Wedding checklist: what should be ready for the big day?

Love is in the air. You’ve found your “pot lid” and now you’ve decided to get married. Beautiful! But you must have already realized that there is a long way to go to the long-awaited “happily ever after”: the organization of one of the most important days of your life. There’s a lot to do, it’s true, but don’t despair! With planning, it is possible to take care of everything.

But also don’t forget that so that no one gets overloaded, planning should be done together with your fiancé, sharing the tasks with him so that everything is not under his responsibility. The wedding is theirs and the responsibility of organizing it too.

And to help the couple in this mission, check out below a complete guide with several expert tips on organizing weddings. Here you will find the main actions and decisions to be taken month by month until the big day arrives.

With the checklist prepared with the collaboration of Tatiana Goldstein, CEO of CasarCasar, Carolina Ferraz, ceremonialist at Céu de Tule and Camila Camasmie, owner of Camasmie Assessoria de Eventos, it will be much easier to put everything in place and make the most of this so delicious that is the organization of your wedding.

up to 1 year before

1. Keep everything, from the beginning, in the same place. Buy a plastic folder at the stationery store to file everything related to your wedding. If you want to divide by themes, it is worth choosing an accordion folder with dividers. Open a virtual folder also on your computer and another in your email. That way, everything will always be in the same place.
2. What’s your budget? The first thing to do is define how much you will spend and where the resources will come from (from the bride, groom, parents of the bride or groom). For those who don’t like Excel, there are several free tools available on the internet, such as the CasarCasar Budget. The trick is to set aside an amount 20% more than what was planned for the party, after all, we always end up spending more than we expected.
3. Make the guest list first. It will certainly undergo many changes until the big day, but this first analysis is essential to define the size and type of the party, as well as the halls and churches to be reserved.
4. If you have the financial means, it is worth hiring a Wedding Planner. Even those who don’t give up making the main decisions of the big day, will have a much easier and lighter life if they have someone helping to organize all the pre-wedding tasks. There are several types of advisory services, more or less complete, to be hired. It is worth meeting at least three different professionals before choosing yours.
5. Choose the date and book the church. The first precaution to take is to find a day that does not coincide with any other important family or close friends event. It is important to have some date options, considering the high demand for the most popular churches and halls. A tip for couples who have family living in other cities and choose a date on a holiday, to give more time for everyone to be able to move and rest before and after the wedding.
6. Start visits to possible party locations. At the same time, start thinking about what you want for the party. Are you getting married during the day or at night? In the countryside, on the beach or in a salon? Want a more formal or relaxed ceremony?
7. It’s never too early to think about the dress! You don’t need to decide anything now, but it’s worth starting to exchange ideas with friends, buy magazines and visit specialized websites to start getting inspired.
8. It’s time to start taking care of your body and mind! If you have plans to lose weight for the big day, it’s time to look for a physical activity and a nutritionist to guide your diet. It’s also worth signing up for dance, yoga or acupuncture to start relaxing and keep your mind fresh for the whirlwind of decisions to come.
9. Create a page on a wedding website. Social networks allow for greater interaction between bride and groom and guests long before the big day. There are several options, such as CasarCasar, Quem casa quer site, iCasei and MeCasei

Up to 9 months ago

1. Close the guest list. To close a number of suppliers, you will need to have the number of people who will attend the party. You will need everyone’s full names and addresses.
2. Choose the godparents, godmothers and bridesmaids. There is no right number of godfathers and godmothers, but it is important to have common sense especially in relation to the size of the altar. It’s common (and natural!) to “break up” couples (for example, inviting your brother and, instead of his girlfriend of three months, a childhood friend who is single) to have only the people closest to you. The invitation for the parents of the children who are going to enter the church is also important so that they can program themselves.
3. Search for wedding photographers and videographers. Visit the studios and take a close look at their portfolio of past events to see if you like the language they use. Once again, it is worth knowing at least three professionals.
4. Book the buffet service and start thinking about the menu. Don’t spare visits to different vendors, as food and drink are the most important items at the party. It is worth participating in tastings to get to know the quality of the place and choose what will go on the menu.
5. Decide what the musical attraction of the party will be. DJ, band, both? Don’t forget that music is the soul of the wedding party, so this item should be chosen with even more special attention by the bride and groom. As with all other suppliers, it’s worth meeting several professionals, looking for references and asking to stop by the next wedding party where the musicians are working.
6. Choose the decorator. It’s time to start thinking about church flowers and also all the party decorations. To help with this mission, it’s worth meeting with some decorator options to get inspiration and guidance on what you imagine.
7. Close the invites. Visit specialized graphics and if you still have no idea what your invitations will look like, ask for indications and tips from previous models.
8. Start narrowing down your dress options. You don’t have to rush to decide yet, but it’s important to start discarding some options and start focusing.
9. Go to the dermatologist and the dentist. It is important to start skin treatments well in advance of the big day. If you want to do some dental treatment, it’s also important to go after it.

