Wedding Wednesday: 3 Months Out Checklist + Q&A

       This year is flying by, I can't believe we are now less than three months out from our wedding! Let's catch up on the planning that I've done in the last few months, and what I need to knock out in the final months of being engaged. 

Photo by Vinluan Photography

     Below is my checklist of things that I wanted to accomplish between months six and three of wedding planning. You can see that I didn't get very much done in the month of June. That was probably the lightest month of wedding planning so far. I was gone a couple of weekends in June, and was also getting used to my new work schedule in hospitality, so I didn't have much brain power left for wedding planning. I think June was also the point in this process where all of the big stuff was booked for the most part, but it was still too soon to do a lot of the smaller things. But things really picked up for planning in July and August! 

• Book a new DJ - June 2024

• Solidify wedding day transportation logistics - (Got quotes in July 2024 and quickly decided that rented transportation for Ryan and I and/or the wedding party was out of our wedding day budget. 😬)

• Finalize my something old, new, borrowed and blue for wedding day - Haven't done this yet

• Finalize wedding day hair and makeup inspiration for myself - July 2024

• All bridesmaids order dresses - Not all have ordered yet

• All groomsmen order suits - August 2024

• Design or select invitations - July 2024

• Mail invitations - In progress currently! Still finishing assembling all of them

• Finalize guest list and itinerary for my bachelorette evening - June 2024

• Finalize favors for bachelorette attendees - August 2024

• Attend my first bridal shower - July 2024

• Thank you notes for first shower in timely manner - July 2024

• Attend my second bridal shower - Happening in September

• Thank you notes for second shower in timely manner - This shower hasn't happened yet

• Book wedding dress alterations - August 2024 (for booking, actual alterations happening this fall) 

• Finalize bridesmaid gifts - July 2024

• Purchase wedding day beauty items needed - August 2024

• Think about creative wedding seating chart display options - Haven't really done this

• Think about wedding favors - July 2024 (We have thought and discussed, but still haven't picked a favor yet. 😅)

• Go wedding band shopping with Ryan - August 2024

• Think about / discuss wedding gift ideas to each other - July 2024

• Confirm honeymoon travel details / seat assignments on plane - August 2024

• Continue premarital counseling - July 2024 (and still ongoing)

• Confirm wedding rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, and welcome party drink reception times for day before the wedding - July 2024

     And a few other things I did in this timeframe that weren't apart of my last checklist:

• Buy hostess gifts for my mom and best friend Julia for hosting my first bridal shower - June 2024

• Buy getting ready outfit for bridesmaids - July 2024

• Buy my bachelorette party outfit - July 2024

• Buy bridal shower outfit for my second shower - August 2024

      It always makes me feel good to see everything from the past three months of planning laid about like this and to see how much I've done! I was definitely productive in the last few months. But there are also some things on the list that I definitely thought would be done now, but aren't (like selecting wedding favors and a seating chart display option). It has been a much busier summer than I expected, and still hard for me some weeks to really buckle down and focus on wedding planning. But I feel like I'm still making good progress on everything, and that I'll be in good shape for November! 

   

      Here is my final wedding checklist from now until November 16th. It is crazy how soon this is going to be!

• Finalize TikTok/Reel ideas for filming at my bachorette party (Yes, this is a real thing as a content creator 😁)

• Attend my second bridal shower and bachelorette party

• Send thank-you notes for bridal shower in a timely manner

• Finish premarital counseling at our church

• Finalize wedding ceremony plans with church

• Finish editing certain wedding website page about Virginia Beach things to do

• Finalize RSVPs and submit info to reception venue

• Finalize menu and drink package with reception venue once RSVPs are in (If we get a large number of declines, we're going to use the extra funds to bump up the menu + drinks)

• Select and order/assemble wedding favors

• Select and order/assemble guest book(s) for wedding reception

• Finalize wedding playlist and submit to DJ

• Finalize wedding photo shot list and submit to photographer

• Finalize TikTok/Reel ideas for wedding morning getting ready and wedding day itself

• Attend wedding dress alterations appointments

• Attend my hair trial 

• Purchase second pair of shoes for dancing at reception (still want heels, but lower ones than my main wedding shoes)

• Purchase garter (Ryan doesn't want to do a garter toss by I still want to wear one)

• Make DIY bridesmaids gift (Thankfully only one of their gifts is DIY for me!)

