How to Plan your Own Wedding (Part 3)

You are almost done planning this beast of a wedding! You have the venue, the dress, some food and décor and some sort of guest list! Piece of cake! Cake…. Okay so there are a few more things that you should think about before calling it a day (or the most perfect day of your entire life).

Step 11

Find a DJ! Or a really great playlist. Personally I would go for the actual DJ because if you choose to go without a coordinator, and pick an MC whose never MC’d before, your DJ will help you out with the flow of the night. Although, I have heard of some couples spending a lot of time making an amazing playlist and apparently it works really well. But your playlist won’t introduce the wedding party as they enter the reception; your playlist, likely, won’t introduce your first dance as a married couple, or your father daughter dance; you playlist probably won’t remind you to cut the cake, toss the bouquet, and kiss your grandma—but hey it will save you a few bucks in the end.

Look at the local DJ’s in the area of your venue. Usually they will know the general audience and what they like to listen to. Often Dj’s will have some sound equipment too that they will be willing to rent out for the ceremony so that everyone can hear what you say!

Honestly, a nice down-to-earth DJ who takes advance song requests, and who is willing to help out your inexperienced MC will be a great asset to the day.

Step 12

Decide if you want to send out Save the Dates. This is a useful tool for those of you who have chosen to pick a “non-traditional” day of the week for your wedding. If you have chosen to go with a trendy Friday wedding (because you usually get a few hundred off the venue rental), it may be helpful to let your guests know that they have to take some time off of work for you. In fact, this is a great way to weed out the serious wedding guest, from the ones who would have just come for a free meal.

If you are going for the Save the Dates, it is time to order/make/draw/design them.

Step 13

Actually make a serious guest list. Now that you have the venue booked, you can actually decide on the number of people you would like to have at your event. This does not have to be the absolute final number (you haven’t sent out the invites yet!), but it should be a more serious list of guests that you would like to have at the wedding. This way you can secretly start working on the seating plan in your spare time (because you have so much of that!).

Okay now that you have the list, start gathering and bugging people for their addresses and keep this in a well-organized document. You will be using this list for the next year or so to send Save the dates, invites, and thank yous.

Step 13

Find an officiant! This step took me a little digging. If you are not part of a religious group, begin by googling officiants. Most of the officiant you will find are part of an “agency” for the area. They are more expensive than you think. As another option look up the justice of the peace in your area, or ask around—you never know whose dad ends up being a minister.

The reality is, you need someone to marry you. Whether it be a friend who gets ordained, or an individual who is incredibly skilled at wedding ceremonies, make a choice and book them!

Once you book your officiant they will walk you through what they need from you. They will give you the script they usually use that you can look over and make changes or additions to. Don’t forget to ask them about the rehearsal dinner and what they usually do for this—also find out if this is an extra charge.

Before you can get married you have to get a marriage license. Put this is your calandar now—you can’t get this until 90 days or less from your wedding date. Don’t forget to get this! You can get this from city hall but you need your ID’s up to date.

Step 14

Send your Save the Dates

Step 15

Figure out what you want to do for music during your ceremony and maybe your cocktail hour. Perhaps it is just a matter of picking out some music and having your DJ play this at different periods during the ceremony—or maybe you are looking for something a little more ornate. Whatever the case may be, sit down and discuss what you want. The music is something that will really shape your ceremony and the feel of a cocktail hour (if there is time between your ceremony and reception), so really figure our what you are looking for and what you want.

Step 16

Hire a wedding choreographer. Lets face it, you are looking for something special and exciting that will really display you as a newly wedded couple; something that brings you close to each other, and entertains the guests. Plus, it will be a great video to have as a timeless memory that you can watch when you are old and married.

It can be something as traditional as a romantic first dance, to something that has pizazz and will wow your guests. Either way you want to walk onto that dance floor feeling confident. Start now and you will have fun rehearsing together, dancing together, and creating a fabulous memory.

I leave you at this step. My inbox is waiting ;)