A year before the wedding is the perfect time to start planning the Big Day. We have created the following checklist for you to stay organized.

Decide on a wedding date. Make an appointment with your priest.

Discuss with your fiancée and family how much you want to spend.

Assemble your wedding guest list in consultation with both families.

Pick a reception venue and make the necessary reservations (hall, caterer). NOTE: some popular banquet halls are booked two years in advance on
Saturdays in June.

Shop for the engagement ring.

Shop for your wedding dress and veil. Several fittings are usually required.

Select china, crystal and silverware patterns and register them in the Wedding Gift Registry at your favorite store.

Select your bridesmaids.

Set the date to order dresses for the bridesmaids and attendants.

Pick a honeymoon destination. Check to see if your passports need to be renewed and if any inoculations are required for foreign destinations.

Hire a candid photographer and inform him/her of the location of the wedding, reception, and any other functions you want photographed.

Finalize your guest list and compare it with your fiancée’s. Strike out any duplications. Divide the list into those receiving invitations and those receiving announcements only.

Order your invitations and announcements. Insist that the envelopes be delivered right away so you can begin addressing them. They should be mailed four weeks before the wedding.

Order your personal stationery and thank-you notes.

Decide on a color scheme for your wedding and inform your mother and your fiancée’s mother so they can find compatible colored dresses and hem lengths.

Talk to a florist about which flowers will match the color scheme you’ve chosen for your wedding.

Confirm the delivery date of your gown and make the final selection of the attendants’ dresses.

Make an appointment for your bridal portrait.

Order your wedding cake if it is not to be made by the reception caterer.

Arrange the transportation for all members of your wedding party to and from the ceremony and reception by reserving limousines or other transportation.

Make an appointment for an examination with your family doctor or gynecologist which includes your necessary blood tests for the marriage license and any shots required for your honeymoon.

Inform your priest of all the details of your ceremony including flowers, music, photographs, canopies, carpets, etc.

Discuss the details of your reception with the caterer and/or hotel manager. If you’ll be renting any equipment, reserve it now.

Mail the invitations.

Have the final fitting for your gown and confirm the date for your bridal portrait.

Select and order gifts for the attendants. Bridesmaids usually receive the same gift. For the maid or matron of honor, get something a little more special.

Choose wedding bands.

Make room reservations for out-of-town attendants. It’s a good idea to pay in advance and have them reimburse you later.

Make necessary arrangements for the bridesmaids’ luncheon or dinner.

Discuss plans for the rehearsal dinner with the hosts.

Keep up with your correspondence. It’s a good idea to start addressing your announcements now so they can all go out together the day after the wedding.

If you decided to exchange gifts, choose a present for your groom.

Go with your fiancée to fill out the necessary forms for your marriage license.

Phone the society editors of your local papers to find out what information is required for your wedding announcements.

Plan with your hairdresser for a wedding hair-do. Bring your headpiece and veil, and make an appointment if you want your hair done the day of the wedding.

If you are changing your name, arrange to change your name and address on official documents (driver’s license, bank accounts, insurance, and health policies, etc.)

Deliver your wedding announcement to the local paper’s society editor.

Start your honeymoon packing.

Check to see wedding announcements are all addressed, stamped and ready for your parents to mail the day after the wedding.

Go or give the bridesmaids’ dinner or luncheon.

Schedule your rehearsal for one or two days before the wedding. Inform participants of the exact time and place.

Wrap and present gifts to your attendants at the bridesmaids’ party or rehearsal dinner.

Inform the caterer of the exact number of confirmed guests at the reception.

Go over the final details of the ceremony and reception with all the parties involved (priest, organist, florist, photographer, etc.)

Relax. Take a day off just before the wedding to pamper yourself with a facial, pedicure, manicure and massage. It’s the perfect way to prepare for the big day.