Wedding timelines have a sincere purpose in planning your big day. Not only do they help you stay organized, but they help you check items off your list, remind you when deposits are due, and when you should book all of the items in between. A wedding planning timeline isn’t iron clad in the sense that you have to follow it, but some of the reasons things appear in the timeline as they do is simply due to etiquette. For the career procrastinator, the eternally late, those that are time challenged–I give you the key to wedding kingdom of timelines and how strict you should be when adhering to them.
What To Follow
Some things on the wedding timeline or checklist are there for a reason. The reason you strictly follow these all comes down to etiquette and availability. Venues, hair stylists, DJs, photographers, caterers–they can all book out a year in advance. That’s why the checklist reminds you what month to start booking these vendors. Also invitations and Save The Dates are a must to follow–especially if you have out of town guests or you throw a destination wedding.
What Not To Follow
A lot of brides simply use a checklist to prioritize. You don’t have to strictly adhere to it, especially if you’re doing things a little different. If you’re not having an epic cake with three thousand tiers or you’re going the cupcake route, then you can wait to book a baker. If you’re doing a Spotify playlist instead of a DJ, you can do this in your spare time–no need to call around a year in advance. If you’re a laid back couple, you might not even be doing some of the things on the timeline; however, you will want one for the “day of” that way things go super-smooth.
DIY Wedding Planner
When you don’t have someone guiding your big day, a wedding planning timeline can be so super helpful. Don’t be the modern bride who forgot her flowers, or forgot to book a get-a-way car. Simply fill out a timeline. You can opt for a 12-month checklist that includes a breakdown of the entire “day of”, that way you don’t forget anything. You may get ahead of your deadline, and that’s okay. Better to be prepared than running around like a chicken with its head cut off.
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