So as I sit here trying to write down everything that’s happened in the past month my head is buzzing with things to write, bits that will help other brides out there and how to get it all down on paper… but for me it’s all a matter of time, (or lack of it!) why is it that the year just seems to be getting quicker and quicker, and now I find myself nine months after Jon’s proposal hitting a wedding wall.
The first three months were filled with wedding shows, blog scouring and collecting heaps of magazines and samples, I bought my dress, the bridesmaids dresses, designed the stationery, chose the venue, sorted the guest list and hotels, booked a pianist, chose the DJ, went to food tastings and did all sorts of pretty DIY bits and pieces but I now find myself in September panicking that there’s so much still to do with no time to do it…before we know it Christmas will be here! But equally I have hit a bit of a wedding wall…has anyone else got that, where so much is planned and there are so many things left to organise (never mind pay for!) but you’re just wishing the time away not really being very proactive?
I spoke to a friend about it who used to be a wedding planner, then I realised it’s the fact that wedding planning is actually a full time job…So it’s about managing time and putting in deadlines for yourself to hit…so I now have a plan and this is how it looks! (It helps that I love making lists…Jon says it makes sense of my crazy head!)
- Finalise invitation designs and get them off to print
- Book a hair dresser
- Go shopping with the mums for accessories
- Make a list of hens for my bridesmaid to contact about the hen do!
- Get the wedding website sorted and live
- Get invites back from the printers and send out to guests
- Design other bits of stationery and pretties!
- Decide on a song for the first dance and a walking down the aisle tune (otherwise Jon will get his way with AC-DC back in black!)
- Have my dress fitting!
- Decide on my headwear
- Make sure the bridesmaids outfits are complete and see if any alterations need to be made
- Decide on alcohol for the toast
(I’m pretty much writing December off….need time to plan for Christmas!)
- Get RSVPs back! Yey!
- Order the food
- Make the favours
- Do pre- wedding photoshoot and have make up trial on the same day (bit cheeky but thinking it’s the only way to tell how the makeup will look on the day!)
- Work out how we’re all getting to and from the venue!
- Have hair trial
- Pay for the registrar and decide on what’s happening during the ceremony!
- Do a moodboard of flower inspiration to take to the flower market with mum
- Buy the boys shirts and ties
- Make sure the swords are ordered for the guard of honour
- Take the sound and lighting experts to have a look around the venue along with my mum (to make sure the buntings the right length!)
- Buy pressies for bridal party
- Help ice the cake
- Go on my hen do!!!!
- Sort out the playlist for DJ
- Pay everyone (gulp!)
- Have my final dress fitting!!
- Week of the wedding!!
- Sort out the flowers
- Get everything to the venue
- Pick up outfits
- Dress the venue
- Have my nails done
Wedding day!
Hopefully all the planning will have paid off so I can just arrive and have an absolutely amazing day and jet off on a surprise honeymoon arranged by Jon!
So even though this list looks humongous, Jon was right, it has helped me make sense of my crazy head and now I have a plan! Yey! So even if I don’t stick to it religiously at least I have something to aim for so that the next 8 months don’t just disappear like the last 9!…Though I’m still secretly wishing time to go faster…I’m just too excited and can’t wait for the day to be here! So do any of you lovely ladies swear by lists and is anyone else struggling to plan a wedding as well as hold down a full time job and have a life!?
So now I’ve told you my plan and it’s out there for all to see I guess I need to try to stick to it…otherwise you’ll all know when I’m behind and letting time run away with me again! eek!
So until next month…
Han xxx
Hi Hannah!
I am in the exact same position as you – I feel as though I have plenty of time to do everything…but when I really think about it, there are so many little bits! Its starting to scare me now!
Can I ask what wedding website you are using? Sounds like such a good idea!
Charlotte x
Oh Hannah, you’ve just sent me into a blind panic! I have so many lists and spreadsheets, but for all the wrong things. I have a list of about 100 songs that we both love, and the hen-do is all sorted, but that’s about it!
I need more lists and deadlines! tick tock tick tock.
Don’t stress about being disorganised, if you ever feel that way then just talk to me and it wont feel so bad!
xxx
Fab post Miss Hannah!
I’m exactly the same – but unfortunately I haven’t done anywhere near as much as you!! eek!
