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The Ultimate Wedding Step Guide 150 Wedding Steps to get you from Yes to I Do BE OUR GUEST

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest The Ultimate Wedding Step Guide Congratulations on your proposal and welcome to the wedding journey You are about to embark or may have already begun to embark on a truly magical spectacular and life affirming adventure where you get to communicate your love with friends and family build a moment in time together and share your own creative imagining Wedding planning is a strange activity You are essentially organising a massive party a legal agreement a beautiful meaningful ceremony and inviting all your loved ones And you usually have to do it all on a budget It s both a delightful and stressful time and there are moments on this journey where you may go from elated to frustrated and panicked to exuberant all in a few hours Most importantly this is an unforgettable journey which you take together Planning your wedding is something that really puts a spotlight on your relationship it gives you the opportunity to see each other through times of joy where you are sharing the moment and through stressful chaotic events which can bring you together Before we get into the steps I just wanted to say that the most important thing is communication This means talking to each other honestly about what you want and listening to the other person It also means telling your guests as much as possible except of course surprises about your wedding and what they can expect People react better to the natural complexity of events when they have more information This guide is all about getting the boring stuff the basic essential planning out of the way so that you can say right done that and get on with the exciting interesting parts like deciding on your wedding decor creating themed favours checking out potential venues and sampling delicious wedding foods

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest One last thing before we begin Any questions please do reach out and ask We know weddings and we are always on hand to offer advice We also run a Q A agony aunt blog where we answer questions names are kept anonymous on wedding planning dilemmas our website is also full of hints advice and real life stories so please do check it out at www beourguest app So that s about it from us Wishing you the best on your wedding journey your wedding day and all the happy years to come We hope that you enjoy our wedding guide Laura Colin 150 Wedding Steps to get you from Yes to I Do The following wedding steps are sorted by date As with everything in life this is approximate and flexible as no two weddings are the same So please take this information as a general starting point and stay tuned for our weekly newsletter full of advice tips questions answered and real life stories We mention Be Our Guest a few times during these steps This is our fantastic Everything Wedding app which provides you and your guests with a range of features for your wedding journey and day including planning guest invitation and RSVP photo and video sharing wedding social games and venue supplier real time guest updates If you want to find out more about Be Our Guest please check out our website at www beourguest app

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest AT OR BEFORE 18 MONTHS BUDGET Decide on a budget Sit down and talk about how much you wish to spend and will have available to spend on your wedding At this point it s good to know roughly how much you want to put into your wedding as this will make a difference when booking your venue and suppliers THEMES Explore themes styles and colour schemes for weddings Find examples of possible themes and see which ones appeal to you Consider which of these themes suit where you are getting married

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest ENGAGEMENT PARTY An optional but fun filled occasion if you like social gatherings Your engagement party is the first celebration of your wedding journey and can be as formal or informal as you like ENGAGEMENT PHOTOS Capture this beautiful moment in your wedding journey This also gives you a chance to try out a photographer that you might later book for your wedding TIME OF WEDDING Choose a time of year and day of the week Decide on the times of year that you would prefer for your wedding and the days of the week that would be suitable

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest INSURANCE Wedding honeymoon and ring Consider getting wedding insurance to cover your wedding day travel insurance for your honeymoon and insuring your engagement ring DECIDE ON DATES Choose potential dates Select a range of different dates that would be suitable for your wedding Be flexible and choose at least three dates to ensure that you can get a day where your venue is available

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest AROUND 16 MONTHS GUEST NUMBERS Gather a rough estimate Start talking about the number of guests who you wish to invite to your wedding Is it going to be a large wedding or an intimate affair It s good to get a general number at this stage in the process as different wedding venues have minimum or maximum guest numbers that they can cater for TYPE OF CEREMONY Religious spiritual humanist or civil Explore what kind of wedding hand fasting or sand blending ceremony you would like to have Discuss this with your betrothed

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest THEMES Share your findings Discuss themes and colour schemes and show each other examples of what you would like Consider how much work time you will have for more elaborate features and consider things like the climate where you are getting married WEDDING PARTY Key Roles Choose people for key roles such as your bridesmaids and groomsmen GUEST LIST 101 Start gathering your guest list Get names together for your family members friends and any colleagues or acquaintances that you would like to invite

