Wedding countdown checklist 12 Months

12 Months (or more) To Go:

Announce your engagement,

Select wedding date,

Set a budget,

Hire a wedding planner,

Brainstorming the ideas & themes,

Contact Bridesmaids & Groomsmen,

Reserve your ceremony & reception location,

Choose celebrant / priest / minister,

Book a photographer & videographer,

Explore caterer, florist and the entertainment (music, dance, Dj, etc),

Explore Bridal gown, Accessories & Tuxedo,

Do souvenir research,

Choose a Master of Ceremony,

Research honeymoon destination,

BRIDE AND GOWN FOR WEDDING

Announced by the Bride and Groom

Lisa Winter, a graduate of Geneseo College, is to be married to Mark Maroon, a graduate of Syracuse University. Ms. Winter, the daughter of the late William and Sophia Winter, is a professor at Rochester Community College. Mr. Maroon is a systems analyst at Bloomsday, Mothersbaugh.

THE BRIDES FAMILY FOR WEDDING GOWN

The Bride's Family ,Mr. and Mrs. George Diaz of Brooklyn announce the engagement of their daughter, Lisa Alice to William McGuire, son of Lewis and Mary McGuire of Freeport, New York. Ms. Diaz graduated summa cum laude from Smith College, and is a real estate agent with the Towne Home Realty in Brooklyn. Mr. McGuire graduated from St. Johns University and is a freelance writer. A June wedding is planned.

PUBLISH WEDDING WITH LOCAL NEWSPAPER

Publish an Announcement in Your Local Newspaper:
Start off by calling to ask if they have any guidelines, deadlines, fees, or regulations about announcements. See if they accept pictures, if that's something that interests you, and ask if pictures must be black & white or color. (Make sure you put your name on the back, and include a self-addressed stamped envelope so the photo can be returned to you.).

If they don't give you strict guidelines, follow etiquette's lead: Typically, announcements include information on the two of you, including career and education credentials, and your parents names. If your parents live in a different town, you should also include their hometowns. There's no need to include the wedding date, and some purposefully omit it, as they don't want to be targeted by burglars who will thus know when they'll be out of the house. You might choose to say instead something like "A fall wedding is planned," which helps diffuse the millions of "So, when's the wedding" questions you inevitably get. Read the sample wordings below.

MAILING FORMAL FROM WEDDING DAY

Mailing Formal Engagement Announcements:
This is a very traditional way of announcing your engagement, but it's one that should be used cautiously. You'll need to be sure that anyone who receives an engagement announcement will also be invited to the wedding, and that it won't be mistaken for an invitation. Still, if the idea of beautiful cards sharing your good news is too delicious to resist, go to your local stationery store. You can word them however you wish, but typically wording is similar to what appears in a newspaper announcement. If you include your wedding date, it can double as a save-the-date card.

CREATE A WEDDING WEBSITE

Create a Wedding Website:
The most modern way to do it! Many companies offer easy-to-create personal websites that will help you keep guests updated on the details of your wedding. Once you've created a site, you can send an email letting friends and family know the URL. This is a very informal way to announce your engagement, and has many of the same limitations that a printed announcement does, plus the added disadvantage that it will omit guests who don't own a computer. I suggest that if you create a wedding website, you also announce it in a more traditional way.

ANNOUNCE YOUR ENGAGEMENT WEDDING PARTY

Announce Your Engagement at a Party:
One of the most fun ways to spread the news! You and your fiancé will get the joy of seeing everyone's faces when they learn you are engaged, and the fun of an engagement party without the awkwardness of asking for gifts. Make sure that you don't invite anyone to the party who won't be invited to the wedding, and don't do it at a someone else's event (such as a birthday party)where they might feel upstaged.