Important Wedding Day Checklist

Apr 15

Planning a wedding is a major undertaking that can feel overwhelming, especially if you're planning your wedding in Texas. But, it doesn't have to be a difficult experience. With the right guidance, wedding planning can be an enjoyable and exciting experience. That's why many couples in Texas turn to Knotting Hill Place to help them plan their dream wedding. Our Dallas Texas wedding venue was designed with the guest experience in mind and have created a space and plan with the elements of Texas weather and people in mind.

One of the most important tools needed in wedding planning is a checklist as a guide. A wedding planning checklist will help you develop a list of task and important items that all brides need to stay on task for the wedding day.

Determine Your Budget

One of the most important aspects of wedding planning is starting with a budget. It is never fun to do math and crunch numbers. Before you can start anything, you have to determine who is paying and for what do determine your wedding’s overall budget. A great way to start is to list out all the major vendor categories planned for your event and do a little research. We typically suggest that our brides prioritize and rank what is the most important to them when allocating budget dollars. An example of vendors to consider would be as follows:

Venue

Caterer

Beverage Caterer

Wedding Planner

Photographer

Videographer

Floral/Décor

Entertainment

Bridal attire

Make a Guest List

In an ideal world you would invite everyone and more. Guest count and budget are interdependent; therefore, couples can make a “a list” of people they could not imagine getting married without, followed by a “b list” of people they would like to invite if budget and venue space allows.

Choose a Venue that aligns with your vision and pick a date

This might seem obvious, but seek out venues that fit the aesthetic you have in mind. Choosing a venue that fits in with (and enhances) your theme will enable your wedding to feel more connected to the space. If you're inviting a lot of out-of-town guests or having a destination wedding, look for a venue that has easy access to an airport and nearby hotels. One of the most important things to keep in mind is to remember your guest experience. Choosing a venue that isn’t comfortable in the amount of space needed for a wedding is key. At Knotting Hill Place an ideal guest count is between 150-280 and we boast of “Old World Charm” and Contemporary Design.

Start Booking Key Vendors

Once you have your wedding location and date selected it is time to start booking your key vendors. Couples should prioritize by what is most important to them as well as what vendors have the ability to execute more than one event per date. We highly suggest starting with photography and entertainment and then working your way to all the other important vendors.

Select Your Wedding Day Attire

We suggest that you purchase your bridal attire 6-9 months before your wedding date. Some dresses may take 12-16 weeks for delivery even if they have not had to deal with any unforeseen shipping delays. You also always want to allow for time for alterations. You should also plan your bridesmaids attire in plenty of time if not shopping off the rack, bridesmaids should be measured and have their dresses ordered around this time. The groom should decide on the wedding ensemble for the groomsmen 6-4 months out. Knotting Hill Place recommends considering purchasing your suits versus renting. The price to purchase is very similar as renting and the groom and groomsmen get to keep the suit or tuxedo for their next special occasion. Knotting Hill Place suggest purchasing through The Suit Shop.

Order Save the Date-Build Wedding Website-Order Invitations.

Now that you have the location and date for your wedding, you want to create and send out save the dates in order to tell your guest to exactly do that, reserve the date on their calendar. Save the dates will give important information about when and where your wedding will be held, the role of this card is to allow guests to plan in advance and also let them know that a formal invitation will be sent at a later date.

Building a wedding website will also help your guest have all the information needed for travel and contain all of your events’ relevant information.

Couples should have their invites selected, drafted, and ordered between eight and nine months. While it can be pushed as long as five to six months out, allowing plenty of time for printing and shipping.

Important list of tasks

Complete your registry.

Choose an officiant.

Book rehearsal and rehearsal dinner

Purchase wedding rings/wedding bands

Select hair and makeup artist and schedule trial run

Book your bridal portraits

Finalize timeline

Choose all of your special songs

In your final weeks before your event, once your guest RSVP’s have been returned you will need to finalize your seating chart and make final payments to all of your vendors that are guest count impacted.

In conclusion, planning a wedding at Knotting Hill Place is an exciting and magical experience. Make sure to consider these important factors when creating your wedding planning checklist, and don't forget to enjoy the journey and make memories that will last a lifetime.

Becky Banner

Becky Banner lives the Dallas/Fort Worth area with her husband Brian and is the previous Co-Founder and Managing Partner of MpowerMe, a national data center and infrastructure resource consulting firm and the Founder and Owner of Knotting Hill Place and Brighton Abbey, a premier wedding venue and event center in North Texas.

Becky is a highly respected professional with a strong track record of success. Her inspiring story echoes of challenges faced while building a bridge to the possible. She has over 25 years in the technology industry including 10 years in management with Cisco Systems and 10 years with a national network integrator. While raising 6 children, she has built two start-up companies and established a very successful career, leading, coaching and mentoring teams and consulting with clients throughout the US.

When faced with ambiguity and adversity she rose to the occasion to not only survive difficult times but triumph over life’s obstacles through resiliency, hard work and a passion for success.