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest BE OUR GUEST Customise your Guest Experience If using Be Our Guest customise couple story wedding countdown and add basic wedding information GUEST GROUPS Start organising your guests Create guest groups and start placing guests in groups so that you can personalise their experience particularly the events they are invited to and your chat messages PROPOSAL GIFTS Order gift boxes Purchase your bridesmaids and groomsmen proposal boxes with gifts for each member of your wedding party or make your own using items that your chosen wedding party members like

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest CEREMONY Explore options Have a look at some different ceremony locations in your area and start gathering a potential list of celebrants RECEPTION Gather potentials Get a list of the possible venues that match your desired location and work well with your theme guest numbers and budget AVAILABLE DATES Find out what dates are available For your ceremony and reception reach out to possible places and ask about availability for your chosen dates

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest AROUND 14 MONTHS KEY SUPPLIERS Start gathering names Gather a list of potential key suppliers who will be available in your chosen location focus on photographers wedding planners the band and caterers if needed NEGOTIATE WITH VENUES Ask for discounts and special offers Once you have found venues that are available for your chosen dates you can reach out to these places and ask for extras such as discounts reduced cork age charges and free accommodation for your parents

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest BOOKINGS Book your ceremony and reception Pay your deposit and pencil in a date for your wedding At this point you have a date and location HONE GUEST LIST Get a more accurate list Start really fine tuning your guest list and reach out to family at this time to get anyone who you ve forgotten BE OUR GUEST EVENTS Add events If using Be Our Guest create event cards to show the detail and location of your wedding for your guests

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest WEDDING PLANNER Hire a planner If you are having a wedding planner hire this person I would highly recommend looking into this especially if you are inviting over 100 people to your wedding or if you are planning an elaborate event A wedding planner can really help you to handle the stress of wedding intricacies deal with supplier problems and frees up your time to deal with the more important wedding planning parts A good wedding planner can also save you money without compromising quality as they will have a list of preferred suppliers and vendors with special exclusive rates

Ultimate Wedding Guide THEME Select your theme What exactly is a wedding theme Good question A theme is a general idea that pins your wedding decor stationery floral arrangement and maybe even transport or food together Themes can be general like a colour or colour palette or specific such as a sea theme a medieval theme e g banquet traditional dresses and flowers a boho chic theme a 1920 s vintage You don t have to have a theme but if you are considering having one it s best to think about this now so that you can start with your wedding invitations If you are using Be Our Guest for your wedding invitations and digital guest experience peruse your Be Our Guest themes from the app at this time The theme you choose will be reflected in everything that your guests see Remember that you can change this at any time If you have a theme in mind that doesn t exist yet please reach out to us and we will consider adding it Be Our Guest

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest SAVE THE DATE Prepare Save the Date or Customise your Save the date email If you are using traditional paper stationery this is the time to order your save the dates and choose a design that you like If you are using Be Our Guest your Digital Save The Dates are sent out by email when you invite a guest Ahead of inviting guests take a few minutes to customise your Save The Date message and send a sample email to yourself to see the digital Save the Date that your guests will receive The Save The Date digital invite will automatically encompass your chosen theme DIY WEDDING ITEMS Plan those creations If you are making DIY decorative items find out what you need what materials skills and storage space for these creations

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest PROPOSAL BOXES Prepare or purchase boxes If you are giving gifts to your wedding crew when asking them to be part of your day now is the time to prepare these Order your gifts on line head to your local shop or create your own wedding boxes Lucky enough you can get proposal bundles made up of independent Irish craft makers creations including groomsmen bundles and vegan options at our website PROPOSALS Bridesmaids and Groomsmen Ask your bridesmaids and groomsmen if they will take up these roles It might be nice to make this a special moment by taking an afternoon out together or having a meal to mark the occasion Giving gifts to your wedding crew is also a popular and thoughtful touch

When you love someone you love the whole person just as he or she is and not as you would like them to be Leo Tolstoy Anna Karenina

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest AROUND 12 MONTHS ACCOMMODATION Block Booking Organize block booking accommodation for guests This means that the hotel will reserve a number of rooms for your guests Ask about getting a discounted rate for guests ADD GUESTS Import Guests into Be Our Guest If using Be Our Guest import your guest list into from your spreadsheet or add them one by one Save The Dates are sent out by email automatically

