Restaurant, flowers, invitations, photos, make-up, tableau de mariage, documents, sugared almonds, dress, tests and confirmations… help! How many things are there to do before marriage ? Yes, you are right, there are so many! And sometimes planning anxiety seems to take over, doesn’t it? A successful wedding ceremony is made up of an infinity of small details that combine perfectly on the day of the Yes and a flow of moments that – ideally – should flow smoothly one after the other. To succeed in the enterprise of creating an exceptional event, every detail must be organized in time and with precision, to avoid forgetting something or doing it, but in the wrong way.
How to do?
I’ll tell you a secret: order and planning skills are the keywords that can save you from pre-wedding stress ! And one of the best ways I know not to get lost along the way to the fateful date is to create in-depth wedding checklists, that is, to-do lists for the wedding, which accompany the preparation of the event step by step.
As a Wedding Planner I’m used to thinking through lists, details, tables and timelines. This is why I often say that my role should be shortened as Planner rather than as Wedding, because my “superpower” lies precisely in the ability to organize, schedule and plan.
But you too can greatly simplify your life as a betrothed with the help of lists: that is, by creating precious to-do lists, notes and memos that give you that pleasant feeling of having “everything under control”.
The wedding checklists? Useful anti-stress tools
I know how many things to think about for the wedding, but I assure you that putting everything in black and white can be a powerful way to release anxiety and have clearer ideas in an instant. Wedding checklists allow you to create an overview of all the salient aspects of the reception, not to forget anything and always have clear where you are, on the journey towards your most beautiful day.
So what are your wedding to do lists that you could prepare? From the guest list to that of your favorite love songs, from the list of documents to be requested from that of wedding favor suppliers, here are some of the most important lists for organizing a top wedding!
The guest list
Among the central elements of a wedding celebration there are undoubtedly them: your guests. Choosing who to include on the guest list (and who to exclude, with or without remorse) is one of the longest and most laborious procedures you will encounter on your bride-to-be journey. And that will see you busy working for days, four hands with your partner.
Furthermore, a large part of the organization of your wedding will depend on the number of guests and the decision of who to have in the church, at the reception or just cutting the cake: for example, the location suitable for hosting the event can change a lot depending on whether you want to opt for a grand style wedding with hundreds of participants or an intimate and intimate wedding with few – or very few – people.
A clear list of who you will want next to you that day also allows you to more easily identify witnesses, bridesmaids and any pageboys who will have a more active role in the ceremony. So start building your guest list well in advance, a key guide for the rest of the planning!
The wish list
What is a wedding if not the most fabulous wish you have ever made? But to turn a dream into a real event, you will have to commit to extracting all the nuances you see from your mind and putting them on a sheet of paper (or on a file on your PC, if you are more digital).
What kind of wedding would you like for yourself and your spouse? Which scenario do you see best suited to your tastes? What style would you like your arrangements, decorations, flowers, tables, invitations, your bouquet and your wedding dress to have? Of course, make a complete list of all the details you want !
Furthermore, it is an indispensable basis for understanding which suppliers to involve in organizing the wedding.
On this point I already feel a bit of panic on your part. To lighten this delicate phase of planning, what do you think about telling all your daydreams to an expert Wedding Planner and letting her transform them into your ideal wedding? Provide her with your super wish list, it will be a great place to start.
The list of professionals to involve
As already mentioned, one of the most complicated wedding checklists to draw up is that of the professionals to be involved in the organization. If you have never planned an event, it is perfectly normal not to know where to start and not to be clear about the figures you need to contact.
Again, starting with a simple list helps a lot. Just try to close your eyes, imagine your wedding day and write down every single detail that appears in your fantasies. Do you see some wonderful flowers adorning your tables? Ok, write “florist” on your supplier list. Do you see yourself delivering original wedding favors to your guests? Perfect, “wedding gift shop” noted in the list.
Do you probably mentally observe the celebrant while he is officiating mass or a civil ceremony? He too is one of the professionals to have on your list and to contact as soon as possible to set dates and times. Together with the atelier who will provide you with the dress, the managers of the wedding locations you would like, the musicians, the video makers and the hairdresser who will have to create that extraordinary hairstyle that appears in your thoughts.
Again, if you don’t know where to start, try scoring a good Wedding Planner at point 1 on your list to guide you hand-in-hand through the rest of your wedding to-do lists!