up to 6 months before

1. Close the decoration. After a lot of research, it’s time to define with the decorator how your party will be decorated.
2. Order cake, sweets and happily married. After all, a wedding party without sweets is not a wedding party!
3. Close the drinks. Especially if the party has a drinks bar.
4. Close the honeymoon. Choose a destination that has everything to do with the bride and groom and caprichem! Honeymoon is only once in a lifetime! To give a little extra money, it’s worth including travel quotas in the gift list. Also check passport and visas.
5. Choose your dress. The time has come! Enjoy and set the date for the first test with the seamstress.
6. Start thinking about souvenirs. Do you already have an idea of ​​what you will want to distribute to your guests as a souvenir of your wedding? Food stuff is always a hit. Start making budgets.
7. Start thinking about Bride’s Day. It’s time to budget at various salons and also start researching hair and makeup suggestions for the big day.
8. Define the colors of the bridesmaid dresses. If you’re going to choose the color of the bridesmaids’ dresses, don’t leave it to the last minute to let them know. The sooner the better and remember to prioritize the choice of mothers of the bride and groom.
9. Underwear tea? Bachelorette? Meet with the bridesmaids to talk about your expectations for your last big pre-wedding party. Ask them to help you organize.
10. Pick up the documents and set the date of the civil marriage. Bureaucracy is bureaucracy. The sooner you get organized, the sooner you get rid of it. Check that you have all the necessary documents and, if any are missing, see what you need to provide.
11. List your favorite songs. The band or DJ will certainly have a pre-defined set list, but the bride and groom’s participation is essential to make the soundtrack more personalized. Can’t miss his favorite song, hers and also the couple’s.
12. End up at the gym and shut your mouth! Now it’s the final stretch! It’s worth asking for a special workout and becoming a grilled lettuce salad’s best friend.

up to 3 months before

1. Make the gift list. Offer at least two store options for guests. For parents and godparents, it is worth making special requests.
2. Send the invites. If you have the opportunity to hand-deliver the invitations, this is always a more delicate and charming option. But prefer to deliver in advance than take too long to find a little time to go to that uncle’s house who lives far away.
3. Close the menu with the buffet. Define what you will distribute to your guests and place the order.
4. Follow the definition of the groom’s clothes. The advance doesn’t have to be the same as the wedding dress, but it’s good not to leave this choice to the last minute. If the godparents are going to rent the clothes, it is worth distributing the cards with the chosen tailor’s phone number and address.
5. Choose the clothes for the page and the bridesmaids. It is worth the same tip to indicate to the parents of the children the store where they should rent the clothes.
6. Book the wedding night room. Taking a good rest after the party and then going on a trip is a good thing to do. But don’t leave the glamor aside, after all, this will be your first wedding night.
7. Buy the rings. A great option for the couple to enjoy the pre-wedding atmosphere. It gets even more romantic with a nice dinner afterwards.
8. Buy your accessories. Shoe, wreath, jewelry and shoes. It’s their turn!
9. Schedule a photo session with the groom. Photos are a beautiful and romantic option to compose the decoration of the party.
10. Set the bouquet. Choose the size and flowers and order now. Also decide if you want a bouquet to enter the church and another to toss to friends. Take the opportunity to also order the flowers that will go on the lapels of the groom, parents and godparents.
11. Book the hair and makeup test. With the references you’ve accumulated all these months in hand, it’s time to test your ideas to look beautiful on the big day.
12. Book the bridal course. Look for the church where you are going to get married and find out about the next available dates.
13. Close the souvenirs. Define what you will distribute to your guests and godparents and place the order.

up to 2 months before

1. Rent the bride’s car. If no one in the family is going to take you to the church, it’s time to look for a car rental company and book the date for the big day, in addition to hiring the driver.
2. Set the procession order. What is the order in which godparents enter the church?
3. Choose the music for the dance with the groom. It’s also worth starting some quick dance classes so you don’t look bad on the big day.
4. Cut your hair. If you’re going to trim the ends, it’s best to do…