’s, Crate & Barrel and more! Another option is to set up a honeymoon (or home) fund where guests can contribute a dollar amount instead of purchasing you a specific gift.

-Meet with your florists. This is usually the time when we will connect you with your florists to start discussing your floral vision for your day! Are you thinking of whimsical and colorful florals or more simple elegant greenery? Either way, your florist will be able to aid you in your floral planning.

6 to 7 Months Before:

-Meet with the caterer. It is time for your complimentary tasting with Ensemble Catering! We will reach out to you to schedule your tasting, so all you have to do is show up with an empty stomach and a big appetite!

-Meet with the cakery. Another food tasting coming your way! This is when you will have a tasting of different flavors and fillings for your cake. You’ll be able to discuss with the cakery your vision of this sweet treat.

-Hire your wedding officiant. Whether that be a family friend or a professional officiant, this is when you should start discussing your ceremony with them!

5 Months Before:

-Order invitations. These typically take some time to order, address and send out, so start thinking about having these made sooner rather than later!

-Shop for additional formal wear. If you have yet to purchase your wedding day attire, now is the time to do so! Start shopping for your accessories (i.e. shoes and jewelry)

-Meet with your Event Manager! We schedule a planning meeting with you to go over some more fun details of your day such as timeline, layouts, place settings, colors and more! This will assist you the rest of the way with your planning process.

3 to 4 Months Before:

-Start crafting do-it-yourself (DIY) projects, if you have yet to do so!. DIY crafts are becoming increasingly popular and add a personalized touch to your day. The drawback is that they do take a while to make, so grab your wedding party and start crafting!

-Meet with your officiant. This is when we recommend meeting with your officiant to go through your ceremony more in-depth. Are there certain things that you’d like your officiant to talk about? Are you planning on doing a unity ceremony? Start solidifying those little details!

-Hire wedding day transportation. Something couples tend to forget about is how they are getting to and from the venue! This is another opportunity for you to get creative: book a party bus for your wedding party to arrive on or have a 1937 Rolls Royce Phantom wisp you away into the night as newlyweds!

2 Months Before:

-Send out invitations. Make sure to give yourself enough time for your guests to RSVP and still be able to get your venue and caterer the final guest count.

-Pick up your marriage license. This is SO important – you are unable to get legally married without a license!

1 Month Before:

-Create a seating chart. Now that you have all of your RSVPs, it is the perfect time to create your seating chart!

-Schedule your 30 Day Wrap Up meeting. We will reach out to schedule your finalization meeting! This is where we will need your final guest count, any dietary restrictions, along with getting the other little details solidified for your wedding.

-Final wedding attire fittings. Make sure your dress or suit fits like a glove! Do any last-minute alterations along with finalizing your accessories.

Bonus: The Night Before and Morning Of!

-Drink lots of water. Stay hydrated in this dry Arizona heat!

-Get a good night of sleep.

-Eat breakfast (yes, you need to eat!).

-Arrive at the venue with your wedding party and start the celebration!

Yes, we know this seems like a lot of steps – that is why we are here for you! If you break your wedding planning process up into months or even weeks, it makes the entire process so much smoother and stress-free for you. And always remember, you get to marry the love of your life!!! So take it one step at a time and enjoy every single step of the way.