Planning Tips

Timeline | 2 – 5 months to go

I’m back this month with my next instalment of the Wedding Planning Series. If you haven’t been following this planning series so far, you can find previous posts linked here:

Kickstart your Wedding Plans

Planning Tips | 9 – 11 months to go

Planning Tips | 6 – 8 months to go

 

5 MONTHS
Reserve your accommodation

If your venue doesn’t have any accommodation, you may want to look into confirming a hotel or two for your guests to stay in, if they’re travelling from afar. Many hotels will allow you to block book a number of rooms for a preferential rate, which you’re either able to cover yourselves, or guests can contact the hotel directly to book their own rooms. Consider how close they are to the venue, and the accessibility. Are they able to walk, or are taxis required? For your own accommodation, you might like to arrange this in the same property, or perhaps you would prefer somewhere more private and secluded.

Confirm Transport Requirements

Depending on where you will be staying the night prior to your celebrations, you may require a Bridal car to chauffeur you from your home or hotel to the venue. There are many options available, including vintage cars, luxury executive cars, sports cars, or even a VW Camper! Plan timings well, so that your car will be waiting for you in plenty of time for some photographs and to ensure you arrive for the Ceremony on time.

You may also need transport for your guests, if their accommodation is located some distance from your venue, you could offer a coach service to collect guests and bring them to the venue, and again return them at the end of the night. If your Ceremony and Reception venues are a drive apart, this is another transport consideration – as a coach transfer for your guests will make their day much more comfortable and at ease than having to source parking and worry about driving between the two.

4 MONTHS

Send your Invitations

Now is the time to prepare your wedding invitations to send to your guests. Your Wedding Planner will be able to do this for you, to alleviate the time and admin required. Ensure you have a spreadsheet prepared to collate all of the RSVP data which will be returning; including their dietary requirements and accommodation preferences.

This is an exciting moment, as it’s the first tangible experience your guests will have of your celebrations, and sets the tone for the design elements of your wedding!

3 MONTHS

Confirm your Catering Selections

Following your tasting, you should now be in a position to make some decisions on your menu; which canapés to serve during your drinks reception, your seated meal, and any evening food during your late night entertainment. Now is the time to be honest about any changes you might like to make from the dishes presented to you at your tasting.

You should also be able to select your final wine list, along with Champagne selections and any bar requirements – if you are planning to offer cocktails for your guests at any point, you should discuss these with your Bar Manager and curate your cocktail list.

Finalise your Design Details

In the last blog post, we discussed place settings and design details. Now is the time to finalise all of those to ensure you have everything you might need to create those luxurious looks on the day. This includes linens, candles, crockery, glassware and flatware, for your tablescape designs, and any props, candles and seating decor for your Ceremony, and any fun, interactive details for your evening Reception.

2 MONTHS

Order your Wedding Day Stationery

Your Wedding Day Stationery includes any stationery items that you’ll need on your wedding day, such as Ceremony Order of Service booklets, a seating plan, menu cards, place names and table numbers or names. It also includes larger items of signage, such as a welcome sign as guests arrive, an order of the day guideline, or cocktail menus for the bar. It’s vital that you triple check the details before sending everything to print, to ensure you haven’t misspelt any of your guests names, or forgotten anyone from your seating plan, as it can be a costly fix once the main print run has been completed!

Finalise your Floral Designs

You’ll already have been speaking with your florist about some designs for your wedding, and should have a good idea of what your arrangements will look like, but now is a great time to finalise those details, and quantities – particularly for your bridal flowers and table arrangements. If there are any additional arrangements which you’d love to add, you can do these now as well; perhaps for your cake, seating plan, or evening grazing table.

Finalise the Logistics

Whilst compiling your wedding schedule for your celebrations, it’s a good idea to confirm timings of deliveries, collections, and set up times for each of your key suppliers. Think about the timeline of your event logically, and work out when the best times would be to avoid waiting times, additional delivery charges and how many suppliers will be on site at one time. Is this manageable, and does it work in terms of having the right items at the best times? I’m incredibly proud of my Wedding Day Schedules; often in excess of 30 pages – and are my absolute bible when it comes to arriving on site for a wedding, as it contains everything my team and I need to know to ensure the seamless organisation and delivery of the event! If you don’t have a Wedding Planner, yours obviously doesn’t need to be quite as detailed, but at the very least – ensure it has contact details for key suppliers, and a thorough timeline of the set up and delivery of your celebration. Fellow Wedding Planner, Katrina Otter, wrote a great piece for Coco Wedding Venues a little while ago with some top tips for creating a simple Wedding Day Schedule for your own wedding. You can read that HERE.

I hope that helps a little with your planning journey, but if you’d like to learn more about my Wedding Planning Services, CLICK HERE to read more about what I offer and GET IN TOUCH to schedule a complimentary discovery call – I’d love to hear from you!

Jeni x