Do you want to get married in 6 months? Perhaps your wedding was cancelled due to illness or other restrictions. Or maybe you just got engaged and want to get married as soon as possible! Whatever your reason this article will help you to plan a wedding in 6 months.
Is 6 Months Long Enough To Plan A Wedding?
The short answer to this question is – yes!
The long answer is – it depends on how organised you are and how quickly you can move things along; how much time you can spend organising things; how much help you have from friends and family etc.
Plan Your Dream Wedding In 6 Months
OK – here we go!
6 Months Before The Wedding
Budget
Working out your budget is one of the primary things you need to do as this will affect the whole wedding planning process. Your choice of venue, number of guests, wedding dress etc. all depend on your budget.
Date/Venue
The first obvious step is to set a date but this is very much dependent on the date availability of a wedding venue. Some venues are booked up 2 – 3 years in advance but you may find there are venues that have the odd date free.
At Crowcombe Court it can be possible to book a wedding within 6 months as long as you’re flexible on the dates. You may have your heart set on a Saturday but these are very popular days and are likely to be fully booked.
The best thing to do is:
- Get an idea of where you want to get married (town, county etc.)
- Locate venues in the area
- Work out rough numbers as this is also a factor when choosing a venue
- Contact those venues to see what their availability is
- Work out your date from there
Get potential dates for a registrar/church
Booking a registrar or a Church is another factor in the date selection.
Set the date and make your guest list
Now you have chosen your venue, confirm the date and pay a deposit to the venue.
Make a list of the people you would like to invite. They need to be sent a “save the date” note in the post or by email so they have plenty of time to plan to attend.
The guest list would also include working out who your bridesmaids and groomsmen are going to be. Getting this established at this stage will mean they can help you with the wedding preparations!
Phew! That’s quite a lot to do in a month but it can be done.
5 Months Before Your Wedding
Theme
Deciding on your wedding theme is the next step because without that you won’t know what type of flowers you need, wedding cake, photographers and so on. The theme can also affect the type of dress you get.
Use Pinterest to get ideas of colour themes, floral arrangements and cakes. Any idea you might want to explore can be found on Pinterest!
Book suppliers
Now you have the wedding venue selected and the date set you can book your suppliers. The sooner you do this in the wedding planning process the less stressful it will be for you!
Look into photographers, florists, catering (if not provided by the venue), hairstylists cake makers etc. Book as many of these as possible.
Send invitations
After sending “save the date” to your guests it’s now time to send the actual invitations. Depending on your budget you can decide how elaborate you want to be with the invitations. Are they simple DIY invitations or will you get them specially printed? Some people just send the invitation by email which saves a lot on costs!
Buy a wedding dress
One of the most important aspects of a wedding, as far as a bride is concerned, is the beautiful wedding dress!
As time is ticking it might not be possible to get a bespoke wedding dress made by a dressmaker. However, there are many lovely dresses available off the rack which can easily be altered as needed.
Take a friend and go dress shopping! Make a day of it and do your best to enjoy it.
You could buy one online but make sure you get it in plenty of time so you can try it on and make sure you like it.
4 Months Before Your Wedding
Honeymoon
Research locations for your honeymoon. If this is going to be abroad it’s a good idea to book flights at this stage so you won’t be disappointed later. Book the accommodation for the honeymoon.
Wedding party attire
This may have already been touched upon with your theme. Now is the time to get specific and decided what your bridesmaids and groomsmen are going to wear.
Book your hair and makeup session
If not already done as part of booking suppliers, book yourself in for a haircut a couple of weeks before the wedding. If you’re getting your hair styled in a salon book this in. Often they will do a trial so you can see how it’s going to look so book this in as well. Same with your makeup if you’re hiring a makeup artist.
2/3 Months Before Your Wedding
Finalise the menu
It’s time to finalise the numbers and the menu with your caterer or with the venue if they’re doing the catering.
Shop and order rings
If you haven’t already done this now is the time. You may see something you like in a jewellery shop in which case you just have to buy them! Some jewellers will come to your home and give you options to choose from. If you want engraving done on the rings leave plenty of time for this to be done so you don’t need to stress about it.
Hair and make up tests
Visit your hair salon and do a test run for your hair styling. Get together with your makeup artist to test out various colours. If you’re doing your own make-up or a friend is doing it for you then it’s still good to do a test run. Make a morning of it with your bridesmaids!
Final seating arrangements/RSVPs
The dreaded seating plan! For this to be done you need all the RSVPs in. If people haven’t responded with a yes, follow up with them to get a definite yes or no.
Get the seating plan down on paper so you don’t have to think about it. You can always make some last-minute changes nearer the time but at least if the main seating plan is done it won’t be such a big issue if someone cancels or there are late additions.
Order table decorations and favours
Based on the theme you worked out in month 5, order anything needed for your table arrangements and other décor.
Book your honeymoon
Depending on where you’re going you may already have done this in order to get the needed flights, but if not do it now so it’s all organised. Purchase any outfits you need for the honeymoon.
1 Month Before
It’s getting closer! Here are some last-minute things to do to ensure everything runs smoothly.
Confirm your suppliers
Confirm the florist, photography, DJ. Some photographers will do a run-through with you at the venue but if not you should get an idea from them of the kind of photos they are going to take and what specifically you would like.
The florist will need to know what flowers are needed for your bouquet and those of the bridesmaids and buttonholes for the groomsmen. And anything needed for your table arrangements.
Pay any required deposits if not already done.
Final dress/suit fitting
Make an appointment with a dressmaker to do alterations (if you bought the dress off the rack). If your dress has been made for you your dressmaker will want to make some final adjustments.
And don’t forget the groomsmen!
Wedding checklist
Write a checklist for all the things that need to be done in the final weeks before your wedding. Having this down on paper will help to keep things organised and make everything less stressful for you.
2 Weeks To Go!
- Send out final payments to vendors
- Make sure everyone’s attire is ready and finalized
- Confirm vendors’ arrival time
- Review event order with your wedding planner/coordinator
- Send the final guest list to the caterer or venue
- Confirm transportation and accommodations for out of town guests
- Book appointment for manicures and pedicures (2 days before the wedding)
- Arrange “getting ready” food and beverage for wedding party members and vendors
- Get your hair cut
1 Week To Go!
- Put together your “bridal emergency kit” (needles, thread, safety pins, wet wipes, scissors etc)
- Pack for your honeymoon
- Complete your wedding checklist to avoid forgetting anything
- Do beauty treatments (such as waxing, threading, facial, etc.)
- Manicures and pedicures with bridesmaids (2 days before the wedding)
- Finalize wedding vows
- Be sure to spend time with your fiancé
So there you have it. It IS possible to plan a wedding in 6 months. The above doesn’t list every single action you need to take but gives you the basics. A great idea is to buy a wedding planner at the start which will help to keep everything in one place.
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If you would like to find out availability of wedding dates at Highley Manor send us an email and we’ll get right back to you.
