He finally asked you to marry him, and now you find yourself wondering "What do I do now?" "How am I going to get through this?" "Where do I start?" Well, I am going to provide you with a step-by-step guide to help you plan your wedding. First and foremost, you both need to decide on a date, and then you need to get yourself a binder or folder so you can stay organized by writing down everything you would like for your wedding. You will want to make lists and more lists of everything because chances are you will change you mind about what you want and how you want things many times before you finally decide on what is right for you. I suggest a binder because you will also want to collect samples of things to compare and go over to make sure everything matches and is within you budget. I will be writing a series of guides to help you through what should be the happiest of times for you. My first guide will be a checklist of items that you should consider for your wedding and the timeframes in which they are traditionally carried out. As with any checklist, you will probably want to modify the list to suit your specific needs and agenda.

12 Months Before Your Wedding Day, you should be prepared to do the following:

• Sit your parents down together or separately and let them in on the good news. You might even take them out to dinner; your treat of course.
• Have your engagement picture taken and announce your engagement in your local newspaper and any other newspaper or media that is relevant to your situation.
• Send out your engagement announcements to your friends and family who are not in your local area.
• Start planning your engagement party, so that your friends and family can meet and get to know one another before the wedding.
• After your parents have calmed down from hearing your joyous news, start discussing with them your wedding arrangements. They will want to be a part of everything, so try to be patient with them. After all, they are just trying to help.
• Discuss with each other whom will be payin for the wedding. Will it be your parents, his parents, both sets of parents, you and your fiance, or a combined effort? It is always a good idea to get this part of the planning done as soon as possible so everyone knows what is expected.
  
• If at all possible, meet with a wedding planner to begin preparations on your wedding and to determine your budget, style, and theme for your wedding. Wedding planners are a blessing in disguise if you can find an affordable one. Remember though, as with all things, you get what you pay for. Word of mouth is the best way to go for this one. A good wedding planner will save you a lot of headache and aggravation in the long run.
• Finalize your wedding date, if you haven't done so already. Do you want your wedding held in a certain season or time of year? The best places fill up fast, so it is crucial that you get the date set as soon as possible. Also, consider what time of the month would be best for your wedding. The Groom should listen to the Bride on this one.
• Decide on where you would like to hold the reception and the wedding ceremony. Is it going to be an elaborate wedding or are you going to keep it simple? How many people are you expecting? All of these things need to be considered.
  
• During this time, you will also want to select your wedding party. You will need to ask each one individually, and give them time to say yes, I would be delighted to be your...........and something else to consider, you will have to ask permission of the flower girl and/or ring bearer's parents' for them to be allowed to participate in your wedding.
• You will also need to start preparing your guest list at this time.

10-11 Months Before Your Wedding Day, you will need to consider the following:

• Ascertian the beliefs, customs, traditions, personalized vows, readings, etc. of both sides of the family that you would like to incorporate into your wedding ceremony. Are you going to do a Unity Candle Ceremony or give flowers to the mothers' at some point during the ceremony?
• Choose and meet with your pastor, priest, or other officiant, and discuss what you would like to incorporate into your personalized wedding ceremony.

8-9 Months Before Your Wedding Day, you will need to consider the following:

• If required by your church or State, sign up for premarital counseling.
• This is also when the Bride typically chooses and purchases her gown, tiara, veil, lingerie, jewelry, shoes, and any other wedding day accessories that she may need for her special day.

6-7 Months Before Your Wedding Day, you will need to consider the following:

• The Mother of the Bride and the Mother of the Groom typically pick out their dresses and other accessories for your special day. This might be a great opportunity for the Bride to spend some time with her Mother and also to get to know the Groom's Mother.
• The Matron/Maid of Honor, Bridesmaid(s), and Flower Girl(s) are typically fitted with their dresses at this time as well.
• Deposits are given to the vendors that you have chosen to secure them for your wedding date. Examples of vendors would be your DJ, band, caterer, limousine service, florist, etc. This can be done through your wedding planner or the Bride and Groom can take care of this.
• Arrangements should be made at this time for planning and booking a honeymoon. Reservations shoud be made with airline, cruise ships, or other transportation, hotels, etc. This is also a good time to make sure that passports and innoculations are current, and if not, make the necessary arrangements to take care of anything not current.
• If you are having out-of-town guests, hotels reservations need to be made at this time to ensure that they have a place to stay.
• If you are able, have a family member or trusted friend finalize any out-of-town accomodations for you. This will give you one less thing to worry about.
• Make sure that all of your vendors and supplier contracts are signed and everything is to your specifications. The wedding planner will help you with this if you have hired one.

