Your Complete Wedding Checklist & Timeline

Here is a general wedding to-do checklist that you can copy and edit to your wedding. Every wedding is different but this should give you your basic outline and assures that you won’t forgot all of the important wedding stuff that sometimes slips the busy bride’s mind.

12-16 Months before your wedding

· Choose your wedding date

· Put an engagement announcement in your local paper

· Come up with your wedding budget

· Hire a wedding consultant (if you prefer)

· Select a ceremony location

· Select a reception location

· Select your wedding dress/gown

· Select your wedding party (the sooner you get them involved, the more involved and honored they will feel)

8-10 months before your wedding

· Reserve your date with Jolie Images Wedding Photography (the sooner the better, you will have more options and reserve at the best price)

· Reserve your date with Jolie Images Wedding Videography (the sooner the better, you will have more options and reserve at the best price)

· Hire a wedding officiate

· Hire a reception Caterer if your reception site will not be doing the food

· Hire a band or DJ

· Pick out the bridesmaids dresses

· Compile your guest list (names & addresses)

· Sign up for one or two gift registries

5-7 months before your wedding

· Order your wedding invitations. Jolie Images offers beautiful low cost wedding invitations and as a Jolie Images customer, you get 10% of the regular price!

· Shop for your wedding stationary (thank you cards) –Jolie Images offers photo thank you cards.

· Come up with honeymoon plans & book your trip (honeymoon registry)

· Select Your Wedding Cake

· Arrange Accomodations (some guests may wish to stay at a nearby hotel after the wedding)

4 Months before your wedding

· Book Your Florist

· Get your wedding bands

· Hire a hairstylist & makeup artist

3 Months before your wedding

· Send out invitations ( photo stamps with snapfish)

· Select tuxedos

· Finalize menu options and costs with your reception hall or caterer

· Arrange for the rental of items (if necessary) Arches, Chuppas, china, crystal, flatware, tablecloths, fountains etc.

· Book Limo or transportation

· Order Wedding Favors
-Personalized favors
-Unique favors
-Budget Favors

· Shop for bridal party gifts

2 Months Before Your Wedding

· Choose your wedding music

· Select a location for your rehearsal dinners

· Confirm with formal wear shop that they have all needed measurements

· Schedule fittings for the bridesmaids and flowergirls

· Schedule final gown fitting & alterations

· Choose all of your wedding accessories
-Ceremony Accessories
-Reception Accessories
-All Wedding Accessories

1 Month Before Your Wedding

· Design & Print your wedding programs

· Apply for your marriage license

· Have a final gown fitting

· Do a test run with your hairstylist and make up artist

2 Weeks Before Your Wedding

· Contact any guests that didn’t rsvp and find out their response

· Pick up your marriage license

· Confirm rehearsal plans with the officiant and wedding coordinator

· Create seating plan for the reception

· Write your vows (if you intend on writing your own)

1 Week Before Your Wedding

· Talk to your photographer (he/she should be giving you a call) about important shots & what you expect from him/her

· Pack for your honeymoon

· Confirm rehearsal plans (time and location etc.) with attendants

· Confirm reservations for rehearsal dinner

· Have yourself a massage & a facial (facials should be done at least one week before your wedding in case you have a break out or redness from it)

At the rehearsal dinner

· Check that everyone has their formalwear

· Confirm time that you want them to be there & where on your wedding day

· Give out your bridal party gifts

1 Day Before your wedding

· Get a manicure & a pedicure

· Put wedding attire and accessories together

· Give the rings to the best man

· Get a good night’s sleep

On Your Wedding Day…

· Eat a light breakfast that will provide you with energy but not weigh you down.

· Get your hair and makeup done

· Put on your gown

· Have candid photos taken with the family and some posed ones if you wish
Relax and enjoy your day

After your Wedding

· Honeymoon

· Write Thank you notes

· Change your name

A big thank you to all our customers that took the time to post on WeddingWire.Com as well as all the other wedding vendor directories out there.

Thanks to you, we are the top listing in the Chicago, IL area on Wedding Wire. Your reviews on our wedding photography help other brides & grooms feel confident & secure in choosing us to photograph their weddings. Often when brides and grooms see our low photography packages prices, they feel that the service won’t be great. Thank you for letting us and our future customers know that low prices does not mean you will be sacrificing any photography quality – your wedding photos will be beautiful!. We were able to earn the highly coveted WeddingWire rated badge. Please click on the below badge to view our reviews.

Did you know that besides shooting beautiful  wedding photography, we shoot Quinceaneras and many other events? Our photographers are not only experienced in these types of events, we excel in them. Our photographers have years of experience in all types of events. Every event that we photograph is done in a beautiful blend of traditional, contemporary and photojournalistic shooting styles.

Our last quinceaneara was for Samantha at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Mundelein. Her mother just wrote us an email. We get many wonderful emails from our customers and we like to share this one with you.

“Yours has been one of the best companies I have ever worked with.  Our event was my daughter’s Quince Anos (the traditional Hispanic celebration of a 15-year-old girl’s birthday).  While it was a formal event and we wanted it to be done well, we did not want to be as extravagant as one might be for a wedding.  Leslie gave me all the information I needed, was focused on my needs and was tremendously reassuring.  Our photographer was a pleasure to work with, charming and – as at least one guest pointed out – was working the whole time.   While she asked me what I wanted, and got the shots I specifically asked for, she needed little direction and gave us some great photos.  I think that your prices are great, too.  Last year after my nephew got married on the East Coast, I went online to order some photos from their photographer and I was floored at the outrageous prices.  All this meant was that I ordered fewer photos (actually, just 1 – a 4×6 that cost $24.00!) and was not at all satisfied.  Your prices are reasonable and I am enjoying creating an album for my daughter from them (though it’s excruciating to choose!).  I hope that you are still in business when my kids get married.  I would use you again in a heartbeat and will recommend you without reservations.  Thank you!” – Terri B. Libertyville, IL

Thank you Terri for letting us know. We are honored you chose us to photography your daughter’s special day. She is a beautiful young lady!

Our mission is to give beautiful, professional event photography at an affordable price and we love to hear how we succeed at doing so!