You’re engaged (yay!), caffeinated, and armed with a shiny new Erin Condren Wedding Planner. That metallic marker of yours is just begging to make some gilded wedding planning checkmarks through your “I Do” List.
Before you start your journey to the altar, put these easily overlooked wedding planning tasks that into your planner, like, now!
1. Add gratuities to your wedding budget checklist.
You’ve itemized your wedding budget down to the last cent. But with all the numbers tallied up, you might be forgetting a costly, but necessary, expense: tips.
Vendor tips can be confusing. Who do you tip? And how much? To help, we’ve come up with this handy guide for tipping your wedding vendors. Pencil in these suggested amounts under the “miscellaneous fees” section of your planner’s budget checklist. That way, the extra expense of tipping your wedding vendors won’t sneak up on you at the last minute.
2. Implement this wedding RSVP-tracking strategy.
You’ve mailed out those invitations and are feeling pretty good about your wedding planning … until those RSVP cards come trickling in and you notice a small-but-crucial omission: The “name” field has been left blank and there’s no return address on the envelope.
The struggle with tracking RSVPs is real. You’d be surprised by how many guests will fail to write their names on the reply card. (All you’ll know is that 2 people are coming, and they both want salmon.)
To circumvent this wedding planning snafu, write a little number on the back of your RSVP cards that corresponds to a numbered guest list in your planner. Match the RSVP card to your list, and you’ll know whom each reply card belongs to if the “name” field is blank or illegible.
3. Pencil in these wedding catering reminders.
Here are a couple of catering items to jot down on the “Wedding Menu” page of your planner.
Food allergies or dietary restrictions:
Find out if any of your guests require specific dietary accommodations. As you’re finalizing your guest count and wedding menu, make a note of them and let your caterer know if you’ll need any vegan/gluten-free/peanut-free options.
Vendor meals:Â
Ask your caterer what they offer, keeping in mind that you’ll want to feed any vendor that’s working your reception (like your planner, photographer, videographer, DJ and/or musicians, and any of their assistants). Write yourself a reminder to give your caterer the final “vendor meal” count at the same time you confirm your final guest count.
4. Plan out your wedding day emergency kit.
When wedding planning, always make room for the unexpected. On an empty “lined notes” page of your planner, start jotting down a packing list for your wedding-day emergency kit. This is a small makeup bag filled with “just in case” items that can fix most of those little day-of annoyances.
For example, if you suddenly get a pounding, pre-ceremony headache, you’ll want to have your trusted brand of pain relievers on hand. If the corner of your eyelash comes unglued, you’ll need that fix-it tube. And if you spill some red wine or bust a seam? You’ll be so glad you’ve got stain-remover wipes and a mini sewing kit on that list. From double-sided tape to deodorant, an emergency kit can be a real lifesaver on the big day—so plan one out ahead of time.
5. Build a timeline cushion into your wedding planning.
Flip to the “Wedding Day Timeline” page of your planner and write the word CUSHION in big, bold letters in the notes field. Why? Because it’s imperative to build a bit of wiggle room into your day.
Hair and makeup always take longer than you’d think, as does wrangling up all your nearest and dearest for formal portraits. If there’s any transportation to the venue(s) required, add in some buffer time for unexpected traffic. These extra pockets of time are crucial if you don’t want minor delays adding up to throw your entire day out of whack.
Find your perfect wedding planner to help keep track of all of these forgotten tasks. For the ultimate wedding planning essentials, explore The Bride-to-Be Buying Guide.
Still feeling overwhelmed, grab these stress-free wedding planning tips from Here Comes the Guide and enjoy a smoother, happier wedding day.
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