6-5 months 

Start to confirm guest numbers
Order Wedding Stationery
Arrange clothes for the rest of the Wedding Party
Book your hair and Make Up artist

5-4 months 

Book the Honeymoon & Wedding night Hotel
Make the Ceremony arrangements
Choose the Wedding Rings

4-3 months 

Banns of Marriage

Order other accessories, decorations etc

Buy Wedding Party Gift’s    

Recheck your gift list

13-weeks

Order Wedding Favors
Arrange the Refreshments 

12-10 weeks

Do you need Vaccinations?
Order a new passport

10-8 weeks

Choose your Lingerie, Shoes and Accessories  
Choose Tiara & Veil (Search through Bridal Shops in your area)

8-6 Weeks

Arrange Final Fittings
Trial Run for Hair and Make up
Chase up any outstanding RSVP’s

6-4 Weeks

Meet up with and instruct the photographer/ videographer
Confirm Menu and Final Numbers with Caterers
Confirm Numbers, Arrangements and plans for Decoration at Reception Venue
Check all Stationery & Decorations have been received
Tickets for the honeymoon received
Wedding night Hotel booking confirmed

Start to confirm guest numbers     back to the top

You need to get approximate numbers as this will help with the ordering and also give you a better idea of catering / reception costs

Your invites should have been sent a few months ago and hopefully you’ll have received quite a few replies – This should now give you a fair idea of the final number of guests for both daytime and evening – Don’t expect to receive all the replies by now, but don’t panic you can chase up late replies in a month or so.

Order Wedding Stationery   back to the top

If you are considering having personalised stationery – Then you should now place orders for any additional stationery you may want for the day –

I.e. printed order of ceremony, hymn sheets, seating plans – place cards, menus etc.

You may also want to have a personalised guest book for the reception – so all you guests can sign the book and leave a personal message.

You need to give the printers plenty of time so they can print and then deliver – just in case there are any errors or misprints.

Click on the link to contact local Wedding Stationers

Arrange clothes for the rest of the Wedding Party   back to the top

You now need to arrange the suits and clothing for the rest of the wedding party – You may have already arranged dresses for Bridesmaids & Matron of Honour when you first went to the Bridal shop (See- Pick the colour of the dresses for the day)

But if you haven’t now is the time to do it.

It is also worth discussing the colour scheme with both the bride and grooms mothers as they may wish to wear a dress that compliments the theme of the day

You then also need to decide on what you want the male members of the wedding party to wear

Remember it is also an important day for the groom and he will want to look smart and feel good about himself as well. Plus this will enhance the whole occasion if the groom is wearing a formal outfit to compliment the Bride’s dress. 

Traditionally most grooms opt for the afternoon suit (Top Hat and Tails). This theme can also be carried out to cover the Best man, Ushers, Fathers of the Bride etc if the wedding is to be a more formal affair. Other options are Black dinner suit with bow tie; Kilts and highland wear are popular for Scottish male members of the wedding party, Services Uniform for Armed Forces, Police or emergency services etc.  

Generally if you are going for something formal like afternoon suits you normally hire the suits for the male members of the party although if you really wanted to - you can purchase the suits.    

If you are going for a more relaxed wedding or if you’re on a budget then there’s no reason why the Groom and other male members shouldn’t just wear a more casual suit. - The suits can then be worn either with or without tie depending on how relaxed you want the occasion to be. This is also a particularly good way of reducing costs, as whereby hiring a formal outfit will normally cost in excess of £100 and then you return it – A casual suit can be bought anything from £50 upwards and can then be used for many future occasions or work. In fact the groom may decide this is an excellent opportunity to treat himself to a really nice tailored suit for special occasions.

If you do decide to hire suits then it’s definitely worth enquiring about discounts for the whole party – i.e. groom, best man, ushers, and fathers. This will not only make it cheaper but also easier to ensure the suits are identical and have the colour scheme you may want. To this end you need to remember that most men don’t get excited at the thought of trying on suits or being fitted – Therefore if you arrange for them all to go to one formal hire shop or tailors – They can make a day or evening of it i.e. pop for a few beers etc afterwards – This is also a good way of getting the male wedding party bonding and in some occasions maybe meeting for the first time.      

Concerning the costs - you wouldn’t normally ask any of the wedding party to buy their clothes for the day – but similarly and as already suggested with the costs of the Bridesmaids dresses. If you do opt for casual suits you could ask all the male wedding party if they’d consider buying the suit themselves as they will then have it for future wear. And even if you are going to hire formal wear for the male wedding party you could ask them to pay towards the costs instead of buying a wedding gift.

Finally - Remember the male members of the wedding party can also compliment the colour scheme of the wedding day – so think about the colour of their suits and also you can use the colour of waistcoats, Cravat’s or ties to match the bridesmaids etc. or generally create the look you want.

