If Your Wedding Is in 3 Months, Here's What You Need to Do Now

No matter how much wedding planning time you’ve logged since your engagement, the final stretch includes a variety of small details that you often can’t tackle any earlier. If you have three months before you say "I do," there are a certain numbers of tasks that you should have on your lists to take care of.

“We’re big fans of planning ahead so that major decisions can be contemplated versus rushing into,” says Virginia Frischkorn of event planning company Bluebird Productions and online planning assistant Partytrick. “I always suggest couples get the ‘to-do’ items off your list as early as possible. With that in mind, there are certain wedding planning to-dos that are very specific and can only be accomplished in the final months leading up to the wedding.”

Use this three-month wedding checklist to make sure you reconnect with vendors, submit a firm headcount, revisit design choices (and make sure you still like them), and nail down every last detail, from your day-of legal papers to your manicure color.  

3 Months Before the Wedding

By now, you should have tackled all the major items: Setting the date, booking a venue, securing vendors, and approving an overall aesthetic and color palette. Your invitation suite should be finalized, with invitations ready to land in guests’ mailboxes this month, and other elements in process. “Confirm designs for your stationery related to the wedding day—programs, welcome booklets, menu cards, escort cards, place cards, specialty signage—and have orders ready to go once the headcount is firm,” says Frischkorn.

This is also the time to start (or, if you like to work ahead, finish) your welcome bags. “If you are having a destination wedding, this is a must to ensure that your guests have a pleasant and memorable experience,” says event planner Sofia Crokos.

2 Months Before the Wedding

As guests’ replies come in during this month, you’ll be able to finalize many of the remaining details of your day. The total guest number—and how it relates to your estimate and your budget—allows you to decide on a number of key details. You can choose the specific menu and select options for your beverage service. Now is also time you can lay out your seating plan and table arrangements. Plus, you can put a total number on rental items, from bread plates to chairs. Then, reconnect with the vendors you’ve already booked, say the experts. Give the musicians your final song list, go over the must-get shots with your photographer, confirm your pick-up times with your car service, review all your contracts and payment schedules, and provide vendors with a day-of timeline. 

1 Month Before the Wedding

With a month to go, says Crokos, finalize the fashion for your big day. “[Schedule] final fittings to ensure that the bride and groom look perfect for their special day [and] finalize wedding party tuxedos and dresses," she says. "This is essential to ensure that the wedding party looks as good as the bride and groom.” Frischkorn recommends scheduling beauty and grooming appointments for the weeks before the wedding, including haircuts, manicures, pedicures, and waxing. Make sure your marriage license is in order, and coordinate the final payments and tips for your vendors. 

3 Weeks Before the Wedding

At this point, you should have tracked down all outstanding RSVPs and finalized your seating arrangement. “The holdouts are almost always, 'Regrets,' but it is good to check in case an invite got lost in the mail,” says event planner Kelly McWilliams. Then, confirm the number of tables and centerpieces with your florist, give the catering headcount to your chefs and bakery, and send the final layout and numbers to the venue, say the experts.

If you haven’t set the details of your ceremony, organize your vows, readers, and readings before meeting with your officiant. “Write your vows and send your readers their ‘reads,’” says McWilliams. “You’ll also want to send your officiant the order of your processional or the ceremony program, including how you want your wedding party to enter and if you would like them to remain standing or be seated during the ceremony.” If you have extra time, McWilliams makes one more suggestion. “Take online dance lessons!” she says. “These are easy (and fun) and will make even the two-left-footers look good.  I recommend BetterSway, because you can do this in your living room.”

2 Weeks Before the Wedding

Loop your wedding party and families into the weekend plans with a full, written itinerary, says McWilliams. She encourages couples to send digital versions that your VIPs can access from their phone’s camera roll as needed. “Include all of the wedding events and detail out who should be where and when, how they get there and what attire is appropriate,” says McWilliams. “Also include contact names and numbers for who to call for answers on the weekend of your wedding—it should not be you!”

Attend your final dress fitting, order a wedding-day breakfast and lunch for the getting-ready areas to keep your bridal party well-fed, and prepare your tip envelopes, says McWilliams. And, don’t forget your honeymoon plans, say Crokos. Pack your bags, organize your carryon, and confirm your travel details so that they aren’t forgotten in the hustle of the wedding week. 

1 Week Before the Wedding

With just one week to go, you should have almost everything handled, especially if you’re working with a planner. “Get your dress and your fiancé's attire pressed or steamed,” says McWilliams. “Same for your jewelry—get everything polished.” Confirm your timeline and update the bridal party with any changes, and, if you’re hosting an outdoor event, keep an eye on the forecast to prepare for last-minute rain.

Above all, stay calm, stay connected to your partner, and let your enthusiasm and excitement guide you. “During this stressful time, it's important to remember to take care of yourselves!” says Crokos, who gives all her couples a spa gift card they can use before the wedding. “Weddings are stressful, despite being such positive milestone moments,” says Frischkorn. “If you are stressed, your guests will not have as enjoyable of an experience. Very few people will know what to expect (or what the plan was) other than having  a fabulous experience—it’s not about whether the napkin fold was exactly what you’d selected at a mock up months prior. Try to stay focused on the experience that you’ll have versus the small details.”