Milestones in wedding planning

Published on 07.01.2017 from Svenja Bamberger-Frick

Tip of the week

12 – 18 months before the wedding

Set a wedding date – popular dates such as 17.07.2017 are booked early and must therefore be agreed upon with the registry office, priest and location at least 1 year in advance
Determine the type of wedding (civil or church wedding, free wedding)
Create a wedding folder in which all offers, invoices, etc. are stored
Define wedding budget
Choose a location and arrange a viewing appointment (see our checklist for viewing the wedding location)
What kind of setting should the wedding take place in? This includes the number of guests, the type of location you want, indoor or outdoor, the type of hospitality – catering or restaurant?

8 – 12 months before the wedding

Create a preliminary guest list so that you can better plan and narrow down your choices when selecting a location, etc.
Select witnesses and coordinate the date with them and other important family members and friends
Planning a honeymoon - yes, it sounds a bit early, a year before the wedding, but if you want to go further away, you may have to get vaccinated. Some people also have to notify their employer of their vacation relatively early. Depending on the collective agreement, you are entitled to one to several days of special leave for your wedding.
Organize a wedding band - have a look at http://hochzeits-band.info - here you will find almost 400 wedding bands for every taste with audio samples etc.!
Organize a wedding photographer and, if necessary, a videographer - At http://hochzeits-fotograf.info you can choose from over 550 photographers!
Send Save the Date to the guests - the "real" invitation may take a while, but it's best to send a date announcement to your guests now so that everyone can keep the date free
Design or order wedding invitations

1/2 year before the wedding

Rent a wedding car – have a look at http://hochzeits-auto.info – there you will find a large selection of wedding vehicles from vintage cars to horse-drawn carriages or buses for the entire wedding party
Select a contact person for the guests who will be the link between you and your guests. You can discuss your ideas regarding games/interludes with this person, for example, and the guests can turn to them. This person can also keep an overview of the number of games and plan the evening program. This way the games and interludes remain a surprise for you, but don't get out of hand
Attend a dance class - many dance schools now offer special courses for bridal couples, where you can learn the most important steps over 6 - 8 evenings to shine in your wedding dance. A little tip: many brides think they'll practice with their wedding shoes so they can break them in and dance them straight away. We would advise against this - as long as you don't have the dance steps down yet and your partner might step on your feet, the wedding shoes will just get unnecessarily dirty. Since most bridal shoes are made of velvet/satin, they are difficult to clean. Conventional shoes with heels will do just fine!
Set the date for the bridal shower together with the best man or maid of honour
Compile a gift list/create a wedding registry – see our blog article on gifts , where we have summarized a few important tips
Shopping for the wedding dress - since many wedding dresses are only made when ordered and this can take a while depending on how busy the wedding dress shops are, you should ideally start looking 6 - 8 months before the wedding so that you don't get into unnecessary time pressure.
If you want bridesmaids, you should decide on them and their outfits now - and plan a day of shopping together. Plan the shopping day early enough in case the dresses still need to be adjusted or something similar.
(Personal) invitation of guests
Choosing wedding rings
Book your honeymoon
Discussion with the priest about the procedure of the church wedding
Attend a marriage seminar (in Austria, a marriage seminar must be attended for church weddings in the Roman Catholic Church)
Consider and prepare gifts for guests

3 - 4 months before the wedding

Rehearsal meal at the location or at the caterer
Selection of floral arrangements and decorations - Have the florist make you a test arrangement to avoid any unpleasant surprises. From my own experience, I can tell you that it is very easy to talk past each other here and a test arrangement can definitely work wonders! :)
Selection and, if necessary, tasting of the wedding cake
Obtain papers for registry office/church
Buying the groom's clothes
Design (or have designed) all types of printed matter such as menu cards (if you design them yourself), name cards, programs, packaging for tears of joy, etc. - we have put together some inspiration for you on Pinterest