5 Months Before the Wedding, you will need to consider the following:

• If you haven't already done so, select the style of wedding invitation that you would like. Keep in mind that the wedding invitation will determine the mood of your wedding. For example, semi-formal, formal, or casual.
• Make sure that you have selected your ceremony music and that you each agree.
• Make sure that you have also selected your reception music, along with a list of requests.
• Check over your wedding invitation list with each other and your parents to make sure no one has been left out, and then finalize it.

4 Months Before the Wedding, you will need to consider the following:

• Meet with your wedding planner to review your budget and make sure you are on track and within your budget. It is very easy to go over your budget, so you should review it frequently.
• If you haven't already done so, purchase your rings and arrange to have them sized if needed and engraved if you choose to do so.
• Have the Groom select and get fitted for his tuxedo or other formal wear and matching shoes.
• The Best Man, Groomsmen, Ring Bearer, and Ushers, if applicable should also be fitted with their tuxedos or other formal wear and matching shoes at this time.
• This is also the time when you and the wedding planner meet with the wedding cake baker and the caterer for taste tests and menu options.
• All flower for the wedding should also be selected at this time.
• An emcee, other speaker, and individuals making the toasts and/or speeches at your wedding reception should be selected and met with at this time to go over their duties.
• You also need to select someone to handle the guest book at the ceremony and the reception. Some of your guests may be able to make it to one but not the other.
• Your should also select someone to pass out the wedding programs, if applicable.
• At this time, you will also want to make sure that your honeymoon suite is reserved.
• The Bride will need to confirm the reservation of her dressing suite for the day of the wedding, if applicable.
• Arrangements for the planning of the rehearsal dinner and after wedding day brunch should also be made at this time, if applicable.

3 Month Before the Wedding, you will need to consider the following:

• The Bride will need to make any and all hair, manicure, pedicure, and makeup appointments for the wedding. This includes the trial run and the day of the wedding appointments.
• Physicals and blood tests should also be done at this time, if applicable in your State.
• Menu and beverage selections should be finalized with the caterer, either by you or the wedding planner.
• If there is to be a reading at the ceremony, now is the time to finalize the reading and confirm with the reader.
• Arrange a meeting with your officiant to review and finalize your vows.
• Finalize and customs and/or traditions that you would like included in your ceremony and reception.
• Make sure that the date, time, and place of your rehearsal has been finalized.
• Make sure that you have provided a finalized invitation to your wedding planner, if applicable, so he/she can get the invitations out for you.

2 Months Before the Wedding, you will need to consider the following:

• The final fitting of the Bride's Gown, the Matron/Maid of Honor, Bridesmaid(s), and Flower Girl(s) dresses should take place during this time.
• The Bride should have the finalized Bridal Shower guest list ready to give to the Matron/Maid of Honor.
• The Groom should also have his finalized list for his Bachelor Party ready for the Best Man. It is recommended that the Bridal Shower and the Bachelor Party be held at the same time, so there are no unexpected interruptions.
• The Bride will also select and purchase her going away outfit during this time, if applicable.

1 Month Before the Wedding, you will need to consider the following:

• Obtain your marriage license. In most States a marriage license is only good for 30 days.
• For any gifts that you may have received; send out thank you notes or you may give your wedding planner a list with addresses and have him/her send them out for you. It is more personal though if you write them out by hand and send them yourself.
• Go to the jeweler and pick up your rings, if you haven't done so already. Make sure that your rings fit and that they have been engraved to your specifications.
• Finalize your list of photographs that you would like taken at both the ceremony and the reception, and also finalize any video that is to be shot. Give this list to your wedding planner, if applicable.
• If you haven't already done so, purchase gifts for your attendants, ushers, parents, and each other.

