This practical guide from various sources (Wedding Etiquette books, Hello magazine and other wedding online sources) on how to make a countdown tracking sheet for your wedding may help reduce the burden of worries and tension while preparing the important details of the ceremony.
The purpose of a countdown tracking sheet is to ensure everything is in order (check the bookings, schedule, record the expenses, determine the budget, and other concern) while organizing your big day.
7 Months to go
1. Both Parents should be informed first
Unlike the old version of “pamamanhikan” which requires the groom to host a dinner, couples now a days just choose to invite both set of parents. So organize an exclusive dinner for your parents and maybe your siblings to a restaurant or somewhere else, introduce them to each other and relay your intention to marry. Inform both parents on important details of the ceremony like the target date and the venue. Your parents and siblings, more than anybody else, should be the right people to be informed first on the delicate preparation and arrangement.
2. Announce your Engagement
May it be in the form of a formal letter/note to your friends and relatives that you may wish to invite or through a wedding website. Engagement should be announced five to seven months ahead in order to have enough time for the preparation. Historically, the purpose of the engagement stage is to condition the mind of a man and a woman that at this point in time any flirting activities are not welcome any more. It is highly improper to see a woman/man who considered herself/himself already engaged still cavorting with another man/woman, even for the sake of friendship., it suggests impropriety and disrespect to your future spouse. Please observe propriety and proper decorum.
3. Open a Wedding Website
Modern couples are using the internet to spread the good news and to put the details of the ceremony to reach out friends and relatives living in far away places. There are sites that offer free hosting for weddings. Some of these sites are the following:
momentville.com, shareweddings.com, weddingannouncer.com, projectwedding.com
4. Budget discussion
Start working out on the budget. You and your soon-to-be-spouse should sit down and agree on how much you will spend and how will you divide the task.
6 Months to go
1. Start applying for License
Usually in the City/Local civil registrar, then working on other requirements both in the church and civil registrar.
2. Book Church venue
After agreeing on the exact date of the wedding, next step is the church venue.
3. Reception venue
After finalizing the place of the ceremony, the church and the date, the next step is the reception venue. To avoid huge cost and discomfort of travelling, try to select a reception venue not far away from the church.
4. Initial preparation
Start looking around for style and design of gowns, hairstyle, theme and colour. The number of attendants and the number of guests to be invited. Video and Photographers if you wish to hire or who will take charge. Sketch and plan how the venue should be arranged/decorated and how the ceremony should be organized.
5. Other bookings
Couture house/bridal designer (if you wish). Catering, etc.
5 Months to go
1. Gown fitting/Attendants fitting
Assuming your attendants (bride’s maids, maid of honor, Best Man, Groom’s men, flower girls) are already finalized, you may bring them to a couturier for fitting if necessary.
2. Wedding Cake
Look for a bake house to do a special wedding cake for you. A traditional wedding cake usually made out of fruits and nuts to signify fertility and happiness.
3. Order wedding rings
You may wish to design your own wedding rings or let established jewellers do this task. Start looking for jewellers that could fit your budget.
4. Honeymoon budget/destination
If the budget allows, you may consider going out-of-town for your honeymoon. There are sites which offer guides, packages and information on holiday getaways.
5. Bridal registry
You may consider the option of having a bridal registry with a department store to help your guests pick the gift of your choice from the list. But if you are uncomfortable with this arrangement then forget about it.
4 Months to go
1. Confirmation
Visit the reception venue again to make some arrangement on the decoration or sketch. Visit the catering house for some food tasting. Look for flowers to be placed in the ceremony, bouquets among others.
2. Pampering
Start making routine for your beauty regimen. Jogging, exercise, visiting a spa, saloon to condition your mind and to avoid stress. You may choose an appropriate diet plan by this time. One of the most popular diet regimens for brides is the “high protein, low carbohydrates diet”, it will make you slim but not too skinny and still maintain those fantastic curves.
3. Start selecting your music/hymn, bridal accessories.
You may want to do your selection on what music to be played on your big day. Try to check bridal magazines for tips and practical guide on accessories.
