How To Plan Your Short-Term Wedding
Your Guide to Short-Term Wedding Planning
Wedding planning can be overwhelming. This is especially true for those navigating less-than-ideal wedding timelines. Although wedding planning on short notice can be extra challenging, La Princesa is here to set you up for wedding-day bliss with our guide to short-term wedding planning in Phoenix, AZ.
How to Organize a Wedding on Short Notice
From surprise engagements to whirlwind romances and unexpected circumstances, there are many reasons to speed up your journey towards tying the knot. Fortunately, contrary to popular belief, pulling off a short-term wedding is not as challenging as it may seem. All you need is a well-structured, short-term wedding checklist.
Ideal Short-Term Wedding Planning Structure
La Princesa has helped countless couples achieve their dream wedding with as little as five months’ notice. Now, we are here to share our knowledge and resources to help you do the same. Our structured, month-by-month checklist is the key to staying on track toward your dream celebration when dealing with an unforgiving timeline.
Five Months Before the Altar
Select your wedding date five months before the date you hope to get married. To solidify this date, you must hurry to book the right venue, vendors, caterer, and photographer or consolidate these demands by securing a wedding planner. However, as these factors often require down payments, it’s important to develop a budget to help you stay on track.
Four Months Before the Altar: Guest List Preparation
Once your date, venue, and details are secured, it’s time to start considering what you need to do for your guests. Depending on your guest list, this may include travel coordination, room reservations, and other accommodations for loved ones coming from out of town.
Wedding Rings/Bands
If you’re opting for customized wedding rings or bands, it’s important to get ahead of potentially drawn-out wait times. To ensure you and your partner have the perfect wedding day, we recommend purchasing your rings in advance. For short-term wedding planning, this should occur at least four months before your wedding day.
Purchase Your Wedding Cake
Just because you’re working with a limited timeframe does not mean you should miss out on a wedding-day staple. To take part in the tradition of a wedding cake, book your cake tasting four months before your big day. This allows you to taste-test flavors and match your cake design with your projected venue and wedding-day décor.
Three Months Before the Altar
Three months before your trip to the altar is often when the stress sets in. To stay confident with wedding preparations, remain calm and refer to this checklist. At this point, you should have the majority of your decorations purchased, making it a good time to review your inventory and pick out any additional décor or accessories.
Finalize Your Ceremony Script
No matter the length of your wedding planning experience, you deserve a day filled with magic. To ensure your ceremony meets and exceeds your expectations, take the time to finalize your script approximately three months before your wedding day.
Two-Months Before the Altar
As your wedding gets closer, your to-do list may seem to get longer. Some of the tasks to cover two months out from your wedding day include:
- Order your marriage license
- Get started on your vows
- Mail out invitations
- Buy wedding favors, a guestbook, and other optional details
One Month Out: Cover Your Bases & Get Excited
One month out is when the excitement really sets in. This period of short-term wedding planning is also known to be the most fun aspect of the process. However, before the good times begin, cover your bases by following up on missing RSVPs and confirming details with your wedding venue and vendors.
Wedding Dress & Bachelor/Bachelorette Party
One month before your ceremony is the perfect opportunity to find your dress. It’s important to look for a dress that does not require any alterations or opt for a retailer that offers same-day alterations to avoid timeline discrepancies. This is also a good time to throw together an exciting bachelor/bachelorette party.
Two Weeks Out
Two weeks before your wedding marks the beginning of crunch time. For a seamless experience, reach out to your guests, venue, and vendors for final confirmation and map out your seating plan using escort cards or a seating chart. Then, to ensure you feel your best on your big day, schedule a hair and makeup trial.
Final Touches: Three to Four Days Out
The last three to four days before your short-term wedding will fly by. As such, it’s essential to make a checklist in advance. This checklist should include:
- Final headcount for your caterer
- Final dress fitting and pick-up
- Honeymoon packing
Plan Your Short-Term Wedding With La Princesa
If you’re gearing up to say your vows without much notice, you’ve come to the right place. Discover short-term wedding planning made easy with La Princesa, a premier wedding venue destination in Phoenix, AZ. Contact our friendly team today to get started on your short-term wedding checklist.