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9 months before the wedding checklist
12 months before your wedding
1 – Wedding venue: payments
Having a detailed structure for various payments will ease the stress for you financially as you’ll be able to budget accordingly and plan as effectively as you can.
Typically, 12 months away from your wedding day is when your next wedding venue installment will be due. It’s important to make sure that you have received a payment schedule from the venue by now so you’re fully aware of when they expect your wedding to be fully paid off by.
Your payment options will vary depending on the venue, as each will have established their own policy. However, you may also need to be prepared to settle payments with other suppliers, including caterers, as they may also be expecting a further commitment towards their services for your big day.
2 - Wedding dresses
This is by far one of the most awaited events during your whole wedding plan! Getting to choose your gown with those dearest to you and deciding exactly what you would like yourself to look like on your wedding day will definitely be one of your most memorable experiences.
At this stage, you may want to gather some of your family and friends whose company you love and whose opinion you trust to accompany you during your wedding dress appointments. Always bear in mind the season you are getting married in and styles that flatter your figure the most. Comfort is also crucial, so whatever wedding gown you decide to go for, remember you’ll be moving around a lot during your day.
This is all very exciting, because now is the time to start looking up local bridal boutiques and browsing their stock and designers. You can shortlist your favourites and arrange for a consultation, as many of them won’t allow walks-ins.
Having an agreed budget is also essential to manage expectations and to keep your planning on track. We always advise that you allow up to £200 on top of your agreed budget for any possible gown alterations that may be required after purchase.
Remember: be open-minded when looking for your dream dress! You won’t know what a dress looks like until you actually try them on, so trust your entourage and the boutique’s assistants.
3 – Wedding suppliers
Most couples will start their wedding plan 12 months or more before their special day. This is why shortlisting and securing a booking with your chosen suppliers is absolutely key, as many of them will have a busy year ahead and potentially very limited availability.
We always recommend that you carry out a thorough research by checking reviews before confirming any booking. At Manor Hill, for example, we make couples’ lives easier by providing them with a directory of suppliers and local businesses we have worked with before and can vouch for.
At this point in your wedding plan, you can start looking at booking the following:
- Hair and Make-up artists
- DJ or band
- Cake supplier
- Florist
- Photographer
- Videographer
- Stationery
- Transport
- Photobooth/Magic Mirror
- Any other entertainment such as Magicians, Bouncy Castles, Caricaturist, Fire dancers or Fireworks
4 - Church weddings
Wouldn’t it be perfect if we could just turn up to a church and ask someone to marry us? Sadly, that is not the case! Even for church weddings, there are lots of back and forth communication that happens in the process and a fair amount of paperwork involved.
Regardless of whether you’re getting married at a church, you’ll be required to give your notice of marriage. This is the legal paperwork which both you and your significant other have to complete before the marriage can take place. You will need to attend in person to give notice of your intention to marry and this will be the case even if you live in the same registration district.
If you are getting married at a church, make sure to contact them ahead of time regarding your banns read. Remember that if you are having your ceremony out of your parish, you will have to pay twice for them to be read; once in your parish area and again in the parish where you are getting married.
Another important detail is to put together your order of service. This is where you can include your marriage vows, ring exchange and signing of the register. You can also add your chosen readings, hymns, readers and exit music.
5 - Civil Ceremony
Civil ceremonies also require you to plan some things ahead of time. If you’re having your civil ceremony at Manor Hill for example, we recommend starting to plan the following 12 months before your wedding:
- Select your music choices for the ceremony. We would recommend choosing four tracks: one for the bride’s entrance, two for signing the register and one for leaving the ceremony room
- You are allowed to have readings at your civil ceremony as long as they do not have any religious connotations. Readings are a lovely way to involve key friends or family in your wedding who can read aloud something personal to you both as a couple