A. 1 year to 6 months ahead - Start planning for Your Wedding
- Finalise the wedding date after discussing with your parents.
- If necessary, Consult a Feng Shui Master or Geomancer for auspicious dates and timings.
- Work out the kind of wedding you want (indoor/ outdoor/ buffet/ sit-down type/ lunch/ dinner?)
- Set yourself a budget.
- Work out how many people you want to invite and who you want to invite.
- Start compiling your guest list. Get a spreadsheet started. (use MS excel)
- Book a licensed Solemniser. You will need to get his or her written consent to solemnise your marriage before you file your notice of marriage at the Registry of Marriage.
- Get hold of bridal magazines to know about upcoming wedding shows and exhibitions. (e.g. Style Weddings, Her World Brides)
- Attend wedding shows to explore different packages (and freebies) offered by various hotels/ restaurants and bridal studios.
- Reece different venues to have a feel of the physical space and facilities and meet up with the hotel business managers.
- Book your ceremony and reception venues. If your venue is outdoors, make sure there is wet weather option available. And should you need to rent additional equipment such as tables, chairs, tents, projector or screens, work out what you want or need and make reservation.
- Book your wedding planner, caterer, florist, musicians, photographer and videographer.
- Start shopping for, or designing, the wedding dress and accessories.
- Plan your honeymoon and buy necessary clothing for different seasons. Look out for travel fairs like NATAS in March, June or September.
- Get yourself a spa package for those regular, monthly facials.
- Exercise regularly to look the best on your wedding day. (At least 3 times per week for 20 mins per session)
- Arrange for first meet-the-parents session (may want to discuss "pin jin" and number of tables required for both sides.)
- Plan for renovation of bedroom or house.
B. 4 to 6 months ahead – Don’t Panic, There’s Still Time
- Purchase or reserve the groom’s attire.
- Purchase, reserve or tailor the groomsmen’s and bridesmaids’ attire.
- Purchase the wedding bands. Arrange to have them engraved with wedding couple’s names and/ or ROM date. Make sure it comes with a free wedding pillow.
- Purchase shoes for bride & groom.
- Pick your wedding favors. Order them or assign some friends to help out when making them.
- Book a room for your wedding night and book another room(s) for helpers, parents & relatives. - Pick out ‘thank you’ gifts for your attendants and your parents.
- Pick out or Make wedding gifts for each other.
- Set up your wedding registry and have a helper (e.g. sibling, friend) disseminate the news among your friends and family.
- Sign up for dance-lessons.
- Order the wedding cake for wedding dinner and cakes for "Guo Da Li"...
- Print wedding card inserts. Design wedding invitation cards.
- Go for photo-shoots at bridal studio (indoor and outdoor shoots). (for brides, do bring along sport shoes or any comfortable footwear for outdoor photo-shoots)
C. 2 to 4 months ahead – Buying, Ordering and Finalising
- Apply for annual leave (4 to 6 days before wedding day and 2 to 3 days after wedding day for resting.)
- Mail the wedding invitations. Deliver wedding invitation personally to relatives. Arrange for drivers to bring you around.
- Finalise the wedding ceremony details with the Solemniser.
- Get your wedding vows for the ceremony from your Solemniser.
- Finalise the decorations with the florist and venue representatives.
- Finalise the menu and wine selection. Arrange for a food-tasting.
- Invite friends and family members to speak or perform at your wedding.
- Finalise the sequence of events for both the ceremony and reception.
- Schedule the wedding rehearsal.
- Test hairstyles and make-up.
- Purchase wedding bands.
- Order mattress and purchase mattress cover sets.
- Purchase Chinese customary items. (at Chinatown Complex)
- Select photos for wedding albums at bridal studio.
D. 1 to 2 months ahead – There Are More To Be Done
- File your Notice of Marriage.
- Purchase or make your guest book.
- Confirm your honeymoon bookings.
- Meet helpers and assign responsibilities along with checklists and/ or schedules.
- Meet up with hotel banquet coordinator to test out the technical systems (e.g. laptops, projectors, music in audio discs or in MP3 format.) and to discuss your program during your wedding dinner.
- Finalise layout design for wedding photographs taken by bridal studio.
- Renovate bedroom or house.
E. 2 weeks ahead – It’s Time To Panic
- Arrange a final dress and suit fitting for both of you.
- Make sure your attendants and bridesmaid have gone for their fittings as well.
- Confirm the head count for the reception with the caterer.
- Get ballroom floor plan with table and stage layouts from hotel business mangers.
- Work on the seating plan. Prepare place cards if necessary.
-Write your speech and practice them.
- Create the video(s) for childhood till courtship photographs.
- Confirm mattress order and delivery time for "An Chuan".
F. 1 week ahead – Making Sure Things Are In Correct Order
- Confirm your wedding details with the Solemniser (at least 3 working days before your wedding)
- Confirm the seating plan and print at least 4 copies for helpers at reception.
- Confirm details with the caterer and update the head count.
- Confirm all other bookings (transport, venue, furniture rental, wine delivery, projector rental etc)
- Update helpers on the responsibilities along with checklists and/ or schedules.
- Print out to-do list for helpers.
- Get one more facial and massage.
- Pack wedding photos albums, guests’ books, bridal accessories and all attires (for bride, groom, bridesmaid, groomsmen) into carrier bags and label them.
- Choose wedding songs for first dish, for 1st and 2nd march-ins and for playing throughout the wedding dinner. Burn them into audio discs to be played at hotel. Label the discs.
- Email hotel business manager number of Vegetarians and Muslims and the table number they will be sitting at.
- Request for required number of baby chairs.
G. 1 day ahead – Getting Ready For The Big Day
- Rehearse the wedding ceremony.
- Get a manicure and pedicure.
- Squeeze in a relaxing massage if you can.
- Present the wedding party with ‘thank you’ gifts.
- Remind groom to collect flowers, corsages and car ribbons from bridal studio.
- Prepare the final payments and hand them over to the person assigned to issue them at the end of the day.
- Remember to check the weather report if your wedding is going to be held outdoor. Assign someone to decide whether the wedding should be moved indoors on the day itself. Be prepared to live with the decision he or she makes.
- Hand over everything else. Trust someone else to get it done right.
Reference:
Wedding Checklist © Copyright Jhong Ren – All Rights Reserved. http://www.romance-fire.com/
