A wedding is supposed to be the best day of your life, which is why good planning, and above all planning well in advance, is essential. At first, you will surely feel dizzy with all the appointments that need to be taken care of. Take the advice to heart to create a wedding binder, because with this you will always have all documents, phone numbers, and ideas at hand.

Tips for planning a wedding

To ensure that nothing goes wrong, we have a checklist here that you can easily work through until the wedding:

12 to 6 months before the wedding

• Set the wedding date
• Determine the wedding budget
• Organize all documents for marriage registration
• Registration for the civil and church wedding ceremony
• Create a preliminary guest list
• Ask witnesses if desired
• Start considering location, restaurant, or catering

6 months before the wedding

• Reserve restaurant and clarify menu or buffet
• Clarify whether an 'Agape' (reception) can be held in front of the registry office/church after the ceremony (practical if photos are being taken)
• Clarify and book appointment with photographer, clarify where photos can be taken
• Book music for the celebration
• Book singer for the church wedding
• Buy wedding dress and suit
• Buy dresses for flower children
• Finalize guest list

5 months before

• Commission wedding invitations, place cards, and menu cards from a print shop or make them yourself
• Plan and book honeymoon
• Apply for leave; there is usually special leave for weddings
• Possibly attend a dance class

4 months before

• Check passport and vaccinations for the honeymoon
• Select and order floral decorations, flower petals, and bridal bouquet
• Order wedding rings and have them engraved
• Organize utensils for an Agape (tables, sparkling wine, snacks, etc.)

3 months before

• Send out invitation cards
• Create gift lists (at furniture stores or Amazon)
• If desired, file a prenuptial agreement with a notary
• Discuss the wedding ceremony procedure with the priest
• Book appointment for marriage seminar for church wedding
• Possibly book hotel rooms for guests
• Plan bachelor/bachelorette party
• If you have your own children, arrange with parents or friends who will look after the children during the wedding

2 months before

• Choose hairdresser and have a trial hairstyle done, as well as fix the appointment
• Have makeup done as a trial by a beautician and fix the appointment
• Order wedding cake
• Coordinate decoration for the celebration and in the church, or put together your own decoration
• Create seating plan for the celebration
• Organize baskets and small gifts for the flower children
• Document guest acceptances
• Attend marriage seminar for church wedding

1 month before

• Try on wedding dress and suit again and check if all accessories are present
• Determine the exact schedule on the day of the wedding
• Appoint a person as 'Master of Ceremonies' to help with the schedule on the wedding day and, if necessary, plan surprise games
• Final consultation with restaurant or catering service
• Fix hairdresser appointment for the groom
• Organize something new, old, borrowed, and blue for the wedding

2 weeks before

• Check if all documents for the wedding are available
• Consult with confectioner, photographer, florist, musician, hairdresser, etc.
• Update guest list and adjust seating plan
• Pass on menu count or buffet size to restaurant or catering service
• Break in new shoes for bride and groom properly
• Check if dress or suit still fits
• Indulge in a beauty program
• Think about speeches or make notes
• Do errands for the honeymoon
• Pack for the honeymoon
• If you have your own children, pack a bag with necessary utensils
• If staying away overnight after the wedding, pack a small suitcase for the whole family
• Fix manicure appointment
• Do a trial run with flower children

1 week before

• Pass on final guest list to restaurant
• Have manicure/pedicure
• Prepare bridal handbag with necessary utensils (spare tights, powder, deodorant, comb, lipstick, etc.)
• Final consultation with Master of Ceremonies regarding the wedding schedule and handover of necessary documents (seating plan, name of the band, etc.)
• Hand over utensils for Agape to the Master of Ceremonies

1 day before

• Lay out clothes
• Check handbag again
• Have rings and papers ready
• Go through the schedule again, who needs to be where and when
• Go to bed early, separately if desired

After the wedding

• Pay bills
• Carry out name changes at authorities
• Have photos developed for thank-you cards
• Have thank-you cards printed

Details on planning a wedding

Very important is the budget plan, which should be made right at the beginning, because based on this, the framework of the wedding can be set. When choosing the location, you should rely entirely on your gut feeling. You and your future spouse must feel comfortable there, and it should not be too far from the registry office or the church. Will you be taking photos after the ceremony, or are guests invited 'only' to the ceremony? Then you should plan an Agape. Usually, a table with sparkling wine and snacks is set up here so that the guests can chat during your photo shoot and the guests who only came to the ceremony can also toast with you.

For a woman, there is nothing more beautiful than being allowed to try on wedding dresses. Take your time for this and take a friend or your mother as an advisor. Once the dress is chosen, it continues with the accessories: You can get tips for the bridal bouquet from the florist; they usually have a folder with suggestions ready. In general, it is always better to choose seasonal flowers, as these are easier to obtain. The hairstyle should be chosen to match the dress. Either take a photo of yourself in the wedding dress or simply describe your dress to your hairdresser; a good hairdresser will be happy to advise you here.

Many people like traditions, especially at weddings, so it is customary to wear something old, new, borrowed, and blue. Usually, the dress or the shoes are taken as the new item. Something old can be a piece of jewelry. Borrow something from your mom or friend for the ceremony, and the blue item is usually the garter. The decoration, the flowers, and the wedding cake should be consistent with the colors and the motto of the wedding. Do not mix too many colors, but focus on a few basic colors and a motto. It is also very important that you appoint a Master of Ceremonies and clarify what you want. Are surprise games from friends desired, or how exactly should everything go? You can hand all of this over to the Master of Ceremonies; they will also take care of the schedule for the whole evening. If you already have your own children, you should definitely appoint parents or friends who can look after your children all day. Experience shows that there is not much time for your own children; especially in the evening, someone should be able to put the little ones to bed.

Read also: Buy wedding dresses in the Gänserndorf district at mimitolu

Photo by Sabine, meinhaushalt.at