Click here to contact local Formal Dress (Hire) Shops

Book your hair and Make Up artist      back to the top

It is important that you look your very best for the big day – You will therefore want to make sure that you have your hair cut and or shaped on the morning of your wedding day and that your makeup is perfect.

Obviously you can arrange an appointment at a local salon or you may prefer to have someone to come to your house.

Book these now as you do not want to find out that your favourite stylist isn’t available on the morning of the wedding day.

Also remember you will probably want to visit them at least a few weeks before the big day so that you can do a trial run of the hair shaping and makeup.

Click here for all your local Wedding Hairdressers and Make up artists

Wedding Make up artists

If you are planning on taking a honeymoon then now is the time to book it – You can leave it to closer to the date to get a “last minute deal” but if you want to secure that dream destination you need to ensure availability

Remember when booking – tell the travel agent that it’s your honeymoon – You may very well get a better deal or extras thrown in –

It’s also worth emailing or telephoning the Hotel after you’ve booked to let them know it’s your honeymoon as they may upgrade your room, supply champagne or Fruit basket for free.

If you’re honeymoon is abroad and you’re flying – make sure you mention it when checking in – For long haul flights you may very well get upgraded for free

Similarly if the hotel you decide to stay in isn’t at the reception venue – Then make sure you let them know it’s your wedding night – You may very well get upgraded or have freebies left in the room for you like chocolates or champagne.     

Obviously a lot of the plans will be dependant on actually where the wedding ceremony is to be held –

You will need to consider the order of service, Music and or hymns, Readings, and Seating arrangements i.e. Family at the front etc.

If your wedding is to be at a church or another place of worship – You will need to meet with whoever is going to conduct the service i.e. the priest or vicar. They may already have a wedding ceremony service that will meet your plans – However don’t be afraid to ask for changes – Remember it’s your ceremony and you want to be happy with everything.

If your wedding is in a church or other place of worship then you will need to discuss the following,

-Decorating the Church/Place of worship i.e. are flowers allowed inside or at the entrance of the Church

-Parking for guests

-Bell ringing before the ceremony,

-Music playing (Organist) whilst guests arrive,

-Wedding march (Arrival of the bride)

-The religious order of service, any hymns or songs of worship,

-Do you want a choir?

-Readings (From one of the guests or family member),

-Music for whilst signing the Register

-Are there any extra things you want in the service i.e. lighting candle, Communion etc,

-Music as you leave the place of worship,

-Can you have a photographer and or videographer in the church and can they take   pictures during the service,  

-Are you guests allowed to throw Confetti, Rose petals, Rice etc after the ceremony?

-Where are the best (most picturesque) places to take photo’s at the place of worship and after the ceremony 

If the service is at a registry office or another Civil Venue then a lot will be dictated by what is actually allowed. You will need to discuss most of the above points - but you will need to be aware that unlike a place of worship you are not allowed to have any religious material such as traditional wedding hymns, communion or any other religious acts in the service.

Choose the Wedding Rings      back to the top

You first need to decide on whether you both will be exchanging rings or as sometimes happens the bride solely receives a ring. If you are both having rings, then the rings do not have to be identical although a lot of couples opt to have matching design if not matching carat gold etc.

The most traditional ofWedding Rings is the standard looking wedding band. The design is often simple and normally made from gold, white gold or platinum although any practical hard metal can be used.

There are many different shapes that the band can be made into and normally it will come down to how comfortable the ring/s feels when worn.

The court design is probably the most traditional design; the ring is rounded on both the inside outside, giving a more comfortable fit.

The Flat ring is a band flat in shape both on the inside and outside making it look a more modern although this design can sometimes feel uncomfortable to the wearer.

Other Shapes for the bands include The D- Shape which is flat on the inside and rounded on the outside or the Comfort design – This ring is rounded on the inside and around the edges but with a slightly flatter outside – The comfort ring is aptly named as it probably the most comfortable to wear and is ideal for people who do not normally wear rings.

You aren’t just limited to the traditional wedding band nowadays:

A Russian wedding ring is three rings inter linked in one. The three rings sit over one another, usually three different colours – white gold, rose gold and gold. Although you can have them made out of one colour – The ring looks very pretty although should be worn without the engagement ring

You could opt for a traditional band with different colours such as combinations of gold i.e. White gold, Rose gold and plain gold, on the edge of the ring or a design into the ring 

You can introduce a Celtic design into the ring – This is a ring with a delicate pattern on the wedding band and although there are hundreds of different patterns and designs you could always design your own pattern to go on the ring.

A lot of brides nowadays are also introducing precious stones into the ring such as Diamonds etc – This adds sparkle and can compliment the engagement ring. 

All in all there are many different metals, colours, stones you can add to your wedding rings – But if none of these take your fancy then you can always have something custom made that will be unique to yourselves.

Also consider if you would like the rings engraved with a personal message or names on the inside etc.

