Home » Wedding Countdown Checklist » Wedding Countdown Checklist – 18 Months to Go!

You’re engaged! Congratulations! Now comes the fun part: planning. Use these handy lists to make sure you’ve got your bases covered.

Share the news with friends and family. Put an engagement announcement in the paper, if so desired.

Settle on a budget. Here’s how to ask family members if they plan to contribute.

Decide on a rough headcount. This will probably evolve over the coming months, but that’s okay. A ballpark figure will help you determine whether you’re throwing a mega-wedding bash or an intimate affair for your closest friends and family.

Start daydreaming about your wedding style: laid-back garden party, black-tie affair, intimate loft… it’s up to you!

Nail down must-have vendors and venues. If you absolutely must have your reception in that posh art gallery downtown, make inquiries now. Popular spots can book well over a year in advance and you don’t want to miss out! Here are the main ones to be aware of: your ceremony location, officiant, and musicians, reception location and entertainment, caterer, and photographer/videographer. Other vendors (makeup artists, hair stylists, florists, etc.) are unlikely to be booked this far ahead. If you aren’t sure about these yet and/or aren’t particularly attached to a given vendor or venue, then relax – you’ve got time.

Decide whether or not you want a wedding coordinator and, if yes, start searching for one you love. Take the time to pick someone with whom you have the right chemistry – they will be instrumental in planning the most important day of your life, so you want to make sure you get the right person!

Add items from any website on the internet onto one universal gift registry

If you want to throw an engagement party, go ahead and start planning it. A word to the wise, though: keep it under wraps until you’ve sorted out your guest list. As a general rule, it’s impolite to invite people to your engagement party but not to your actual wedding.

If you’re planning to use your frequent flyer miles to book your honeymoon flights, be aware that sooner is better. Unless you have the fancy-schmancy points without blackout periods, you want to book as far in advance as possible to ensure you actually are able to use your points.

Planning on dropping a dress size or two before the big day? A year from now, the last thing you’ll want is the stress of having to lose weight to fit into a gown you ordered too small on purpose. So start now (or don’t worry about it – we think you’re beautiful just how you are!).

budget wedding ideasThis is the first checklist. See your next checklist.

budget wedding ideas

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