The wedding planning issues we mention in this article are very important, so we advise you to not delay them until much later than 1 month before the wedding. Remember that the last 2-3 weeks are probably the most chaotic and stressful because you have a lot on your mind and a lot of tasks on your shoulders. Of course, you don’t have to follow our advice to the letter, but there is a reason why we suggest this. If you do everything on time and properly, you’ll avoid at least some of the stress. So, here’s what you should do when your wedding is 4 weeks away?
Finalize wedding guest count
Until this time, you should have a more or less strict guest count. The last month of the wedding prep is when the last arrangements and agreements with vendors, wedding venue, etc are done, so you have to know for sure how many people will attend the event. If some of your invited guests haven’t sent you the RSVP cards to let you know whether they will come, call them and ask for the final decision. You can contact only the family and closest friends – in case your wedding guest list is miles long. Anyway, your wedding guest count should be final 1 month before the wedding day.
Finalize wedding seating chart
When you know for sure who’s going to attend, you can finalize the seating chart. For some couples, it is a real chore to decide who sits where and which of your guests can be put together at one small table. But this has to be done and quickly – not much time left for the rest of the wedding prep.
Finalize wedding meal count with your food vendor
The list also depends on the number of guests, so you can’t make the last arrangements with your food vendor until you have finalized your wedding guest count. Also, you need to talk with the vendor about the final menu, including the main course choice of the guests (from your RSVP cards). Don’t forget to include other wedding vendors (planner, photographer, videographer, dj, etc) if you plan to feed them as well – you don’t have to, but then be ready that they’ll wander away from the wedding for lunch at the worst possible moment.
Finalize wedding timeline
This is also a very important issue. You need to create your wedding day timeline, write every little detail down, and this schedule needs to be ready by the time your wedding is 1 month away. Every step of the wedding ceremony and reception, every wedding activity – all these things should be planned and scheduled.
Print wedding programs
If you’re going to use paper wedding programs, order them printed 1 month before the wedding. If you’re going to have only an online program, that’s fine, make it final in this period of time. Of course, to compose the program and print the right number of them, you need to know the final timeline and guest list count.
Make final payments to vendors
Of course, you may have specific arrangements with your wedding vendors regarding the payments, but if not, try to close all the money deals about a month before the wedding so that you don’t have to think about money on your wedding day or during the busiest last few days before the event.
Some vendors can’t charge you in advance (for example, the bar because the payment depends on the amount of alcohol consumed by your guests), so it’s better either to delegate the responsibility to pay this vendor to somebody from your wedding party (parents, maid of honor, best man – pick someone responsible for this), or to have a credit card / your checkbook / your phone with a mobile payment app at hand. Prepare in advance some means to make the payment quickly and forget about it.
Get marriage license
The laws differ in different countries and even regions of one country, so you’ll have to find out in advance when to get a marriage license in your area. It depends on how long it is valid and how much time it takes to prepare the license. In any case, don’t delay this task until the last days before the wedding.
Write down wedding vows
Those people who are going to use classic traditional vows, you can relax and skip this task. But if you’ve decided to write your own vow, start doing it 1 month in advance. Give yourself time to think about it, revise and re-write it, maybe read it to your closest friend to get their opinion, etc. To create something this significant, you need creativity and inspiration, which means it might take some time.
Make last hair and makeup trial, finalize your wedding look
This is your last chance to make any changes in your appearance – we highly recommend to avoid making a brand new haircut or dyeing your hair or doing any beauty procedures less than 1 month before the wedding. At this point, you have to know your wedding look from top to bottom. If you can afford it, make a tryout or even several if needed of your wedding makeup and hairstyle in advance. And don’t forget to take a few photos so that you could easier pick wedding accessories and etc, knowing your exact wedding look.
Prepare for pre-wedding activities
If you’re having a rehearsal or some kind of get-together with your bridal party, organize everything in advance. Make sure you have a schedule, the locations are booked, the activities are planned. These events are a lot less significant than the wedding, so you might forget about them or simply be out of time and energy to prepare for them a week or two before the big day. Do it beforehand.