I am usually sooooo organised (I’m a PA for goodness sake, it’s what I do!) but when it comes to the wedding I think I have let it slightly overwhelm me! I have such high expectations of what I want to acheive, with the added pressure of various friends telling me how amazing they think the day will be! I know that sounds like a lovely thing for them to say but it just adds even more pressure for me to make the day perfect!!! eek!
Anyway, I am thinking I need to take a leaf out of your book, write down everything I still need to do. So thank you for reminding me why I LOVE a good list
although I now want a pretty list like this to put up on the wall!!!! haha
xxx
ps. can I have those teacups please – they are gorgeous!!!
Hmmm, is really helpful as I am also an April bride! Cheers Hannah!
I completely get the feeling like there’s time but there is actually so much still to do… thing, and it is partly cos I feel that everything left is just details, and it seems silly to sort these things now, but at the same want to do them now, because I want the wedding to be now and not 7 months away!
I’m also with you on the needing to get that processional tune sorted, because every time we try to talk about it gets silly and suggestions so far have ranged from the hobbit music from lord of the rings through to Radiohead’s Creep and Blue Oyster Cult’s Godzilla. (At least one of those came from me.) It is turning out to be one of the most difficult decisions, and makes me very glad we’re not having a first dance!
You are so organised Hannah! Will you make one of these for me please, pretty please
I am in a bit of a panic now eek! I have also hit a bit of a wall, I was doing so well but now it’s all ground to a halt. Haven’t made a pinwheel in weeks haha!
We did choose our first dance song in the last few weeks though, which I am very excited about! It came on my iPod the other day and I cried like a baby, had to pull over and everything, oops!
Lovely post, will be trying to take a leaf out of your book this weekend and get my disorganised thoughts into some kind of understandable order xxx
I have a very similar list in my wedding planning book. Feeling quite relaxed about it at the moment but there are a lot of things on it!!
xox
I am an April bride and have also hit a wall. I have had everything booked for ages and now it’s just all the details that are down to me, like all the stationery. I may be a designer so I should know what I’m doing but I’m bricking it in case I don’t meet guests high expectations and worse get a bad critic from my fellow designer friends. I’ve spent weeks developing a design and I finally had a breakthrough last night but I’m still stressing over envelopes – to line them or not? Will people notice if I go for 100gsm stock instead of 130gsm? And most importantly we have to write our Humanist ceremony which my other half seems to think we can just leave until last minute. Grrr.
But thank you for the monthly list tip, I think I will do that tonight because I am getting to the point where I feel a bit lost and overwhelmed!
Loving the Pinterest-style calendar/to-do list – very cool!!
Don’t worry about hitting the ‘wedding wall’ – I think it happened to us more than once!! Take advantage of the down time before the next wave of activity
xx
I think it’s quite funny too how some things are the top of one person’s list, but figure further down someone elses list! very early on Lee got our cars booked, but I havent even spoken to a florist yet! xx
Oh my gosh Hannah… I am getting married in December and my list is the same as yours!
This post has sent me into a blind panic… we are still yet to get our invites printed…
Hoping to get them done and sent by the end of this month – 3 months in advance of the wedding is long enough right?
We did send save the dates?
Ok, best get off Rock My Wedding and actually sort my wedding!
Hey everyone! So glad to hear other brides hit a kind of wedding wall too!
@Charlotte I am either using gettingmarried or appycouple, I have been really impressed with appycouples customer service so far but I haven’t yet found a design that suits my style…which leads on to @Carys I’m a designer too and defo feel the same pressures as you, Its like having a work critique sending out your invites to other designer friends…which I think is why I have been putting it off!
@Ruby hilarious..I kind of would love to walk down the isle to something nobody would expect…but also love the romance of floating down the isle to something lovely but its a minefield…don’t know where to begin with that at the mo!
@Beccie, don’t worry! This is a list of what I should do…(im sure three months before I will still have a very similar list!)
Thanks for all you’re lovely comments girls! Hopefully I haven’t sent you all into flat spins making lists! xxx
Fab post!!
I don’t mean to frighten the 2013 brides….but the time is going to go so fast for you! I am 4 weeks away (I make a scream face every time i say this) and I seriously have no idea where the past 15 months have gone since the Mr proposed!
