How to Plan a Wedding in 3 Months
Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! Planning your wedding has its fair share of challenges and success. With a limited wedding timeline, your dream wedding may seem out of reach, hence fret not!
With our comprehensive guide to fast-track wedding planning, we will help you outline the key elements that you need to focus on to ensure the success of your big day!
Our fast-track guide for a short notice wedding is set to help you achieve the same results of planning a wedding for a year. It is an exciting and overwhelming process but a promising step-by-step process that delivers results.
Let us start the countdown to ‘I DO’ in 3 MONTHS or 90 days.
3-Months Wedding Checklist & Timeline
Even with a limited time frame, our fast-tracked wedding guide has all the necessary elements and tips on how to personalize and pull off your dream wedding in a span of 3 months. The list can be overwhelming as it both applies to a year-long wedding plan and a short-notice wedding plan. Hence, remember that it is only a guide and your dream wedding should be ABOUT YOU.
3 Months Prior
Your most priority this month is securing key vendors and arranging marriage legalities.
- Set the date
- Book a venue for ceremony and reception (an all-inclusive would be best to lessen stress)
- Create a guest list
- Select wedding party (this is not required)
- Breakdown wedding budget
- Book key vendors: officiant, catering, photographer, wedding planner/coordinator, DJ, Host
- Arrange for marriage license and any required paperwork
- Shop wedding attire
- Decide on a theme or color scheme
- Purchase wedding rings
2 Months Prior
- Order wedding invitations (digital invitations would be best)
- Book a florist and decorator
- Book wedding cake
- Finalize ceremony details
- Arrange transportation
- Arrange accommodations for out-of-town guests
- Schedule hair/makeup trials
- Confirm contracts with vendors
- Create a registry
- Send invitations 6-8 weeks prior
- Purchase wedding favors & gifts
- Plan the honeymoon
1 Month Prior
- Confirm RSVPs and finalize the guest count
- Confirm all details with vendors and the wedding party
- Schedule final dress fittings and alterations
- Plan seating arrangement and create a timeline (with your wedding coordinator)
- Schedule rehearsal
- Schedule last-minute beauty treatments: nails, wax, haircut, tan
1 Week Prior
- Give final headcounts to the caterer and other vendors
- Finalize seating arrangement and timeline
- Delegate tasks to trusted friends or family members
- Pick up wedding attire
- Prepare tip envelopes for vendors
- Pack essentials for your wedding day
- Prepare an emergency kit
- Pack for the honeymoon
Wedding Day
- Eat breakfast and follow the wedding schedule
- Have wedding attire ready and exchange gifts
- Take moments to appreciate the significance
Guide: How to Plan Your Wedding in 3 Months
Trying to achieve everything all at once in a span of 3 months can be overwhelming, but with ample support from your wedding team and close family, nothing is impossible!
We are happy to help you organize a detailed wedding on a short notice with less hassle and stress!
Set a Clear Vision
- Envision your dream wedding. Set a clear goal on what you are trying to achieve in your wedding. You can start with choosing your wedding theme and style, venue, decorations, and budget. To make it more personal choose a theme and style that are meaningful to the both of you and is feasible within a limited time. Consider the color, elements, and ambiance to the dream wedding you aspire to!
- Designate a wedding team. You need as many hands as possible! Ask support from wedding professionals or a trusted team that supports your vision. Maximize all the help you can get to fast-track wedding preparations. You can start by organizing a team of wedding planners, organizer, photographer and caterer. Ensure that they are informed with the limited frame and can be adept with any last minute changes.
Optimize Wedding Logistics
- Choosing A Venue. Consider a venue that is accessible and available on the date of your wedding. You also need to consider its size to ensure full accommodation of your guest count. It will be helpful to check reviews and related wedding articles held at the venue to establish a clear visual representation of how your wedding will occur. Ensure that all venue equipment and facilities work to avoid interruptions on your big day!
- Effective Budget Management. Allocate an ample budget for your wedding that can fund all short notice preparations needed. Divide it into different wedding aspects ensuring that everything will be smooth sailing on the big day. Your budget should include the attire, venue, decorations, catering, and photographers. Also, be mindful of the additional fees for any rush orders needed. If the budget is limited, consider only those aspects that are most essential for your wedding. It’s okay to skip some preparations that are not budget-friendly!
Determine Your Guest List
- Immediate Family. Prioritize the presence of your immediate family in the guest list. They hold the biggest role in your wedding. You can also your extended family that you only have close relationships with. It’s important to invite close-contact family members to make it more intimate.
- Close friends and Plus ones. Invite friends that have been with you through ups and downs as individuals. They are most likely the same people who will help you in your journey as a couple. You can also add their plus ones, but be mindful of the guest count and venue capacity. It’s important that everyone invited is within your budget and the venue capacity.
What to Prepare Before 2 Months of Wedding
Wedding Attire
- Bridal Attire. Instead of going gaga on your wedding dress, choose something simple that embodies your character and style. Wear something that you are comfortable with over something flashy. You can also research a variety of gowns or visit boutiques that are capable of rush deliveries and can seamlessly cater wedding dress alterations in a timely manner. For jewelries, choose ones that are a good accent piece of your dress. Don’t overpower your dress with accessories!
