In Part 2 of this series of articles, you got a good idea of what needs to be completed 1-6 months before you exchange your vows at your destination wedding. Now we’re going to look at those last couple of hectic and exciting weeks so you don’t forget anything important.
4-5 months before your big day
During this period, you’ll be finalising a lot of decisions and doing a lot of preparation. You may be getting your dress altered, helping the wedding party select their attire, deciding on menus (if you have a caterer for destination reception), picking flowers for the floral arrangements, deciding on decorations for the wedding location, and working with your on-site wedding planner to make sure everything is coming together as you anticipated.
If you haven’t booked your flight yet, now is a good time to work with your wedding specialist to do so. Your hotel accommodation at your destination should also have been booked by now, too. Remember to let your guests know if they can get a discount by booking rooms in the same hotel.
You may also still be working on completing and submitting paperwork necessary for the wedding. Make sure to get all of the legal stuff finished as quickly as possible so you don’t run into any last minute problems.
You should also take some time off from all of the planning and do some wedding ring shopping. Give yourselves plenty of time to find the right rings and to have them sized properly.
2-3 months before your big day
At this stage, you’ll be making the final arrangements, such as booking your hair and make-up artists (ask your wedding planner for recommendations), finalising music choices for musicians who will be performing at the ceremony and/or reception, and going for your final dress fittings.
Now is a good time to start thinking about wedding favours for your guests. Since your guest list will be smaller, you can create more elaborate favors, such as gift baskets or specialty items from your wedding location.
Also, be sure to mail the actual wedding invitations to your guests no later than eight weeks before the event. You should have sent them save the date cards a couple of months ago. Hopefully, some or all of them have responded to let you know if they can attend the event or not. You will need to advise final numbers to your wedding planner as well.
If you are purchasing gifts for the wedding party or your parents, now is a good time to start shopping for those. However, you can forgo gifts if you are paying for all or part of the travel expenses of your wedding party.
Another consideration at this point for some couples is their pets. Be sure to make arrangements for boarding or a pet sitter around this time, too. Remember most of your friends and family members will be with you so you’ll probably need outside help to care for them while you’re getting married.
1 month before your big day
As you get closer to the big day you’ll probably start to feel nervous and stressed so consider doing some yoga or finding other ways to relax. You could also use this time to start writing your vows if you want to go that route. You may also want to talk to the in-house wedding coordinator with the help of your wedding planner. This conversation can ensure all three of you know what to expect on the big day.
You’ll also be going to dress and suit fittings, picking up accessories for the wedding attire, checking in with guests to make sure all of their arrangements have been made, and finalising the guest count for your wedding planner.
When you have spare time, you should also start packing.
Next time, we’ll look at all of the final, last minute details you’ll want to take care in the last couple of weeks before you say “I do". Read part three below!
