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3 months before the wedding checklist
6 months to your wedding day
Don’t worry, we understand: it’s very hard to stick to one thing at a time when planning your wedding. Some things are more important than others depending on which stage of your wedding planning you’re at and hopefully, this is when these checklists can come in to help you.
When you’re only 6 months away from your wedding day, you will most likely have already ticked a few things off your list, such as planning your honeymoon, choosing your preferred wedding hair and make-up and organising your catering options.
Now is the time to start looking at other important boxes that need some ticking off!
1 - Wedding venue decoration
Your wedding venue decoration is one of the most important aspects when trying to create a certain atmosphere to your wedding. There are many venue stylists and dressers available for weddings in every county across the UK.
Most stylists and dressers will have showrooms and will be able to offer consultations to discuss your requirements. You can also ask to see their portfolio which will be useful when guiding you through the available options. With so much beautiful variety, it can be easy to lose sight of costings, so a professional will be able to meet your needs whilst being considerate of your budget.
There are a number of venues who can also offer décor items in-house and some may be included in your wedding package. At Manor Hill House, we have a full range of ‘Finishing Touches’ available to our couples, making it easier to decorate the venue and to enhance spaces, saving time and money for our couples.
Pinterest is also a great starting point to identify your theme and colour scheme for your wedding day. Once you have decided on the ‘look’ for the day, this makes it easier to identify if you are able to decorate yourself or whether you need to seek help from an external source.
2 - Wedding coordinator
Nearly all UK venues have an in-house wedding and events team to support you in the build up to your big day, who you can call on if you have any questions and who are able to advise throughout the various stages in the planning process.
If you haven’t already, 6 months before your wedding is a great time to arrange an appointment with your wedding coordinator so you can discuss how far you have gone in your planning and confirm anything you’re unsure about. Their focus is to support you so ensure that you take full advantage of their knowledge and don’t be afraid to ask questions! They are there for you. Also make sure that you ask for any final wedding information if they haven’t already sent it to you.
You may have opted for a DIY venue, where you hire the venue and take care of everything else yourself. If so, hiring a wedding coordinator may make this process a little bit less daunting, as they can help source suppliers and assist with the timeline. Many will also be available on the day itself, helping you to manage your guests and present suppliers.
3 - Dress fitting
By now you will have ordered your dress and will likely be waiting for a call to let you know it has arrived at the boutique. This is when you’ll be able to schedule your very first wedding dress fitting for both yourself and your bridesmaids.
Here is a list of a few good tips when attending your dress fitting:
- Bring the underwear you’re planning on wearing on your wedding day. If you haven’t purchased this yet, consider what might be best when you are wearing your dress
- Also bring the shoes you’re planning to wear
- Consider the type of jewellery that might work well with your dress, such as tiaras and veils
- Make sure you can sit in the dress, as you’ll be eating at your wedding breakfast and you don’t want to be uncomfortable at all on your wedding day
- Ensure your dress isn’t altered to be too tight, as you will likely be consuming a three course meal, evening food, wedding cake and drinks
- Don’t be afraid to discuss the alterations with the seamstress as you need to make sure that they consider your wishes
The main thing to consider when attending your first wedding fitting, though, is to enjoy it! Suddenly, everything will start feeling very real when you’re standing there with your wedding dress on.
4 - Wedding rings
At this point of your wedding planning, you might be considering wedding bands. If you’d like your wedding band to match your engagement ring, a good idea is to visit the jeweller the engagement ring was purchased from as they’re likely to have something that goes well together.
Some couples prefer to match their wedding bands whilst others prefer to stick to their own personal and individual style. Traditionally, the former used to be more true. However, individual bands have become increasingly more popular. Therefore, there really is no right or wrong as it is all down to individual preferences.
It is also important to consider your lifestyle when choosing the right wedding band. If either you or your partner have jobs that entail outside work, for example in a farm or construction, you may want to look at all options of metals and rocks as you may have more suitable selections depending on the ring’s future level of exposure.
5 - Wedding cake
What is a wedding without a wedding cake?!
Nowadays, the options for your wedding cake are infinite. You can choose a traditional sponge wedding cake or more creative options, such as cakes of cheese and even pork pie cakes.
Not everyone is a fan of sponge cakes, so another option is the very famous ‘naked cake’. Naked cakes don’t have any icing as this can sometimes be too much or too thick for people’s taste. They also allow you to see all the different sponge tiers, making it a beautiful addition once complemented by fresh fruits or flowers.
If you have more of a savoury tooth then a cake of cheese or a pork pie cake may be the way to go. These cakes still look fantastic for photos and have tiers like your traditional sponge cake but depending on your guests, these cake choices may go down a treat on your wedding day. Once you have officially cut your cake, serving up cheese with crackers and other accompaniments makes for a great late evening snack, too.
6 - Table wedding favours
Table favours are a great way to thank your guests for joining you and your partner on your special day and to give them a token of your gratitude. There are numerous ideas for favours and here are some of our favourites:
- Instead of treats, some couples hand out charity support pin badges to put the money they would have otherwise spent on favours towards a charity close to them
- Seeds “let love grow”, providing a lovely way to support the planet with some seeds for guests to plant in their garden and enjoy the memory of your wedding day
- Edible treats such a chocolates, mints, biscuits, sweets or even items to take home such a hot chocolate mixture or mini alcohol bottles
Favours are an endearing addition to the wedding table but not a necessity, so if you are unsure on what favours to provide, you can always opt to not have any!
7 - Wedding invitations
Your wedding invitations are another part of your decor and can be designed to match your theme and colours. They’re also one of the most vital parts of your wedding, as they allow your guests to organise their schedule and make appropriate plans in advance.
When you send out your invitations, we always recommend the following:
- Let guests know the ceremony time and ask them to arrive no more than 45 minutes prior to this
- Give directions or a map to the venue and to the church if it is not a civil ceremony
- Ask for guests’ special dietary requirements as it is extremely important to cater for all guests correctly, especially if they have any allergies/intolerances
- Include local taxi and hotel information and let guests know who are the local firms to use
- Include an RSVP date of two months prior to the wedding day