January 2005

What's a Girl to Do?

The Bride’s Checklist

12 Months Before the Wedding

• Select a wedding consultant to help you avoid wasting time or money.
• Set a preliminary budget.
• Confirm ceremony date, time and site.
• Select attendants.
• Reserve the reception site.
• Select and book caterers, photographers, videographers, florists, musicians and other service providers.
• Begin compiling guest list.
• Select wedding dress, headpiece and bridesmaid’s dresses.
• Start planning your honey moon.

9 Months Before

• Attend premarital classes.
• Choose and order the dress accessories.
• Register for china and gifts.
• Shop for a new home.

6 Months Before

• Make deposits and sign contracts for wedding services.
• Choose bridesmaid’s dresses and accessories.
• Choose flower girl’s dress.
• If you’re traveling, make sure your passports and visas are up to date.
• Complete honeymoon plans with groom.
• Discuss rehearsal dinner with groom.

4 Months Before

• Verify that the wedding gown, bridesmaid’s dresses and the flower girl’s dress have been ordered.
• Make sure guest’s addresses are accurate.
• Order invitations, announcements and personal stationary.
• Select and order formalwear for the groom and his attendants.
• Ensure all out-of-town male attendants have submitted their measurements to the formalwear provider.
• Verify that both mothers have selected and ordered their dresses.
• Investigate requirements for medical tests and other records for your marriage license.
• Design a map to direct guests to the ceremony and reception sites.
• Complete registering.
• Choose wedding rings and arrange for engraving.
• Shop for trousseau.

2 Months before

• Schedule final fitting.
• Finalize bridal registry.
• Confirm ceremony details with your officiant.
• Finish addressing invitations and announcements.
• Finalize wardrobe for showers, pre-wedding parties and honeymoon.
• Shop for bridal party gifts.
• Shop for accessories (shoes, stockings, garter, purse, cake knife, candles and guest registration book).
• Plan your bridesmaid’s party.
• Schedule and appointment with your hairdresser and makeup consultant.
• Finalize and verify all details with service providers.
• Order wedding cake.

6 Weeks Before

• Mail invitations.
• Confirm all attendants have been fitted for formal wear.
• Set rehearsal and inform all who will need to be there.
• Make final menu decisions.
• Discuss wedding photo shots with photographer and videographer.
• Send announcement to newspaper.
• Write thank you notes for gifts.

2 Weeks Before

• Pick up wedding gown and confirm that it fits properly.
• Take care of blood and medical tests and marriage license.
• Finalize musical selections for the ceremony and reception.
• Finalize seating chart for reception.
• Finish addressing announcements to mail on wedding day.
• Pick up wedding rings.

1 Week Before

• Give final guest count for the reception to your caterer.
• Practice applying makeup for the wedding day, if you’re doing it on your own.
• Confirm details with all service providers.
• Verify all bridesmaids and groomsman have picked up their formalwear.
• Confirm that all attendants know when to arrive at the rehearsal, rehearsal dinner and wedding ceremony.
• Confirm honeymoon plans.
• Make a list of names and pronunciation for the best man to mention in his introduction, if appropriate.
• Cancel newspaper and mail while you’re away.
• Pay up coming bills that will be due while you’re away.
• Pack for honeymoon.
• Arrange to move belongings to new home.

1—2 Days Before

• Review any special seating arrangements with ushers.
• Groom pick up formalwear.
• Have marriage license.
• Check all final details with caterer, florist, musicians, etc.

The Night Before

• Take some time for yourself to be quiet. Close your eyes and visualize every step of the coming day. This will relax you and help prevent unforeseen incidents.
• Sleep. You have the biggest day of your life ahead of you. You want to look and feel your best. Make sure to make time with family, especially parents, to share memories of times gone by and to say thank you. Take photos of your last hours at home as a single person.

The Morning of...

• Have a small meal before leaving for the wedding location.
• Don’t bring too many personal items to the wedding location.
• Stay calm. If you’re running behind schedule, take a deep breath and remember that the ceremony will wait for you! Your family and friends want to see you shine, not frazzled because you are running late. So relax.
• Looking, feeling and radiating your happiness is what counts.

2 Hours Until I Do: Groom, best man and groomsmen get together begin dressing.

45 Minutes: Ushers arrive at the wedding sight, pick up boutonnieres and programs, go over seating plans and wait at the entrance to the church for the guests to arrive.

30 Minutes: Organ or some type of music begins, final check of marriage license, mother and attendants leave for the wedding site, ushers seating guests.

20 Minutes: Groom and best man arrive, father (or bride’s escort) and bride leave for the ceremony site.

10 Minutes: Bridal party and parents wait in the back of church while other relatives are seated.

5 Minutes: Mother of the groom is escorted to her seat (unless it’s a Jewish ceremony) with groom’s father walking right behind the usher, then taking his seat beside his wife (mother of the groom in the pew first with the father sitting on the aisle); bride and father arrive at ceremony site; mother of the bride is escorted down the aisle.

1 Minute: If there is an aisle runner, two ushers walk in step to the front of the church and unroll the runner and walk in step to the back of the church, unrolling the runner as they go. They then take their place in the procession. And now the moment you have waited for: the rabbi/priest/minister takes his/her place along with the groom and best man. In Christian tradition, the groom and best man enter from chancel door and stand facing the congregation at an angle, with the groom standing nearest the minister and the best man one step behind the groom. In Jewish tradition, the groom and best man are part of the wedding procession. As the ceremony begins, the guests will rise to watch the bride make her entrance.

Smile. This is your moment!

After the Honeymoon: Report your name change to Social Security. Call 1-800-772-1213 or on line at www.ssa.gov