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest KEY SUPPLIERS Research and Compare For each key supplier get the costs of the potentials as well as samples of their work e g on their websites and ask for discounts DRESSES Explore wedding dresses Search on line and locally for dresses that suit your style Reach out to wedding dress shops resellers for new and pre loved dresses Decide on what style suits you STYLES DECOR Get Inspired Start gathering inspiration from the internet and magazines in terms of styles that you like Create Pinterest boards or physical idea boards from magazine cutouts

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest CELEBRANT Time to Book Once you have found a celebrant that you like who suits your style and ethos get them booked in for your wedding date PRE MARRIAGE COURSE Find out what you have to do If you are having a religious wedding find out what you will need to do in terms of preparation e g a pre marriage course is required before getting married in a Catholic church HASHTAG Create your own wedding hashtag Create a couple hashtag if you want to use social media Perhaps let your guests give you song suggestions with the Be Our Guest personalised suggestions screen

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest AROUND 10 MONTHS Vital planning organise this stuff early DRESSES Schedule dress fittings Contact dress vendors and bridal boutiques to arrange fittings Have your list of preferred dresses with you when you visit Bring bridesmaids friends or family to help you make up your mind Perhaps combine this with a fun day out GROOMS CLOTHING Decide on styles that suit Do your research Gather a list of outfits that you like consider the wedding colours and themes for accessories e g a tie scarf or cuff links and start reaching out to rental places and shops Many grooms opt to rent their outfits

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest SELF CARE WEDDING PARTY Look after yourself CLOTHING Establish a self care routine that will help you to deal with added stress of organising a wedding Focus on healthy eating getting enough exercise sleep and relaxation techniques such as yoga or meditation Find out what works for you and adjust this routine as you discover what helps you to best hit that reset button on stress Decide on colour style and theme PHOTOGRAPHER CATERING Get this booking locked in If needed for your venue For most weddings a good photographer is a major part of the day They tend to get booked up early So once you have found a photographer that you like pay your deposit and to get them locked in for your wedding date If you are getting catering review the options and prices Contact each supplier to check for availability Ask for discounts such as a half price evening buffet and once you are happy book this in THE LEGAL STUFF What you need to get married Find out what you need in terms of documentation for the legal aspect of getting married i e the notification of intention to get married Decide on wedding party clothing and accessories that will match your colour scheme and wedding style Talk to your wedding party about outfits that suit them best and that they are comfortable wearing

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest AROUND 9 MONTHS Booking the Fun Stuff WEDDING BAND Let s get this party started Choose and hire your wedding band Decide on the type of music you want for your main reception Get recommendations Visit the websites or social media of local bands Research out to the bands and find out their availability Once you have a list of preferred available suppliers ask for any discounts e g free DJ service included and make your booking VIDEOGRAPHER Research and book Decide on whether you are getting a videographer Weigh the benefits and costs If you are interested in doing this start researching by going to local videographers website and looking at their samples Contact the ones you like the best and find out their availability Once you have a list of preferred available suppliers ask for any discounts e g combining photography with videography and make your booking

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest SUGGESTIONS Accommodation Advice Get a list of accommodation for your guests and update the Accommodation Suggestions section in Be Our Guest adding information on parking getting to your venue and general details about the location DANCE LESSONS Get practicing Organize dance lessons for you and your beloved Decide on what dance style you would like and find classes in that area You can go for group classes and later a few one to one session if you really want to impress your guests WEDDING GAMES Fun fun fun Select your wedding games and plan out how your guests will spend their time between ceremony and reception

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest ADDITIONAL GUESTS RSVP Add New Guests at this later stage View your responses Add any additional guests You can import these guests directly from a spreadsheet CSV file or add them manually in Be Our Guest Send out Save The Dates to these guests GIFT LIST If using Be Our Guest review your RSVP results and optionally share this with your venue in real time CELEBRANT Meet them EVENTS Meet your celebrant and plan out your ceremony the vows the readings chosen poems traditional or modern symbols of your connection Start getting a rough outline of how long your ceremony will be and what will be included Share Event Details CEREMONY Create it Create your gift registries and complete your Gift List screen in Be Our Guest Add details to your wedding events on our Events screen entering the location of venues and details of each wedding events Limit each event to your preferred guest groups so that only these particular groups will see the events LEGAL STUFF Start Gathering Documents Gather and complete documentation for the legal aspect of getting married Create Draft Ceremony Leaflet Create a draft of your Be Our Guest ceremony leaflet screen with your ceremony cards in an unpublished mode You can use your ceremony screen as a placeholder for your list of ceremony parts and choices while keeping it private from your guests until you are ready to share it