- Groom’s Attire. Choose a tuxedo suit that matches the overall vibe of the bridal gown. You don’t want to look like you and your fiance are attending different events! Make arrangements for fittings to see if any alterations are needed. It is also important that they have a fast turnaround time for the tailoring. Also, add accessories that elevate the whole look.
Finalize Details with Vendors
- Crafting Wedding Invitations. Keep in mind that you are handing it on short notice, so keep it simple and easy to hand out. You can opt for digital printed invitations or go hard with hand crafted invitations as long as it embodies the elements of the wedding’s theme and style. You can also add a personal touch to it. Here are some DIY invitations you can try!
- Curating Menu Selection. Discuss with your caterer what the menu should be considering dietary restrictions and budget allocation. Finalize the variety of the menu including your wedding cake and grazing table. Tap local caterers and restaurants that can pull off your menu selection on a short notice.
- Elevating Your Wedding with Decor and Florals. Collaborate with a florist that can keep up with fast-paced wedding decoration. Choose flowers that match your wedding style or preference and set a guideline on how it should be arranged during the wedding. You can use a seasonal flower guide to learn more what are the available flowers you can add to your arrangement.
Wedding Legalities
- Marriage License. PRIORITIZE THIS! Research promptly the key requirements in obtaining a marriage license. Make sure all legal documents are ready when applying to ensure approval of the license. Plan thoroughly the date of your application by considering its availability on the wedding day. You can’t really tie the knot if it isn’t legal, so this is a NO SKIP process.
- Insurance and Contracts. Be vigilant at all times. Rush weddings have a high tendency of unforeseen circumstances happening on the wedding proper such as vendors backing out or worse scammers. Take time to review contracts and insurance between vendors to avoid this happening. Always come up with a back up plan of a back up plan.
Ensure Seamless Transportation & Accommodation
- Transportation Logistics. Confirm pick up points and time, addresses, and routes for a seamless transportation. Communicate with the logistics to ensure that routes taken are not heavy on traffic thus causing delay to the ceremony. Pick up RSVPs that have a big role for the ceremony. You wouldn’t want to start your wedding without your ring bearer carrying the rings!
- Key Accommodation Reminders. Do a follow up reminder on guests that are out-of-town on the date and place of stay for the wedding. Offer welcome packages for a comfortable stay for the duration of the wedding. Make them feel at home even out of town!
1 Month Before Your Big Day
A month away from your dream wedding! Are you excited? Now is the time to focus on finalizing the details of your wedding to ensure a magical “I DO”.
Confirming Key Details
- Review Vendor Contracts And Legalities. Thoroughly review existing contracts and see if all requirements are met. Then, confirm if all services provided by the vendors are ready on the big day. Check if the quality exceeded the expectations, delivery dates are confirmed, and settle outstanding balances. Even if it’s a 2-month wedding preparation, don’t settle for mediocrity!
- Confirm Venue Preparations. Revisit the venue and see if everything is in motion. Any last minute changes and modifications should be discussed immediately to get it ready in time for the wedding. Confirm the wedding entourage, final guest count, and seating arrangement to maximize the venues full capacity.
Polishing Wedding Attire
- Final Fitting. Schedule a final dress and suit fitting with your seamstress. This allows the seamstress to make sure the dress fits well on the wedding day. Any adjustments should be done on this day to fully polish the wedding attire.
- Cohesive Guests Wedding Attire. Secure attire for the entourage that matches the wedding theme and style. Schedule a final fitting to work on necessary adjustments on the attire for a more cohesive guest wedding attire. Also, inform the guest list on the wedding attire so they won’t be out of place on the big day! Make sure to note it in the invitation.
Finalize the Guest List & RSVPs
- Confirm RSVPs. Follow up a gentle reminder on the guest list who will attend your wedding day and to those that are not yet RSVP’d. Prioritize guests that are out of town since it will take them more time to prepare for the wedding. Create a final guest list considering any last minute changes to ensure all RSVPs are invited and no one left behind.
- Adjust Seating Arrangements. Organize your guest by creating a seating chart. Following the final guest count, adjust the seating arrangement where guests feel more comfortable during the wedding ceremony. You can place them by cliques or by people of importance. You should consider your guest’s comfortability during the ceremony.
Detailed Planning & Execution
- Final Wedding Decorations. Finalize your wedding decor choices and list all additional items that you want to include. Let your organizers know so they can include those elements in time for the big day. Review personalized touches such as the invitations, tokens, and signages to make sure it is aligned with your wedding vision. After all, it is your own preference that will be followed.
- Final Flower Arrangements. Finalize all flower arrangements for your big day such as bouquets, centerpieces, corsages, and floral aisle. Make sure all flowers are fresh and available for a short notice. There are some seasonal flowers that really look great in weddings, hence be mindful of the seasonal flower chart. Any changes on the choice of flowers should be discussed immediately with the florist.
By following this fast-tracked wedding guide, you will maximize your short time and achieve your dream wedding in a span of 3 months! It all boils down to careful attention to detail and efficient execution of plans.
Embrace this exciting journey and everything will fall into place.
Best wishes!