4. Gifts
Start planning what to give to your husband-to-be as a wedding gift. And so with the groom for his future wife. This is a long lasting tradition started in the middle ages. A wedding gift is a small token of appreciation and love given by the couple to each other and this is very historic and memorable because this will be the last gift the bride and groom will give to each other as singles. You are not supposed to inform each other about this “surprise” gift.
1. Finalize Guest list
The number of guests to be invited and how many extra head you will allow.
2. Arrange for transportation/accommodation
If you have far-away relatives attending the wedding, try to make some arrangement on the transportation and accommodation if necessary.
3. Hairstyle/Make-up
Consider seeing a hairstylist again for your wedding hairstyle, discuss the option. Start looking for make-up artist.
4. Wedding souvenirs/give aways
Plan what items you want to give to your guests as a sign of great appreciation for their presence.
2 Months more to go
1. Final Preparation
Finalized all the bookings, take down some important notes on the final touches of the preparation and organization. Talk to some relatives and bride’s maids/maid of honour for some help on other tasks.
2. Check the wedding invitation/Program
Before you make the final printing, check the invitation, program and liturgy for some glitches
3. Check the bridal gown and other dresses.
Visit your couturier if there are problems need to be fixed on the fitting and other concern.
4. Gifts
Shop for gifts for your attendants and those who offered direct help for the wedding task as a sign of your appreciation.
1 Month to go
1. Send invites
Send the wedding invitation to the recipients.
2. Final rehearsal (If you have)
Meet your attendants to discuss the final details/organization for the ceremony, rehearsal if there’s any. Talk to your groom and discuss the final touches of the ceremony.
3. And other confirmation
Check your list if there are still things/bookings need to be confirmed
4. Follow up the guests
Ask them if they can make it to the wedding day
5. Dry run
If there’s a perfect time for a dry run then now is the best timing. Have a dry run of your make-up with make-up artist and your hairstyle to find out how you would be looked like on your big day. Fit the shoes too if you are comfortable walking with that shoes.
6. Stag/Hen Parties
If your friends are considering of giving you a hen party and stag party (for the groom), then this is the perfect time to do it because the succeeding weeks will be a stressful period to have any parties. By that time your focus will be on the big day and not on parties.
2 Weeks more to go
1. Seating Arrangement
By this time you already receive a notice from your guests if they will be attending or not. You can finalize the seating arrangement on the reception venue by now. Group them according to relations (family, friends, colleagues).
2. Finalized music selection/Liturgy
Other arrangement should also be finalized during this time
3. The gifts
Prepare the gifts you shopped for your attendants and husband-to-be
4. Check your wedding website
For last-minute notice, greetings and other inquiries
5. The house
Check the house where you will be moving in after the wedding, make some necessary arrangement for decorations, curtains and other details.
1 Week more to go
1. Visit the saloon
You are almost there. For nail polish, spa treatment
2. Quiet Dinner for two
Treat yourself and your husband-to-be to a relaxing dinner to prepare your mind for your big day, you may have some talks on the important details of the ceremony or your plan on the first stage of the honeymoon.
3. Pick up all the dresses
For you and the entourage. Do not let your husband see the bridal gown before the ceremony, they say it is a bad omen.
4. The final of all finals
At this point everything is settled down including the booking, accessories, last-minute appoint, except your nerves!
3 days more to go
1. Relax
By this time everything is organized and prepared, all the details and other concern, so free your mind from other distressing thoughts.
2. Deep breath
Take a deep breath, wake up early and stroll around the park. Jog as you can to condition your mind and body.
3. Your checklist
Go over your check list, in case there are other tasks need to be finalized.
4. Pack up for the honeymoon
If you will have an out-of-town honeymoon, start packing your dress and other stuff.
1 day before the wedding
1. Never see your spouse-to-be.
And so the old beliefs say. Couple should never see each other one day before the wedding day to avoid “evil spirit” from luring them to disillusionment. Do some stretching and indulge yourself to a body spa.
2. Eat mild
To avoid overdoing your stomach and drink plenty of water to release tension and anxiety. Try to integrate high protein foods in your diet to relax your muscle.
3. For the bride:
Do the final stitching of your gown (according to old custom to ensure good fortune and happiness), put the sixpence in your left shoe
4. Sleep well
Avoid getting stress. You have all that after the wedding anyway, joke.
5. And assure yourself everything is going to be fine
And relish positive thoughts
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