The Ultimate Wedding Preparation Timeline
ULTIMATE WEDDING TIMELINE
You’re engaged! Yay!
But, now what?
Wedding planning is a beast that no one prepares you enough for. There are SO many little details that can easily be overlooked. While planning your wedding, you’ll be faced with budgets, choices, confusion, and waves of excitement. The best way to make your way through the planning process like a champ is to have a game plan and keep organized! In addition to being a makeup artist and leading a team of beauty professionals in the wedding world, I like to consider myself as a wedding planner of sorts as well! I have helped my brides navigate their planning process and narrowed down a good timeline to plan by. Especially a good skincare timeline! Check out the ULTIMATE WEDDING TIMELINE below!
12-18 months out
The Big Picture
You’re just starting this new adventure of wedding planning! Before contacting every vendor you come across, determine the BIG PICTURE first! What’s the vibe you’re going for and what vendors match that vibe? What’s your budget? What do you want to invest the most in?
Important Keys to Think About:
VIBE
STYLE
DEFINITE WANTS
BUDGET
When researching vendors, make sure to utilize great tools such as Instagram hashtags, The Knot and WeddingWire. Look up hashtags that are specific to your location. For example: #PhiladelphiaMakeupArtist or #PhiladelphiaWeddingPhotographer. Another great trick is to look at vendor’s TAGGED PHOTOS on Instagram! See who has worked with them in the past, and you can also find other vendors this way with similar styles!
Check out your fave vendors on Instagram and find similar vendors through their tagged photos!
My biggest piece of advice to you is make sure the vendors you’re looking into are legit. HAVE HIGH STANDARDS. Your vendors of choice should have a functioning website, testimonials from previous clients, and portfolio for you to look at. If anything seems “off” or untrustworthy, it probably is! And, always keep in mind that you pay for what you get, so if anything seems “too good to be real” in terms of pricing, it definitely is! Make sure all vendors you work with have a CONTRACT in place.
The Vendors I Recommend Hiring First:
Venue
Photographer
Wedding Planner
The Venue & Photographer will determine your wedding date and wedding timing. Having these two picked out first will greatly help hiring the rest of your team! Wedding Planners are AMAZING tools for finding vendors, and keeping everything organized.
8-10 months out
It’s GameTime
Now is the time you should have most of your vendors booked or planned out. The “big” vendors (Wedding Planner, Venue, and Photographer) should already be booked. This is the time you should be in talks with your Hair and Makeup team, Caterer, Entertainment (DJ or Band), Videographer, and Hotel.
Ask your vendors of choice if they have a “preferred list”. This will direct you to other wedding professionals! Also, some vendors may even offer discounts when working from their “preferred list”.
Now is also a good time to have your Engagement Photos done! Ask your hair and makeup team if they offer services for engagement photos. Meeting with them in person for a pre-trial trial (as I like to call it) for your engagement photos is perfect to also discuss your wedding beauty wants.
Lastly, get those Save the Dates sent out!
6-8 months out
Don’t Forget About Yourself!
It’s already 6ish months out from the big day!! Time is starting to fly. Your venue is booked, your photographer is booked, and you already had your engagement photo session. Your dress has been picked out. Save the Dates have been mailed. What’s next?
Now is the time to start considering your beauty, fitness, self-careroutine. Are you religiously following a great skincare routine? Are you drinking enough water every day? Do you want to begin a new workout routine to start #SweatingBeforeTheWedding?
During this time period I highly recommend starting a close relationship with an Esthetician. He/She will get you on a specialized skincare routine to ensure your wedding skin is the BEST skin. Together you two will create a game plan in which you will have the right products at home and just enough facials to give you that natural glow. We are partnered with Best Impression Medical Spa located just outside of Philadelphia in Blue Bell, PA. At a medical spa you will be treated with the MOST effective skincare, and you will be able to receive laser treatments and injectables! Pro Tip: Don’t be afraid of Botox! We love it :)
We are also partnered with T&N Fitness Studio of East Passyunk, Philadelphia! Jenna Fisher, owner of T&N, will work with you one-on-one to create a fitness game plan for your wedding. She has helped hundreds of women get in shape and just overall feel great about themselves! She has also won BEST OF PHILLY- check out Jenna at T&N if you want a fitness and nutrition plan for your wedding day.
Beyond your health, fitness and skincare, now is also the time to get your Florist and Officiant booked! When picking a florist, keep in mind your style and vibe. Use social media and online resources to find local florists.