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest AROUND 7 MONTHS Fine Tuning WEDDING DRESS GUEST TRANSPORT Buy it Organise this Purchase your wedding dress and associated accessories Book transport between venues and add this to the Guest Services screen in Be Our Guest to let your guests opt in ROLES Choose helpers Choose remaining wedding roles e g ring bearer photo approver page boy flower girl ceremony readers etc WEDDING RINGS Decide on the kind of ring you want to buy Purchase your wedding rings CEREMONY MUSIC Hire wedding musicians for the ceremony ARRANGE ALCOHOLIC DRINKS RECEPTION MUSIC Hire musicians for the welcome reception Organize this If you are supplying your own alcohol organise how this will be purchased and delivered

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest YOUR TRANSPORT Whether it be antique car horse drawn carriage or bicycle Check out the transport options out there to get you to your ceremony and from your ceremony to your wedding reception Decide on what works best for you Call or email suppliers get costs and availability and book your wedding day transport START DANCE LESSONS Twinkle toes time You ve now booked you lessons Make sure that you take time to attend and don t worry if it s a slow start learning a new skill is always a challenge Just keep practising PUBLIC SPEAKING Prepare for your speech Organize public speaking lessons and or plan out your speech with the help of a toastmaster or someone who is gifted at public speaking

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen nor touched but are felt in the heart Helen Keller

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest AROUND 6 MONTHS Final Few Months of Planning HAIR MAKEUP Decide on hair and makeup Get inspired online and find styles that suit Decide on what you want e g organic cruelty free makeup subtle styles etc Contact hair and makeup people and get some costings as well as finding out if they can provide you with what you want Once you are happy book this in Remember to make sure that you have enough hair and makeup stylists to cover everyone in your party So if you have 4 bridesmaids 2 mothers of the bride and yourself don t opt for one makeup stylist to cover everyone as it will mean wedding party members getting up at a very early hour

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest DECOR Extras for your Venue Choose wedding venue ceremony decorations including seat covers candles and other displays Your venue might have a few contacts for these items Buy or rent these CAKE Arrange Tastings Decide on what kind of cake you want your budget for a cake and contact bakers about arranging tastings GROOMSMEN Choose outfits Decide on your style and choose your groomsmen s outfits to suit this Perhaps opt for cuff links or some accessory with the wedding colours in it

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest BABYSITTING SERVICE Organise this If you have guests with children or you have children yourselves look into booking a babysitting service and add this to the Guest Services screen in Be Our Guest to let your guests opt in SEATING PLACE Decide on these Choose your seating place cards or opt for our Digital Augmented reality seating place cards HEN STAG NIGHT Start Planning Events Organise your hen stag events create a specific guest group for each and invite these guests

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest YOUR TRANSPORT Book it Now that you ve decided on which option you are going for book your wedding day transport and make sure that your provider is aware of the venue locations and the route ENTERTAINMENT Organise your entertainment Book entertainment such as magicians clowns and circus performers EXTRAS Those Magical Extras Book extra services for the wedding such as food trucks mobile gin bar photo booths and sweet trolleys

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest LEGAL STUFF Notification to Get Married Send notification of intention to get married This is the legal process of letting the government know that you are getting married It is required for you to get married The exact documentation varies in each country so check for legal requirements in the country where you are getting married MORE DECOR Fine tuning Start planning finishing touches to your decor Look to places like Pinterest for inspiration

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest AROUND 5 MONTHS Flowers cakes and more FLOWERS Decide on your floral arrangements Talk to your florist and let them inspire you Consider where you are going to have flowers and what kind of flowers or trees you are going to have Think about colours scents favourites and eco conscious options Decide on which flowers you are going to have for your reception venue and for the wedding party Some couples opt for environmentally friendly options such as plastic flowers which can be reused or small trees or bushes that can be planted later Another great eco friendly option is locally produced flowers

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest WEDDING NIGHT Accommodation Book your wedding night accommodation If you are having your celebration at a hotel usually this is included This is also a good time to organise where you will be staying before you get married if not at home and between your wedding and honeymoon HONEYMOON Book your transport there If you are having a honeymoon abroad book your flights or ship passage early to make sure that you get the best price You can also look out for seasonal sales and plan your purchase around these Look at last year s sales and prices to get a guideline

