Your beloved popped the question, and of course you said yes! With romance in the air, it’s time to start planning your wedding together. But where to start? With so many tasks to attend to, organizing your upcoming union can be a daunting task to say the least. Most couples begin the planning process at least one year before the big day, allowing enough time to tackle that to-do list and secure all the providers and services you’ll need.

We’re here to share our general wedding checklist so that you can start your planning in earnest and give order to the chaos that lies ahead. Of course, it should go without saying that the following is not a comprehensive list for you and your betrothed, but simply a rough outline hitting some of the major plot points along the way.

1 Year out from Happily Ever After:

• Set the date! What season would be meaningful to the both of you? (Hint: choosing to have your wedding on Maui all but ensures tropical weather year-round for your celebration 😊)
• Discuss your budget: trust us, you’ll want to do this sooner rather than later! Sticking to a budget you’re comfortable with is one of the best ways to reduce the stress/eustress that comes from planning a wedding.
• Research and reserve your venues: will you have the wedding and the reception at different locations, or somewhere that can accommodate both?
• Write out a tentative guest list in accordance with your preferred venue and style: how many can your venue accommodate? What’s your rough estimate for the total guest list?
• Mail out those save-the-dates!
• Contact a wedding planner to help you organize the nuptials of the century, and to make sure you’re nailing every detail.

6 to 8 months before ‘I Do’:

• Cultivate your wedding theme and any color significance for the ceremony.
• Selecting a wedding dress: ladies, now’s your time to shine.
• Select your bridal party’s attire. Don’t let this happen to you.
• Fellas: please get fitted by a professional for them there suits. Trust us.
• Reserve a block of hotel rooms for any out-of-town guests near to the reception site. You don’t want your guests to be scrambling for accommodation.
• Interview your preferred photog and videographers: some say this is the most important money you’ll spend.
• Book your florist well in advance: this is critical, many have been known to be booked over a year in advance!
• Set up your gift registry and start planning that romantic honeymoon getaway.

3 to 6 months out from Joining As One:

• Mail out those invitations forthwith!
• Finalize all previous reservations if they haven’t been already: venue and reception hall, hotel bookings, transportation arrangements, photography and videographer. Did you forget to reserve yourselves a room for the big day?
• Hire your hair stylists and makeup artists: go with a pro or suffer the consequences!
• Engage with your reception venue around the proposed menu and drink selections: open bar? Signature cocktails? Vegetarian options?
• Secure the site and plan for your rehearsal dinner.
• Decide on an officiant for your ceremony and discuss the kind of service you’d like to have.
• Confirm the travel plans for the wedding and the honeymoon.

From 2-3 months out right up to The Big Day:

• Prepare the seating chart: are you really going to sit your Uncle Willard with his Aunt Louise? Save the fireworks for your first kiss.
• Don’t forget to obtain your marriage license!
• Work on your vows, wedding toasts and speeches: some folks are just fine with winging it. Should you not happen to be one of these people, work out what you’d like to say beforehand.
• Confirm all the little details: the final guest count and RSVPs, day-of arrangements for the wedding venue and reception hall,
• Pack your bags!
• Final dress fitting and practice those vows.

Phew! Deep breaths. We could write a novel-length blog alone on just how much there is to do on the day of your wedding itself. While it’s no guarantee that our handy checklist will make for a stress-free event, it does lend a general idea as to the major points along the way. Take note, there are many more tasks than listed above to be attended to, which can quickly make planning your special day a headache and a half. Why not hire an award-winning, lauded wedding planner to help you see it all through? Stop your worries before they start and contact Happily Maui’d today to start planning your wedded getaway in paradise!