• Assemble welcome bags for out-of-town guests and deliver during week of wedding to their lodging

• Figure out if doing wedding welcome party signage (and order signs if yes)

• Order ceremony programs

• Decide if doing reception menus (and order them if so)

• Decide on how to display reception table numbers (and assemble once decided)

• Finalize wedding day timeline with wedding coordinator

     And here's a final round of wedding planning Q&A, as submitted on my Instagram Stories! 

      Will you be doing welcome bags for out-of-town guests? 100% yes! I personally think it's rude to travel a far distance for a wedding and not receive a welcome bag. It's the least a couple can do for the family and friends that are spending hundreds (if not thousands) in travel expenses to come to their day! Something I feel strongly about for sure. We won't have a super high budget to make very extravagant bags, but I will definitely still do something for our out-of-town guests!

      What has surprised you the most in cost so far? Wedding day transportation! I really wanted to rent two types of transportation. 1.) A mini-bus or limo for the wedding party from the church to the reception, and 2.) A luxury getaway car for Ryan and I leaving the reception. Let's just saw that I was wildly unprepared for the price quotes I got back... neither will be happening for us now! The distances that both of these rides need to travel are only a couple miles at most, and I couldn't believe how high the price quotes were. Fortunately my dad and Ryan's mom will be able to get me and the bridal party from where we are getting ready to the church, and then our bridal party members can ride in groups with some of their significant others to the reception. Ryan and I are still figuring out what we will use for a getaway car, but we will definitely not be hiring one. 

      What's been the hardest part of planning so far? Finalizing the guest list. I still have so many tough feelings about this. I shed some tears back in the spring when it was time to send save-the-dates and we finalized the list. At least a few times a week I still wonder if I might the right decisions in who we cut and who we kept. (I've been thinking about it even more in the past week as we are currently getting our invitations ready to be mailed.) In a perfect world, I would've had a 300+ person wedding where I could've invited everyone I've ever met and anyone who has ever made a positive impact on my life. But unfortunately our budget did require cutting down the guest list a good bit. 

Another hard thing I've dealt with has been circumstances over the past year not directly related to the wedding day itself. Things like an unexpected loss of a longtime friendship right around the time I got engaged, and my sudden job loss in the middle of our engagement. It's been easy at times to let things like this get me down, and to steal some of my joy from what should be the happiest year of my life.

      What is your first dance song? I'll be keeping that private until the wedding! 😊 I will say though, it was much harder to select one than I thought! Ryan and I have never really had "a song." The song that has always made me think of Ryan is The Way You Love Me by Faith Hill (which will be in the wedding playlist!), but wasn't quite the vibe we wanted for a first dance. I am really pleased with what we ended up choosing though! It's very classic. My dad and I also have our dance song picked out. Ryan and his mom still need to tell me their selection for their dance. 

    Stay tuned for more Wedding Wednesday posts to come between now and November. Next up in September will be recapping my upcoming second bridal shower and my bachelorette party! 

Past Wedding Wednesday Posts:

Our Proposal Story // My Ring Shopping Experience // Local vs. Destination Wedding // My Wedding Dress Shopping Story // 9 Months Out Checklist + Early Wedding Planning Q&A // How Ryan and I Met // Our Engagement Photos // Virginia Beach Wedding Guest Lodging with Transcendent Stays // Our Engagement Party // 6 Months Out Checklist + Q&A  // How I Asked My Bridesmaids // My First Bridal Shower // 

    God Bless,

    xoxo Annaliese