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest HONEYMOON EXTRA Accommodation Tours Now that you have decided on a honeymoon destination and how you are going to get there it s time to plan your route organise your honeymoon accommodation and start looking into tours and activities You will have a lot more to do as you get closer to your wedding so plan and book this stuff early PASSPORTS For the wedding honeymoon Ensure that your passports are up to date and renew them if needed Remember to give yourself tons of time to do this in order to avoid stress as passport processing times can often vary depending on the time of year

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest GAMES Reception Games If your guests have a wait between your ceremony and reception meal why not provide entertainment As well as music a welcome drink or food something to make this time as fun as possible for your guests will really improve their experience of your wedding Wedding games are just the thing These can be outdoor games like giant Jenga hoop toss tug of war and giant naughts and crosses or indoor games like quizzes treasure hunts or Pictionary Create a games list for your reception If you are using Be Our Guest perhaps let your guests give you games suggestions with the Be Our Guest personalised suggestions screen Be Our Guest will be adding some social digital games for your guests in mid Jan 2020 check out our memory match personalised quiz murder mystery game and AR treasure hunt

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest RSVPS Outstanding Responses Review your RSVP s create a group for guests who have not yet responded and send prompt messages to this group in one go HEN STAG Accommodation Book accommodation for your hen stag nights This may be something that your bridesmaid best man are organising If so provide them with numbers as soon as possible If you are planning this yourself try to get everyone to pay for their accommodation in advance this will reduce noshows and also prevent a situation where you are gathering cash from people during a night out or calling people up afterwards

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest AROUND 4 MONTHS Getting so close now SONG LIST Create and Share Create a song list for your band and DJ Choose songs for key moment like your first dance Perhaps let your guests give you song suggestions with the Be Our Guest personalised suggestions screen GIFTS Pressies for the helpers Decide on the gifts that you will give to your bridal party parents and other key helpers Order or arrange these gifts and plan how you will have them delivered to your wedding venue

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest REHEARSAL DINNER Book this Most weddings involve a ceremony rehearsal the evening before Many couples opt to have a small number of family and close friends for a quiet dinner after this If you are having this decide on who you will invite to dinner and on the restaurant Book well in advance and give them the numbers PERSONALISATION Signature Cocktails A fun trend for 2020 is for personalised cocktails How it works is this You choose a list of cocktail recipes and make up names for them based on yourselves and your wedding Share this with your guests and the venue Your guests can order these on your wedding day Stuck for ideas Perhaps let your guests give you cocktail suggestions with the Be Our Guest personalised suggestions screen Invite the specific required parties to your rehearsal ceremony Look out for allergies or dietary needs in your party and ensure that these are covered by your chosen restaurant

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest LEGAL STUFF Documentation for Getting Married Supply any required documentation for getting married Ensure that you have ordered this if you don t have a copy For some religious weddings you may require a baptism certificate and a pre marriage course completion cert HAIR MAKEUP Book this You previously researched hair and makeup for you and your bridal party and chose a range of suitable designers Now it s time to book your chosen designers and arrange times with them for hair and makeup Get a list of who in your party wants their hair and makeup done HEN STAG EVENTS Fun Time Take a look at all the possible events for your hen stag depending on where you are having it Reach out to your crew and see who would like to participate in each event Get numbers for your events and book them

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest WEDDING ACCESSORIES Buy these Buy your wedding shoes and any associated jewelry bags or other accessories such as hair clips BRIDESMAIDS ACCESSORIES Buy these Ask your wedding party for input in terms of shoes and accessories Once you have decided on what to get buy your bridesmaids groomsmen s wedding shoes and any associated jewelry bags or other accessories such as hair clips Decide on who pays for this It differs from wedding to wedding FOOD TASTING Sample the Cuisine Arrange food tastings at your venue and decide on the menu that you are going to have Consider dietary needs and allergies when planning this Share your menu with your guests or keep it a surprise

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest GROOM S SUITS Something nice for the men folk Organise your suit and any associated accessories or jewelry In the past a lot of grooms went for standard black navy suits or tuxes but that has changed More and more grooms are investing time and effort in creating a style that really expresses their personality often brightening up their attire adding patterns and colours incorporating the chosen wedding theme into their look Why not hop onto the web and get inspired START PUBLIC SPEAKING LESSONS Get practicing You have arranged your public speaking lessons and or speech content advice sessions Time to attend these classes They are often lots of fun and a great way to socialise have a laugh and reduce stress as well as getting rid of those public speaking jitters you might have