3 Weeks Before the Wedding, you will need to consider the following:

• If there are any special seating arrangements for the ceremony or reception, advise your wedding planner or ushers, if applicable.
• This is also the time for the Bride to go in for her trial hair and makeup appointment(s), and also to confirm her wedding day appointments.
• Make sure that your wedding reception toast and/or speech is prepared and finalized.
• Update any insurance policies that you may have (car, home, life, medical, etc.).
• Make sure that all of your change of name and change of address paperwork is in order and is completed.
• Open a joint checking and savings account, if applicable.
• Arrange to have someone return the Groom's tuxedo or other formal wear (usually the Best Man).
• Arrange to have someone drop off the Bride's gown at the cleaners (usually the Matron/Maid of Honor).
• Arrange to have someone take the Bride's Bouquet to be preserved or the flowers pressed, if applicable.

2 Weeks Before the Wedding, you will need to consider the following:

• The Bride and her attendants should pick up their gowns/dresses and all accessories, including the Bride's veil, tiara, lingerie, shoes, jewelry, etc.
• If the Bride hasn't done so already, this is the time to pick something out that is something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.
• All travel tickets, itinerary, travelers' checks, etc. for the honeymoon should be picked up at this time.
• Honeymoon detail, such as itinerary should be given to a close friend or relative at this time.
• The Bride should arrange for a get together with her attendants and give her gifts to them.
  
• The Groom should also arrange for a get together with his groomsmen and best man to give his gifts to them.
• The Groom should get a haircut.

1 Week Before the Wedding, you will need to consider the following:

• You should both meet with the wedding planner at this time to review all of the wedding plans and provide him/her with any last minute changes.
• The wedding planner should also be advised where any wedding gifts and/or cash should be placed on the day of the wedding.
• If there are still outstanding fees to be paid, all final checks should be written out to the perspective vendors, such as musicians, florists, caterers, officiant, etc. and given to the wedding planner or other trusted person, so that they can pay them.
• You should be packing for your honeymoon at this point. Be sure to include your passports, maps, guide books, visa, toiletries, etc.
• You should also pack a separate bag for your wedding night, including your going away outfit, wedding night clothes, what you would like to wear the next day, toiletries, etc.
• If you have mail, water, etc. delivered to your home on a regular basis, you should notify them to hold it while you are gone or arrange for someone to take care of it while you are away.
• If you have a pet, you should also arrange for a pet sitter while you are away.

2 Days Before Your Wedding, you will need to consider the following:

• The Groom and his attendants need to pick up their tuxedos or other formal wear, shoes, and accessories at this time.
• The Bride should get her manicure and/or pedicure at this time.
• The Bride and Groom should give their gifts to their parents and to each other.
• The Bride and Groom should also confirm any early meeting times with the bridal party for the day of the wedding.

Day Before the Wedding, you will need to consider the following:

• Attend your rehearsal; plan to arrive at least 20 minutes early.
• The Groom will give his Best Man the Bride's ring at the rehearsal or to the wedding planner for safe keeping if there is a Ring Bearer.
• The Bride will give the Groom's ring to the Matron/Maid of Honor at the rehearsal or to the wedding planner for safe keeping if there is a Ring Bearer.
• Attend you rehearsal dinner party.

Day of the Wedding, prior to the wedding:

• Wake up with plenty of time to get ready for your special day.
• Don't forget to eat.
• Get dressed.
• The Bride will get her hair and makeup done.
• The Bride will wear something old, something new, something borrowed, and somethng blue.
• The Bride will also wear a garter, if she so desires.
• Both of you will get to the ceremony on time.

Day of the Wedding: ceremony and after:

• Enjoy you day and evening; you both deserve it!!!

After the Wedding:

• Send your wedding announcements to your local newspaper and any other newspaper or media that is relevant to your situation.
• Send out your wedding announcement cards to anyone who couldn't attend the wedding.
• Send out change of address cards, if you haven't done so already.
• Complete and send your change of name paperwork, if you haven't done so already.
• Pick up your gown from the cleaners.
• Pick up your flowers.
• Update your Wills, if you haven't done so already.
• Live happily ever after.