The wedding has brought out an uber organised side in me and I just threw myself into the planning. The best advice I ever received was from one of my friends – your wedding is as stressful as you make it. If you are organised, you will be fine. And this is so true. I am still not stressed, pretty much everything is done and its a case of finishing off bits and bobs and counting down the weeks!
Writing monthly lists is great, I have carried mine around with me so I always knew where I was up to with everything and always ended up adding things on as I thought of them!
Good luck with everything, although it seems you have it all covered!! xxx
Thanks Jessie, I hope your day is gorgeous and totally stress free! I’m sure it will be by the sounds of it! xxx
I have found myself completely removing myself from planning my wedding and just planning and this has totally helped – I just focus on what needs doing and when and just get on with things! xx
Hello lovely! oooh what a good post! Very timely actually as I have been feeling i haven’t really done very much in ages as so much stuff got booked early on – great idea to do a month by month plan
we have had loads of entertainment choosing first dance music, check out comedy first dances on you tube for a laugh – suddenly would love to learn something choreographed but won’t happen! (although after several beers he did say he’d learn the Dirty Dancing dance…..!lol!) xxx
Good to make a list – i hit the wall half way through planning and then didn’t do some stuff when I should have done!
Piece of advice- send invites out as early as possible and plan to have to send out a second lot, we have had so many people who can’t come that we had to almost completely rewrite the guest list! Plus don’t expect RSVPs to come back when you think they should – we’re getting married NEXT WEEK!! (eek) and still haven’t heard from some people!
Good luck Hannah! xxx
eek! @Alice that will drive me crazy if I don’t hear from people before the week before! madness! but then I’ve heard horror stories too of evening guests turning up to the daytime event…that fills me with dread too, so trying to make the invites as obvious as possible! I hope you have a fabulous day next week! You must be so excited! Hows sleeping? I cant imagine I’ll sleep a week before mine!
@Miss Vix…a monthly plan is the only way I can sort out my crazy head…defo recommend it! A choreographed dance would be amazing…we went a wedding recently where they did one and it was great because you actually felt you should be watching them dance rather than just watching people uncomfortably shuffling around! But I don’t think we’ll have time either..I think Jon would be up for it but I can imagine he’d go for something mega ambitious and forget I’d be doing it in a big wedding dress! You should defo try to do it though! xx
Loving the concept of the Wedding Wall! I’ve spent most of the summer in a haze of CBA about my wedding, then in the last 10 days I’ve ordered the invitations, ordered macaroon samples, emailed 3 photographers, started the hen night plans, bought my wedding skivvies, gone shopping with my mum for her outfit…and probably some more stuff besides. It’s like I was on my 6-week jols and now I’ve gone back to wedding school – except without the shiny new pencil case! And if it helps, I’m getting hitched in Feb and you sound well more organised than me!x
Wow – uber organised, the lot of you!
I haven’t made a single list, not one. Oh dear.
Lists are great, I love them and generally live my life by them, but the only thing I’d say is don’t OVER plan everything. I look back now and wish that I’d gone with the flow a bit more ….
Last night I got a fresh notebook and wrote ‘wedding to do list’ at the top. Then I wrote ’1. Write a list of everything you need to do for a wedding’. This is as far as I got. Number 2 was clearly ‘pour a glass of wine and close book’. However, now I’m going to copy all your lovely helpful bullet points into my book and hey presto – I’m half way to being organised!
As for song choice – I’m still working on the boy but I REALLY want to walk down the Aisle to Queen, don’t stop me now. Seriously. In fact, I’d have to swoop down the aisle to it. It would be epic. Or terrible. The boy thinks terrible. he’s probably right.
@Hannah, funny you should ask I was literally still awake when the birds started this morning! We don’t have any evening guests – but it’s scary how many people have just mentioned in conversation ‘oh and {insert random bloke/girl they’ve been on a few dates with} sadly can’t come/is looking forward to it’ umm what? they weren’t invited?! am leaving gaps at the end of each table on the planner ‘just in case’ lol xx
I’ve decided I’m way too laid back after reading this post. I feel so much better now about my two weeks to go an stuff still left to do. It will get done eventually and if doesn’t well what the hell….at least I have a dress and a man that I love waiting for me at the top of the aisle xx