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest ACCESSORIES Wedding Items Purchase small accessories and items such as a ring pillow a flower basket toasting flutes etc FAVOURS Decide on these Decide on wedding favours and order these if you are having them GROOMSMEN S SUITS Choose your style Much like the groom s attire more and more weddings are incorporating colour and patterns into groomsmen s outfits Remember that these can be bought or rented It s totally up to you

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest KEY SHOTS Planning out your photos and video moments Go through key shots and plans with photographer and videographer Plan out the route you are going to take get a few sample photos from your photographer and get inspired by wedding photos that you really love from online sources including the photographer s website WEDDING PREP BAG Get your prep bag ready Choose a medium sized backpack or suitcase for your wedding day night where you will keep wedding essentials and clothes for the next day LINGERIE Buy your fancy pants Choose some nice lingerie for your wedding day night and honeymoon Buy this and pack it away in your wedding prep bag

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest VACCINATIONS For traveling Have any vaccinations that you need for your honeymoon or destination wedding CONFETTI Organise your confetti Confetti is a popular wedding tradition where the guests shower the newlyweds in paper or flowers If you are having confetti this is the time to source it If you are eco conscious consider biodegradable alternatives or flowers such as lavender There are a growing number of ecofriendly confetti makers out there

Before you marry a person you should first make them use a computer with slow Internet service to see who they really are Will Ferrell

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest AROUND 2 MONTHS Finishing Touches TABLE DISPLAY Final Touches to Decor Arrange your table display get inspiration online in magazines and from friends Decide on whether you are having a top table with close friends and family or sweetheart table just for the two of you or a flat design with no hierarchy TANNING Organise your tan If you are getting tanning done for your wedding check out and organise tanning A word to the wise try this out beforehand to know exactly what you want and what looks good with your style of dress or suit

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest RSVPS Chase up missing RSVP s There is always going to be a few people who haven t yet responded Now is the time to round up these stragglers and get your wedding numbers in order If you are going down the traditional RSVP paper card route maybe give your non responders a call or send them an email or text It s best at this stage to actually call them and get their response over the phone and people find email and text easier to ignore If you are using Be Our Guest for your guest RSVP s chasing up missing RSVP s is easy Simply create a guest group of remaining non responses and sending a reminder message to them You can do this quickly and easily Remember if you are using Be Our Guest that your non responders will also be receiving weekly RSVP reminder notifications from us

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest MENU CARDS Create menu cards A menu card is a list of all the courses in your wedding meal For each course you usually provide a few options Vegan vegetarian or allergy specific alternatives are usually not listed but I think it s nice to let everyone know what their choices are Create your menu cards These will show your guests what scrumptious food they can expect on the day They can either be given to guests on the day or earlier You can do this via the traditional stationery route or use Be Our guest for a more sustainable paper free alternative With Be Our Guest you guests can even choose what they will eat from the options available in advance and if your venue is using Be Our Guest too they can be updated on guest choices in real time

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest CEREMONY Fine Tuning your ceremony Finalise the outline of your ceremony Decide exactly what songs you are going to have and when Go through your chosen readings or poems and sound them out read them aloud and decide if you want to change them Do the same thing for your vows if you ve written them already HONEYMOON Fine tuning your plans This is one of the most fun activities Finalise your honeymoon plans Take some time out of your practical preparations to do some dreaming Choose your honeymoon activities what you are going to do each day maybe very little maybe it will be action packed and start creating a little itinerary for yourselves

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest PLAY LIST Prep ceremony welcome and main reception Complete your playlist and share with your wedding band ceremony and reception musicians Choose your key songs and share your guest suggestions with your band and DJ Remember that your band might not be able to play everything but the DJ will have a lot more choices available Perhaps create your own playlist for getting ready before your reception to play with your wedding party WEDDING BASKETS For Traveling Guests Organise wedding baskets for out of town guests if you are having these Also remember to add tons of information on your wedding location and how to get these and share this via Be Our Guest

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest AROUND 1 MONTH Getting everything in place TIMELINE Share this Information with your guests Let your guests know what is happening on the day itself and any celebrations around the day It s quite popular to have a meal or event the day before or after your wedding especially for guests who are travelling from far and staying for a few days It s really important to let your guests know what is happening when and where Of course it s nice to have surprises too but make sure that guests don t miss out because they don t know about an event If you are using Be Our Guest simply update your wedding day event cards to reflect any changes to the times events or locations and add perhaps add messages to your wedding story to share your excitement about these upcoming events