1 - 2 months before the wedding

Determine the program and schedule and coordinate with a master of ceremonies - either your maid of honor will do this or - as is common in Salzburg, for example - a wedding usher. This person will keep an eye on the schedule on the wedding day. It is important that you choose someone else and do not do it yourself - on the big day, it is easy to lose track, get caught up in congratulations, etc. - this gives the bride and groom the impression that something is happening all the time, while some guests may be bored. To prevent this from happening and to ensure that you have a great atmosphere at your wedding, put the program and schedule in the hands of a trustworthy person - we can say from our own experience: you will enjoy it! :)
Confirmation of all agreements and appointments with the most important people or companies: registry office, priest, location, catering if available, band, photographer, car
Check guest confirmations and cancellations
Have all types of printing printed
If you have flower children, they will certainly be happy to receive a small gift such as a bouquet of flowers made of rubber. It is best to get these now
Sample make-up and sample wedding hairstyle
Anyone who wants to draw up a marriage contract should clarify this now with a notary
If your guests are travelling from further away, you can give them tips for overnight accommodation – hotels, guest houses, possibly campsites in the area
If you want to have a nice tan on your wedding day and are not getting married in midsummer, it is best to start visiting the solarium now

2 – 4 weeks before the wedding

Confirm the floral decorations including the bridal bouquet (and the bouquet toss if you want to keep your own bridal bouquet) once again and check the delivery etc. with the florist and the location - when can the flowers be delivered? Who is decorating the tables? Are you doing this yourself, is the florist responsible for this or does the location take care of it?
Collecting the wedding rings
Final fitting of the wedding dress and possible alterations
Final agreement with the location – this includes points such as the seating arrangement or the desired menu & drinks
If you want to offer your guests a taxi to take them home, you should organize it now. For example, there are large taxis that can be booked from 10.30 p.m. until open end - the best thing to do is to simply agree on a price per hour, regardless of how many kilometers the taxi drives. We had this at our wedding and the guests loved it - and the atmosphere was great because almost no one had to drive home :)
Witnesses also need documents such as a passport for the wedding ceremony – it is best to remind them of this again so that no embarrassing situation arises in front of the altar! ;)

1 - 2 weeks before the wedding

Prepare everything for your honeymoon and, if possible, pack your suitcases so that you don't have to stress about doing laundry, etc. shortly before the wedding.
Final confirmation of all appointments and agreements
Make an appointment with the hairdresser and beautician – if you want to dye your hair again, it is best to do this 1 week before the wedding date – if something goes wrong, you still have some buffer
If you are not used to wearing heels, it is best to break in your wedding shoes - but do this at home so that they do not get dirty (most wedding shoes are made of velvet and therefore difficult to clean)

1 day before the wedding

Prepare your wedding dress or suit, accessories, socks, underwear, etc.
Packing rings and papers
Pack a handbag for the bride, which you can then entrust to your maid of honour on the big day. You can see everything that should go in the bride's handbag HERE
Prepare cash in the appropriate amount in envelopes for the musicians, tips, catering, taxi, etc.
Drink a calming tea and go to bed early if possible – the wedding day usually starts early and lasts a veeeeery long time! ;)

On the big day itself

Today, one thing is most important: enjoy and don't stress too much! This is your day - you've put so much time into the preparations and briefed your master of ceremonies/best man well. Now trust them to guide you and your guests well through the day and don't stress yourself too much with the schedule and program! You will only experience this day once and so it should belong entirely to you two! <3

After the wedding

Go on your honeymoon and really enjoy the peace and quiet after all the stress
Select wedding photos from the photographer and send a link to the guests so that they can order photos if they wish. Alternatively, you can also develop a few nice photos for each guest and include them with the thank you card.
Design and send thank you cards
Final reckoning
Take your wedding dress and suit to the dry cleaners
Change your name and also have your documents changed (passport, driving license, name change at the bank / insurance company)
Carrying out the name change