Start thinking about what cake bakery you are interested in as well! Check out local bakeries and set up a cake tasting (yummmmmm).
3-5 months out
Things Are Getting Serious
So, now you should have the majority of your big day planned and booked. You started a new skincare routine and are starting to see new glowing skin! You have your bridal party picked out and have their dresses ordered. What now?
At about the 3-month mark, you should get your wedding hair and makeup trial scheduled! It is a great idea to have your official trial about 8-12 weeks prior to the wedding date. Feel free to bring inspiration photos with you and work with your hair and makeup team to create your dream wedding day look. I always recommend to my clients to bring photos of makeup from the red carpet that they love. I also have my clients show me their whole wedding Pinterest board! This is the perfect way to see the entire vision beyond just the beauty part.
Your bridal party and family will schedule your bridal shower during this time period. Ask your hair and makeup team if they offer appointments for your shower! Take advantage of this time to make sure you look great at every wedding event (think of all the photos!).
During this time you may want to have a trial run with your spray tan and lash extensions! Make sure the tan is color you want and the style of lashes are what you like. Also figure out how many showers you need before the tan is the perfect color for you! This will give you an idea of when to plan your final tan and lash appointment before the wedding.
This time period is the perfect time to get your cake ordered, too!
2 months out
Crunch Time
You’re just about 2 months away from the wedding — TIME IS FLYING! This is the time where you have to make sure everything has been taken care of. Are there any outstanding balances with any vendors? Have all the contracts been signed? Do you need a final dress fitting? Get it done, sister!
This is the time where any DIY projects should be started. Are you doing welcome gifts, bridesmaid gifts, or the center pieces yourself? Start thinking about what is needed to get those tasks completed.
Also, it is a greeeeeat idea to get your vows written ahead of time! This allows you to make adjustments or add anything you may have forgotten in the upcoming weeks. I can’t tell you how many time I’ve seen brides scramble last minute to finish their vows.
Lastly, don't forget about your water intake, exercise, and skin care! Keep with your routines.
2-4 weeks out
It’s ComingTogether!
Months of hard work, sleepless nights, anticipation and excitement is finally paying off! You are seeing that everything is finally coming together - get excited!
You have only WEEKS left before the big day. Is there anything that needs adjustments? Do you have the wedding day schedule? Does the wedding party all have their outfits? Make sure you get the timeline from your vendors and do a final walkthrough the venue. Review all RSVPs and make sure you know what to expect. Deliver your song list to the entertainment (DJ/Band). Have your last pre-wedding hair appointment (cut, color, touch-up).
Make sure you apply for your license during this time as well!
a week out
Googles, “How to stay calm”
Okay, now is the time to get EXCITED! Literally only days away from marrying the person of your dreams. You have spent MONTHS working on this dang wedding and it’s finally coming all together. You should have everything basically finished up by this point. Now you just have to get yourself ready! Do you need a waxing? How about your final spray tan? Do you need lash extensions? And, make sure you get a manicure and pedicure! I cannot stress this enough: DRINK WATER. Make sure you are getting at least 1-1.5 liters of water everyday (and that’s a minimum!). Make sure you’re also SLEEPING! Zzz-Quil works wonders, I’m just saying…
the night before
It’s ShowTime!
You are a rockstar. YOU MADE IT! It’s only hours away now and you’re probably too anxious to sleep. Girl, we GET.IT. This is a huge life moment and who wouldn’t be nervous, anxious, excited, happy, scared, giddy? Feel those emotions and take it for what it is.
It’s the small moments you’ll remember the most.
Remember to take time aside for just you and your beau on the wedding day. Make sure you two have those moments to really just take it all in and remember this is all about your love.
Remember to CLEAN YOUR RINGS! And any Jewelry you’ll be wearing. This beauty is the star of the show.
Read through your vows - do they make sense? Do they convey everything you wanted to say?
Turn your phone off if you can. Really try to relax and get a decent amount of sleep.
Double-check all invoices with vendors. Make sure everything is paid. Have cash or checks on hand for tips!
What not to do the night before the wedding:
Not sleep
Write your vows
Sweat the small stuff
Party too hard
Get waxed
Sunbathe
Try new foods
Try new skincare
We here at Jazmin Rae & Co are professional hair and makeup artists in the Wedding Industry. Our goal is to help each and every one of our clients during the planning process. Have questions about us, our services, or anything wedding related? Hit us up, girl!
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