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest HEN STAG Enjoy your fun filled night Have your hen stag weekend This is an important time to relax and let your hair down Whether your having a wild night out an adventure packed day a luxurious spa treatment or something completely different relax have a laugh and enjoy this time One tip for your hen night stag night is to try using ice breakers for people who might not know each other Social games and icebreaker questions and challenges can be a great way to get everyone relaxed and talking If you are using Be Our Guest be sure to check out our wide range of social group games available from mid August 2020

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest SPA TREATMENTS Book your treatments Now is the time to book spa treatments for you and your bridal party It s so vital to find ways to reduce stress and relax at this busy time HAIR MAKEUP Hair and makeup trials Now is the time to have your hair and makeup trials done It s good to do this for at least a month before your wedding as you need to make sure that your like the style and you might need to return for a few more trials Even if you feel shy please don t be afraid to ask for another trial if you are not 100 happy with the results Good beauty and hair therapists are used to this and are happy to oblige

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest CONFIRM DATES TIMES Talk to your suppliers It s important to check absolutely everything when it comes to supplier bookings Mistakes can happen and if there is a problem with the booking you still have a chance to make changes Reach out to every supplier by phone if possible and confirm dates and times with them If they will oblige it is wise to ask them to send you an email copy of their booking with the times and the date on it just so that you have this for peace of mind

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest DRESS FITTING Fine tuning your dress and making last minute adjustments This is the final dress fitting Take your time Talk to your tailor or dressmaker Make sure that your dress is comfortable and that you like how it looks Also it is important that you and your bridal party know how to open close the dress as they often have a lot of buttons LEGAL STUFF WEDDING SHOES Wedding Certificate Wear them in Get your wedding certificate document This needs to be signed on the day in order to make your marriage legal Avoid later stress by getting this in order now This is so important and often overlooked The last thing you want on your wedding day is uncomfortable shoes Remember you will be spending many hours in these shoes Wear your wedding shoes to break them in so they are more comfortable on the day If you are not used to wearing heels and opting for these on the day it might be good to pack a second pair of shoes preferably flats to swap out for the meal and dancing

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest AROUND 2 WEEKS Almost there RINGS Collect these from the jewelers Collect your wedding rings from the jewelers and place them somewhere safe Discuss who will be taking them to the ceremony and how they will be carried Please remember to keep them safe beforehand WEDDING DRESS BRIDESMAIDS DRESSES Collect your dresses Collect your wedding dress and bridesmaids dresses Store them somewhere safe where they will not be damaged or wrinkled and where your other half will not see them

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest READERS Share readings Share scripts with your readers who will be reading at your ceremony SOMETHING BORROWED If you re superstitious You have probably heard of this already There is a wedding tradition that many people absolutely swear by of bringing something old something new something borrowed and something blue to your wedding If you are going to do this now is the time to find and keep these items together You do not want to spend the night before your wedding searching for that old blue bag that you know is somewhere in your house SPEECHES Write out your speeches Powered by all your preparation it s time to write those speeches Remember that your audience are your friends and family They WILL laugh at your jokes

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest WEDDING TIMELINE Finalise your timeline HONEYMOON Organise the practicals money Visit your venue or chat to your wedding coordinator about where everything will be and what time each event happens at Let your guests know about these changes It s important to share information with your guests and keep them updated to any changes If needed order any foreign currency for your honeymoon You can do this early and it s always better to get it down and out of the way in case there is any hold up with the post office or bank Bags Packed This is one of the more fun tasks If you are going on a honeymoon straight after your wedding pack your honeymoon bag with all the essentials that you need and perhaps make a list of things that you cannot pack yet but will need to add later BEAUTY TREATMENTS Organise your treatments Organise beauty treatments such as waxing tinting massage before the day

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest ONE WEEK TO GO Last week don t panic it will be great ENGAGEMENT RING Cleaning Get your engagement ring cleaned so that it s nice and shiny for the day RENTALS Returning these Organise the return of rented items such as tuxedos Also as part of this decide what you want to give away after your wedding day Sustainable couples often choose to give their flowers away to local hospitals or care centers to brighten up someone else s day

