Wedding Planning Timeline

 
The first stages of planning a wedding will inevitably seem like a challenge with so many things to plan and organize. Before contacting wedding vendors or venues, though, take some time to brainstorm and jot down some initial wedding ideas and/or wedding themes that you envision for the big day. Don't be afraid to let your imagination run wild at this point. Whether you have a specific "theme" in mind or not, one thing that will help tie everything together throughout the planning process is to decide on your wedding colors - this will of course be influenced by the time of year (a spring garden wedding might inspire green tones while a winter wedding silver or gold), but selecting a color or two that you feel really speaks to you will also help you out with choosing flowers, bridesmaid dresses and decor. You may also want to come up with an overall style idea for your wedding: "simple chic", "eco-friendly", "old hollywood", etc. This will really help narrow down the wide range of wedding ideas out there into something much more manageable.
 
Generally speaking, different wedding planning tasks will fall into a timeline that you can of course adjust depending on your own schedule and needs. You can use the following plan to guide you through your own planning process. For most brides and grooms, choosing a wedding date and reception venue is normally on the top of the wedding planning list, followed by choosing a wedding dress and thinking about the inital guest list. Attending a bridal show or two in the early stages is also a good idea - the winter and spring seasons are generally the best time of the year to find shows in your area. Most importantly, keep things simple, and enjoy the journey!
 
The following guide should give you an overview of the planning process, from the proposal through to the honeymoon. As you make your way through each "how to" topic below, you can also refer to our detailed wedding checklist to learn more and make sure you're not forgetting some of the smaller details along the way.

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