Next up in our What Should I Be Doing series is the 4-6 months away edition! We are getting that much closer to your wedding day and it is time to completely check off some big ticket items and then start to continuously work on some others. Remember ~ when wedding to dos are spaced out over a span of months, it is much easier to complete them and not feel overwhelmed when you are right around the corner from the big day!
The first big ticket item to complete is to book all of your remaining vendors for the wedding day. It is important that your vendor team is secured around this time so that you can shift your focus to the details of the wedding. Of course, there may be a last vendor that you want to book much closer to the date, but for the majority of your vendors, they should be finalized at this time. On this note: plan out your menu and set up a tasting with your caterer to finalize all of the menu selections and any rental orders that may go along with it. Rental orders will have to be adjusted when the RSVPs come in, but you definitely want to have the items picked out and the initial order placed.
Next up is to start finalizing floral plans as florists will need ample time to order all the necessary flowers for each wedding. Most florals that are in the proposal will be seasonal and popular, so florists want to ensure they have enough time to order the best of the best for all their couples. If you are ordering specialty florals then this step is crucial to ensure that your florist is able to find and order the flowers in time for your beautiful day!
When hiring a DJ, music playlists are one of those areas of wedding planning that can be consistently worked on over the months leading up to the big day. It is easy to hear a song and say “Oh yeah! I definitely want this on my reception dancing playlist” and add it to the list. If you have not started at all, this month is the perfect checkpoint to make the base of each playlist. Begin with 10 songs for pre-ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner and dancing. Then, over the next couple months, expand each category by 20 more songs and that should be all it takes to give your DJ a good sense of your taste in music. Most DJs even have a planning app or tool to make this process so much easier! Pro tip: give your DJ some leeway! They are the entertainment masters for the night and want to keep the dancefloor packed any way they can ~ and they will! When hiring a band, these playlists look a bit different or may not be needed at all and it is best to discuss with your band the best way to move forward with planning the music.
If you are local, we strongly recommend booking overnight accommodations for at least the night of your wedding, if not for a few days before, during and after! A hotel gives you the chance to relax without the pressure of at home chores while also providing a place that is cleaned regularly. If you would like, you can also couple this with having some family members stay at your house so that they can have a home base for leftovers, gifts, décor and anything else that you would like to ask family to assist with. If you are not local, book the overnight accommodations now so they are secure and waiting for you upon arrival.
Along these lines, this is the time to book any transportation that is missing! This includes transportation for guests to and from the wedding, the wedding party to get to and from the venue or other day of activities, the both of you to and from the venue (and other wedding events) and do not forget to add in honeymoon transportation!
If you are local, we strongly recommend booking overnight accommodations for at least the night of your wedding, if not for a few days before, during and after! A hotel gives you the chance to relax without the pressure of at home chores while also providing a place that is cleaned regularly. If you would like, you can also couple this with having some family members stay at your house so that they can have a home base for leftovers, gifts, décor and anything else that you would like to ask family to assist with. If you are not local, book the overnight accommodations now so they are secure and waiting for you upon arrival.
Along these lines, this is the time to book any transportation that is missing! This includes transportation for guests to and from the wedding, the wedding party to get to and from the venue or other day of activities, the both of you to and from the venue (and other wedding events) and do not forget to add in honeymoon transportation!
This is a great time to also start any beauty routines or try out any new beauty products or services that you would not normally try, but would like to do on your wedding day. If something does not sit right with your skin, teeth or hair, it is better to know now and not later down the road! Also, think about what style of hair you are going for on the wedding day and start preparing for that style by growing your hair out or finding a barber that will give you the perfect fade. You want to look and feel your best on the big day!
By regularly ordering items for your wedding, starting about this time, allows things to get checked off the list and not pile up and hit you at once. Below are some items that make sense to order now!