How to Plan Your Wedding In 6 Months!

We’re nearing the end of peak engagement season – if you got engaged over the Holidays, congratulations!

*Fun Fact: did you know Christmas Day is the most popular day to get engaged? The second being Valentine’s Day.*

The typical engagement period is usually 12-16 months, but varies for every couple! Some couples choose to get engaged, and get married nearly the next day! That’s cool too! Today I’m going to give you tips and tricks to planning your wedding in 6 months.

First things first…

Be open to not having your “dream wedding”.
If you’re planning your wedding in 6 months, it might be best to let go of some of your “dream wedding” ideas. Your dream venue may not be available, your preferred photographer may be fully booked, you’re probably going to have fewer options.

By letting go of some of those “dream wedding” ideas, you’ll be open to more options. Who knows, you may have originally been closed off to any other venues besides Semple Mansion, but by letting go of some of those visions, you would have never found out how beautiful and magical Van Dusen Mansion is.

Remember why this day matters.
It’s easy to get carried away with the party favors, or centerpiece decorations, or even the location of your venue, but try to remember the real reason this day matters.

Remind yourself that this day is about you and your partner committing your lives to one another; everything else is just minor details. You may find that you have to continuously remind yourself of this, but by doing so it will help alleviate stress if things don’t work out the way you originally wanted them to.

Don’t compare your wedding to others’.
I know, it’s easier said than done, and you’ve been saving pins and creating boards on Pinterest exactly how you want your wedding to turn out, but sometimes (no matter how long of an engagement you’re having) things don’t always work out. So stop comparing the wedding your planning to what you see on Pinterest, what you see on Say Yes to the Dress, or Four Weddings. Your wedding is for YOU and your partner!

This is another instance where you may have to continue to remind yourself why this day matters. 😉

Okay, moving on to ACTUALLY planning a wedding rather than advice… What you’re REALLY here for.

Month 1

• Take a weekend and have a little getaway with your new fiancé! Go out of town, just you two and soak up all the love you both have for each other.
• Pick your date(s) – it might actually be best to have a few dates in mind, since you are planning your wedding in a much shorter time, your first date of choice may not be available for your venue.
• Start putting together your guest list – this is actually super important so don’t skip this step! Many venues have a maximum capacity so it will save you quite a bit of time when visiting venues if you have a pretty good estimate of your number of guests.
• Tour venues! This can be incredibly fun, but it may also be frustrating if venues at the top of your list are fully booked for your wedding date. Remember to keep an open mind throughout the process!
• Contact your officiant 
• Start contacting vendors – Photographers, Videographers, DJ’s, Coordinators, Florists, Caterers, etc. It’s also important to start researching and reaching out to vendors as well due to the chance of them being fully booked on your wedding day.
• Find your dress! This is usually the task every bride wants to do right away but is recommended to wait until they have more of an idea of the style of their wedding, and the location, etc. Lucky for you, it’s important to start dress shopping right away so you can make sure any alterations are done in a timely manner.
• Decide on your bridal party – Now is a great time to put together a list of who you’d like to be in your bridal party and start finding different ways to ask them!
• Schedule your engagement photo session. This is a great way to get to know your photographer and their style before your wedding! Having your photos done early will also ensure that you can make your invitations and RSVP’s with your photos as well.
• Look into pre-marital counseling – not only is pre-marital counseling a good idea for any relationship, but it can also get you a discount on your marriage license if successfully completed!

Month 2

• Decide on bridal party attire – schedule fittings for both bridesmaids and groomsmen, try on different styles, make a final decision and get them ordered!
• Finalize your guest list 
• Order save the dates – address them – mail them!
• Start thinking about rehearsal dinner – Do you want to do the rehearsal at the venue and dinner at home, or at a restaurant? Do you want to do the entire rehearsal dinner in one location? These are important to start planning and discussing.
• BOOK your vendors
• Schedule taste testings – start scheduling taste testings to decide what you’d like to serve at your wedding, and what type of cake you want to have.
• Book hotel rooms – if you’re having your wedding at a hotel venue, or renting rooms for your guests to stay in during your wedding, now would be a good time to book those rooms.
• Register for gifts – Remember to register for gifts you’ll actually use, for gifts you want. It’s okay to register at multiple stores as well. Or if you prefer, you can ask your guests to put that money towards your honeymoon! That is a great gift and will help you and your spouse out a ton when it comes to planning and paying for your honeymoon.
• Start planning your honeymoon – Do you want to stay local? Have a destination honeymoon? Take a road-trip? Whatever you choose to do for your honeymoon, start doing research now if you plan to leave straight from your wedding.

Month 3

• Order and Send out invitations – you only have 3 months to go until your big day! Make sure to send those invites out soon so enough people have time to plan!
• Book your honeymoon! 
• Book rehearsal dinner location

Months 4 & 5

• Select decor & flowers – meet with different florists, shop for any decor, or start DIYing some of your own wedding decor!
• Continue to make final dress and tux alterations if need be 
• Plan for favors – a photo booth makes for great way to entertain your guests as well as doubles as a party favor! Another option is to do late night snacks like soft pretzels or pizza!
• Order details – programs, menus, guest book, place cards, etc.

Month 6 

• Create seating chart – start planning where you want your guests to sit. Note: if you’re having a buffet style dinner, a seating chart is not needed. If you’re having a plated meal, it is recommended to either have a seating chart, or have name tags and allow guests to seat themselves.
• Finalize & put together wedding favors
• Make wedding timeline – make sure to share this timeline with your family and bridal party so they are well prepared for your wedding day. (If you’re feeling ambitious, have this created for the wedding rehearsal and share then)
• Start writing thank you cards – Trust me, you’ll feel so much better if you get this done early! Thank you cards can take so much time, so try and get a head start on these as early as you can.
• Pick up your dress/tux
• Apply for your marriage license – I recommend doing this up to 1 month before your wedding.
• GET MARRIED!!!! 

There you have it! Tips and tricks to plan a wedding in 6 months. I hope these give you a good timeline if you’re planning to get married soon!

If you’ve planned your wedding in a short time, I’d love to hear what worked well for you and what didn’t! Leave us a comment below.