Please click here for local Wedding Ring Makers and Jewellers

Banns of Marriage     back to the top

If you are getting married in the Church of England or a Roman Catholic then the Vicar will read out and publish the Banns of marriage on selected Sundays leading up to your wedding day.   The banns of marriage, commonly known simply as "the banns", are the public announcement in a parish church of a Christian church descended from the Roman Catholic Church that a marriage is going to take place between two specified persons.

The purpose of banns is to enable anyone to raise any legal impediment to it, so as to prevent marriages that are legally invalid, either under canon law or under civil law. Impediments vary between legal jurisdictions, but would normally include a pre-existing marriage (having been neither dissolved nor annulled), a vow of celibacy, lack of consent, or the couple’s is being related within the prohibited degrees of kinship i.e. direct family. 

In order to be considered valid, marriagebanns must be read out during three services on Sundays before the wedding day in the parish church of the bride and the groom. If the wedding is being held outside the parish of the bride or groom, the marriagebanns must be read in that church as well. The banns are considered valid for three months after the last reading. Typically, the marriagebanns state the name and parish of both bride and groom, and indicate that individuals with objections to the marriage should make those objections known before the wedding day. The vicar calling the marriagebanns will also indicate how many times the banns have been read. 

Order other accessories, decorations etc    back to the top

Along with the flowers - There are many things they you may want include or personalise to help decorate the reception venue.

Balloons can be personalised with the Bride & Groom’s name and the date of the Wedding –

Consider whether you want normal or helium balloons – But remember helium balloons will only last for about 24 hours and therefore you will need them delivered on the day of the wedding and not before. 

Personalised Banners for the venue

Any additional table decorations that you may want – Personalised Table clothes, Serviettes, Table confetti, Place card holders etc.

Along with the evening entertainment – a firework display is also becoming more popular – and you may want to consider booking a small professional display  

If you do decide to have a firework display then please remember to check with the venue that they are happy with this, there’s enough area for spectators away from the fireworks and that there are no noise restrictions etc.

Click here for local Balloon Companies, Accessory shops and Fireworks

Buy Wedding Party Gift’s    back to the top

You will no doubt want to buy a small gift for the Best man, Bridesmaids, Maid of Honour, and Page Boy; you may also consider buying gifts for the Ushers and Father of the bride.  

Again you may want to personalise the gifts i.e. an engraved tankard for the best man, or engraved compact mirror for the bridesmaids etc.

Other ideas for the Best man, Ushers, Father of the bride are Cufflinks, a fob watch, hip flask, golf tee set or pen set etc

Ideas for the Bridesmaids, Matron of Honour are Engraved wine or champagne glasses, Necklace, Pen set, Photo frame or Earrings etc. 

Also remember that it’s customary to give a bouquet of flowers to both the Bride and Grooms mothers so you may want to arrange this with you florist.

Click here for Local Gift suppliers

Recheck your gift list    back to the top

It’s over six months since you and your partner created a gift list, its now worth looking at the list and seeing if there’s any other item’s you may want to add. Also if you have selected an on line gift list supplier you will also be able to see what gifts haven’t been selected. - Things change and you may want to revise some of the items that haven’t already been chosen from the list.

The tradition of giving wedding favours originated in Italy. Wedding favours, traditionally called “bomboniere“, were made from five sugar-coated almonds gathered together in small netted parcels. The almonds signified health, happiness, long-life and fertility, and were given by the Bride to all her female guests. The favour would be placed on the guest’s tables and they would be kept as a keepsake and as a memory of the Wedding Day.

Obviously sugar coated almonds are the most traditional favour however nowadays there are many other sweets or items you can use as favours to give to the female guests These include Compact mirrors, Scented candles, Pin Boxes, Miniature Teddy Bears, Soap, Herbs, Fridge Magnets, Bottle stops, Miniature bottles of Spirits/Wine, Spoons, Other sweets such as Love hearts Candy or small sticks of rock, Hanker chiefs, Hat pins or Brooches etc –

As already explained you can pretty much choose anything as a favour – although we would recommend that if possible you try to personalise it with the Wedding date and or couples name so this will mean more as a keepsake

If you are on a budget it is quite easy to make up the favours yourself – The simplest way is to buy sugar coated almonds in a large bag, get some very light netting or lace and some Ribbon

Cut the netting/lace into small squares approximately 10-15 cm’s each side 

Put 5 sugar coated almonds in the middle of the square

Take the four corners of the square and twist at the top

Then tie at the top with a little piece of Ribbon

For best effect – Choose the ribbon and netting/ lace in the colour scheme of the day to match the other decorations on the guest tables.

If you would prefer something more personalised and engraved or printed with the wedding date and names then it is best to contact a local supplier of favours. You will need to give them at least a few months notice though.

Please click here to contact local Wedding Favour suppliers