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest TRANSPORT Confirm your route Confirm the route you will take between where you are staying the night before where the ceremony will be and where the reception will be with your transport providers Make sure that your personal wedding transport is ready to go and has no issues and that the route timing is something they are aware of Watch out for unforeseen things like roadworks If you are providing shared transport for your guests such as a wedding bus check in with the providers to make sure that they have guest numbers CAKE Cake Delivery don t be tempted to eat it Confirm the cake delivery to your reception and make sure that they are aware of the delivery time and contact details for the baker If you are getting it delivered to your home don t eat it no matter how tempted you are If you are using Be Our Guest your guests can sign up to this service if you re providing it and your transport provider can even see their responses in real time

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest DUTIES Give a list of duties to your helpers Confirm delegated wedding duties with your wedding party and make sure that everyone who has a job knows what it is how to do it and when to start VENUE Touch Base with your venue Touch base with the venue and share your seating plan guest list and any meal preferences if available with them and answer any last minute questions they might have Ask them to go through what you will be doing on the day and where each event will happen If possible visit them in person to go through this TIME TABLE Chart your Day Create a detailed time table of the day and share with key suppliers feature to be added in Be Our Guest

Ultimate Wedding Guide SEATING PLAN Final changes to your seating plan Finalise your seating plan Confirm remaining non responders and make sure that you haven t made any errors in your plan missed any guests or added any guests twice Go through your seating plan together to be absolutely sure that you have no embarrassing seating combinations Your venue will have a time frame where they require the final copy of this seating plan If you are using Be Our Guest your seating plan is easy to make with your guest RSVP information Simply drag and drop guest entries to different tables Guest dietary needs and attendance changes will automatically be updated and reflected in your seating plan You can even share this with your venue who will see the seating plan and will automatically receive any changes Be Our Guest

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest OVERNIGHT BAG Pack it Pack your overnight bag with everything you will need for your stay at the venue BUY ENVELOPES For payments and tips Purchase a bunch of envelopes for tipping attendants at your ceremony and reception and for any suppliers that require payment in cash on the day

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest ONLY TWO DAYS TO GO The Celebrations begin FAMILY CELEBRATIONS Catch ups Reduce stress and enjoy some time with your family and close friends Remember that you have done a great job of organising your wedding and it s a celebration so relax and enjoy SPA TREATMENT Relax Time This is the time to relax before your big day Why not have spa treatment with your close friends or head out for a hike getting fresh air and soaking up the serenity

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest WEDDING DAY KIT Prepare this Prepare your wedding day kit with any items you might need on the day to fix stains tears rips and makeup smudges PAYMENTS Paying Suppliers Settle payments for suppliers and go through any remaining questions with them Depending on the supplier they may require payment just before or on the day If they need cash payments on the day place the money for each supplier in an envelope with their name on it and give this to the head bridesmaid or best man so that they can handle this WEDDING CLOTHES Prepare these Have your wedding clothes laid out and ensure that they are wrinkle free

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest TIPS Prepare these Get envelopes and fill with cash tips for attendants and venue staff SUITS Collect these If you are renting your grooms and groomsmen s suits collect these and organise collection after your wedding

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest ONE DAY TO GO Wow It s actually happening PEDI MANI Feet and hands Get your pedicure and manicure done today This gives your nails time to dry but not so much time that you chip that lovely nail polish This also gives you a chance to relax in a quiet environment It s important to take time yourself today as tomorrow will be busy LAST MINUTE SUPPLIER CATCH UP Call Them Today your suppliers will be calling you finalising plans and guest numbers and confirming times and decisions Instead of answering your phone at random times during your day while you are busy call them in the morning and give them any remaining information that they require

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest REHEARSAL Attend this Attend your wedding rehearsal This is a practice run at the ceremony You will find out where you stand when you sit and go through the key moments in the ceremony This event is also for anyone in your wedding party who will be taking part in the ceremony including bridesmaids groomsmen flower girls and page boys and readers REHEARSAL DINNER Dinner with Wedding Party It s a beautiful tradition to have dinner with your close friends family and the wedding party after the rehearsal dinner Enjoy a nice meal together and share your excitement GET A GOOD NIGHT S SLEEP You ve made it Well done You are at the end of your wedding planning and at the start Get a good night s sleep If you can sleep with all that excitement

Ultimate Wedding Guide Be Our Guest YOUR WEDDING DAY The Moment has arrived Have a great time relax enjoy remember to breathe and to take a few minutes to yourselves and just remember this day You are loved you are surrounded by people who are here to cheer you on and who have traveled from near and far to celebrate with you