Am I missing anything?

sunflower0592

I'm going through my planning checklist and I feel like there isn't much left to do! Just little odds and ends. The biggest things, the venue and caterer, are booked. We have a photographer and I just booked a hair and makeup stylist. I have my dress, which I'll have to get altered this summer. Hotel blocks have been set up. My bridal party has been chosen, and they know the dress they need to buy.
I feel like all that's left is-
-Invitations
-Flowers (we're doing wholesale since I want to keep it very simple)
-Ceremony and reception decorations (again, minimal- twinkle lights strung up and lanterns and flowers on the tables. I haven't decided yet what to do for the ceremony but it will probably be flowers at each row, if anything)
-Alcohol (we're supplying it and the caterer will serve it)
-Rehearsal dinner
-Get our rings and I need to get shoes
-Seating chart
-Marriage license

We're doing an ipod with speakers since we both hate dj's, and neither of us are crazy about dancing anyway. I don't think we'll do any of the "first dances", they make me super uncomfortable. We'd love to book a band but the cost is out of the question. 

We have to figure out the dessert situation still. My FI doesn't seem to care either way with what we do. I was thinking of doing brownies. I prefer them over cake, and if I did them myself (I haven't decided on whether or not I want to take this on), they freeze very well so I could make them a few weeks in advance.

Is there anything I'm missing?

luckya23

I spent months on my lantern and flower (fake) centerpieces, so don't underestimate that!  Mine were all different intentionally, though.

IMO, lots of ceremony decoration is a waste.  I had an altar arrangement, and my MIL without my consent put up some pew bows on the first two to mark reserved.

It's way too soon to think about a seating arrangement, but you can think of how you will display it - escort cards or a chart.  I had a poster made that I put in a frame, and everyone missed it and sat where they wanted.

Oh, and favors if you are doing them.  I did not.

lyndausvi

where is your reception?  Mine required a professional to string up lights and lanterns.     I would double check on your location to be sure it something you can do yourself.

luckya23

lyndausvi said:

where is your reception?  Mine required a professional to string up lights and lanterns.     I would double check on your location to be sure it something you can do yourself.

Mine did too.  The venue staff decorated, but I had to hire something to do the ceiling stuff.

sunflower0592

luckya23 said:

I spent months on my lantern and flower (fake) centerpieces, so don't underestimate that!  Mine were all different intentionally, though.

IMO, lots of ceremony decoration is a waste.  I had an altar arrangement, and my MIL without my consent put up some pew bows on the first two to mark reserved.

It's way too soon to think about a seating arrangement, but you can think of how you will display it - escort cards or a chart.  I had a poster made that I put in a frame, and everyone missed it and sat where they wanted.

Oh, and favors if you are doing them.  I did not.

I want to do something like this:


I definitely won't do a seating arrangement until I get RSVP's back. I'm just listing all the main tasks that need to be done between now and the wedding. I may skip favors, but if we do them it'll be a homemade apple pie whiskey (the recipe is super easy) in 4 oz. canning jars.

sunflower0592

lyndausvi said:

where is your reception?  Mine required a professional to string up lights and lanterns.     I would double check on your location to be sure it something you can do yourself.

It's at a farm/B&B. Ceremony and reception are all at the same place. So far the property owner has seemed very laissez-faire about decorating and using the property (we have unlimited access to the property for the week leading up to the wedding for decorating), but I'll check if she has any special rules about putting up lights. Our caterer does most of the weddings at this place and also has it in the contract that they can help with any decorating so the owner may just defer me to them. 

luckya23

A couple other things I just thought of that I left until the last minute were outfits for my 2 showers, and choosing a hairstyle.

sunflower0592

luckya23 said:

A couple other things I just thought of that I left until the last minute were outfits for my 2 showers, and choosing a hairstyle.

Yes, a shower dress is definitely in the back of my mind! 

anjemon

I'm not sure if your ceremony/reception is set up this way, but my ceremony and reception were in the same exact space (not just the same building). So we used a bunch of the table decorations as ceremony decorations. This meant we could stage stuff before the ceremony (put flowers in vases etc) and I didn't need to buy any ceremony specific decorations. I also avoided doing any ceremony decorations like chair bows or row stuff. Since the ceremony space was in ceremony mode for such a short time it seemed like a lot of extra work nobody would notice (in my case). Things to consider since you have the time

pinkcow13

Your wedding sounds awesome I would love apple pie whiskey!

Have you picked an officiant? Will you be writing your own vows?Are you taking a honeymoon? If so, you can get started on planning that. Also - Bridal party gifts.

sunflower0592

anjemon said:

I'm not sure if your ceremony/reception is set up this way, but my ceremony and reception were in the same exact space (not just the same building). So we used a bunch of the table decorations as ceremony decorations. This meant we could stage stuff before the ceremony (put flowers in vases etc) and I didn't need to buy any ceremony specific decorations. I also avoided doing any ceremony decorations like chair bows or row stuff. Since the ceremony space was in ceremony mode for such a short time it seemed like a lot of extra work nobody would notice (in my case). Things to consider since you have the time

Our inclement weather plan is to have the ceremony in the reception space (hopefully that doesn't happen!), but otherwise there's a lovely ceremony site on the property looking out over the mountains. The views are so beautiful that I don't think I need much in the way of ceremony decorations, if anything, except maybe some sunflowers at each aisle (those are the flowers I'm ordering). The barn is beautiful but I really hope the weather cooperates so we can get married outside Since we have access to the property for the week leading up to the wedding, I'm hoping to get all the decorating done before the wedding day so it's just one less thing to worry about the day of. 

sunflower0592

pinkcow13 said:

Your wedding sounds awesome I would love apple pie whiskey!

Have you picked an officiant? Will you be writing your own vows?Are you taking a honeymoon? If so, you can get started on planning that. Also - Bridal party gifts.

Thank you! I'm hoping it'll be as awesome as I'm envisioning The apple pie whiskey is SO GOOD. I had a sample of it over Christmas and it's dangerous because it's so smooth and tasty- I may have to put a disclaimer on the jars, haha.

The owner of our venue is an officiant, and she does most of the weddings there. She seems like a very cool and laid-back lady, so I'm fine with her marrying us, and that makes things a lot easier than seeking out random ministers. We're not religious so the simpler the ceremony, the better. I'm not sure yet about the vows- that's something I'm still thinking about. The honeymoon is still up in the air too, but we're working on it. Of course we'd like to take a honeymoon right after the wedding, we're still trying to figure out if we can swing it. If we can find a good deal on flights, that's the biggest deciding factor. We'd like to go to Ireland. And yes! Bridal party gifts. I've had fun doing some preliminary thinking about unique gifts for each of my girls. 

ETF: spelling