A Wedding Planning Checklist You’ll Actually Use!
If your wedding “To-Do List” seems overwhelming, you’re not alone. As a Bride you’re always searching for a wedding planning checklist you’ll actually use! Between choosing the style and colors for your big day, figuring out how to make it unique, navigating how to allocate your budget correctly, finding the perfect dress, and figuring out how to coordinate numerous vendors, it’s easy to feel like you’re drowning in decisions. But here’s the truth every bride needs to hear: you’re doing better than you think you are, and today we’re going to make your decision making a little less stressful.
Why you need a wedding check-off list
We’re an all-inclusive wedding venue in Denver, CO, and yet our brides still have a lot of other decisions to make that any wedding package would not include. It’s this decision overload that makes a bride feel overwhelmed if she doesn’t have a “Big Picture” checklist to guide her. Our brides say by having this checklist, they can “check off” each task and minimize so much stress knowing they can see a clear picture of what else still needs to be done or considered for their wedding. Many wedding checklists out there put the list of tasks for the brides by month, but we believe seeing the “big picture” for all categories at the very beginning of your planning, is extremely helpful before you start mapping out tasks by month.
See Why This Detailed Wedding Planning Checklist Is Actually One You’ll Use & Check-off!
Download Our Wedding Checklist
A Wedding Planning Checklist You’ll Actually Use!
Let’s Begin Checking Off Tasks by Category:
Wedding Spaces to Reserve
- Ceremony location – Check our our VERY popular Ultimate Wedding Checklist – here
- Wedding Reception Venue
- Rehearsal Dinner Restaurant
- Bridal Shower location
- Hotel on your wedding night
- Honeymoon resort, hotel, or other
First Step “Wedding To do’s”
- Establish a realistic budget and find out who is able to contribute, and how much money
- Begin preparing your guest list with family
- Choose your wedding party
- Decide on a creative way to ask your wedding party
- Register for gifts and put on your wedding website or invitations
- Make a wedding website – fill in as you decide on locations, times, etc.
- Determine who will plan your bridal shower
- Determine who will plan bachelorette/ bachelor parties
Professional Wedding Vendors to Consider Hiring
- Wedding planner
- Day of Coordinator
- Photographer(s)
- Videographer
- Caterer
- Tent rental
- DJ
- Band
- Cake Baker or Dessert Vendor
- Entertainers (Mariachi, quartet, caricature artist, magician, singer, other)
- Officiant
- Choreographer / Dance lessons
- Rental co. for tables, chairs, linens
- Luxury restroom trailer rental
- Dance Floor rental
- Electricity or generator rentals
- Dumpster rental
- Staffing – servers, clean up, etc.
- Valet services or van transportation for guests
- Sound system, Bluetooth speakers, microphone rentals
- Photo Booth
- Limousine, party bus or classic car
Don’t forget these things the morning of your wedding!
- “The obvious” attire and accessories, etc.
- The marriage license – where to get your marriage license in Colorado – Denver, CO, Adams County, CO,
- Wedding rings – give to best man
- Your ID’s or licenses to consume alcoholic beverages
- Cell #’s for all vendors – give to someone
- Cell #’s for wedding party – give to someone
- Tips for your vendors
- Your seating chart, floor plan or escort cards
- Gifts for wedding party or parents
- A gift for each other
- Your written vows
- Snacks & water
- Emergency kit
- Rain gear – umbrella, coat, rainboots
- Sewing kit and safety pins
- Overnight bag
- A jacket
- Your laptop, if you’re showing a slideshow – give someone the password
Ideas to include family or friends in your Wedding celebration:
- 10 Unique Ways to Incorporate Your Siblings in your Wedding: View our popular blog post – here
- Honor them with a memory table with photos or memorabilia
- Ask them to help decorate
- Prepare a Missing man table / fallen comrade table
- Ushers
- Ring bearer or flower girl
- Ask them to be your officiant
- Guest book attendant
- A reader during the ceremony
- Participate in the sand ceremony, rosary, etc.
- Give the blessing before dinner
- Ask them to give a toast
- You give a toast and mention them
- Give them a gift
- Give them a gift for winning the “Anniversary Dance”
- Ask them to Make a traditional dish or even the wedding cake
- Ask them to perform something
- Ask them to a special dance with you – father daughter, mother son, mother daughter, other
- Ask them to bake the traditional wedding cookies for the tables or make mints
- Ask them to design something for the wedding day
- Ask them to help create the music playlist for the dance party
Bride Attire
- Wedding dress
- Undergarments
- Shapewear
- Seamstress
- Veil
- Garter
- Something olde, something new, something borrowed, something blue,
- Shoes
- Accessories
- Clutch bag
- Jewelry & accessories
- Getting Ready Robe & Attire
- Flip flops for dancing
- Rehearsal and Rehearsal Dinner outfit
Groom Attire
- Tuxedo or Suit
- Shirt
- Pocket square
- Shoes
- Socks
- Cufflinks
- Watch
- Belt
- Suspenders
Bridal Party
- Bridesmaid dresses
- Maid of Honor dress
- Parent’s outfits
- Hotel / Lodging
- Accessories
- Gift
- Groomsmen attire
- Flower girl attire
- Ring bearer attire
- ______________
Wedding Menu: Food, Beverages, and Liquor
- Rehearsal dinner
- Cocktail hour appetizers
- Non-alcoholic beverages
- Signature Cocktails
- Liquor (cash or open bar)
- Wedding Cake
- Dessert Bar
- Snacks while getting ready
- Dinner (each course)
- Tableware rentals
- Glassware rentals
Wedding Flowers
- Bride bouquet
- Bridesmaid’s bouquets
- Toss bouquet
- Groom boutonniere
- Groomsmen boutonniere
- Parent/grandparents boutonniere or corsages
- Centerpieces
- Ceremony signage or backdrop
- Head table garland
- Head Table Backdrop
- Photo booth backdrop
- Other areas _____________
Bridal Beauty for your Wedding Day
- Schedule a hair & makeup trial long before your wedding day to test out your look – one of our favorites is Beauty on Location Studio
- Hire and reserve a Hair stylist / salon for wedding party early on your wedding day
- Hire and reserve a Makeup artist
- Hire and reserve Nail tech – mani & pedi
- Hair accessory/veil
- Hire and reserve a Lash extension specialist
- Reserve a Waxing appointment
- Reserve Tanning appointments or spray tan
- Teeth whitening
- Day of: Mirror, hairstyling products, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, mouthwash, drinking straws, makeup, lipstick and gloss
- Begin a weight loss program if desiring to lose some weight
Honeymoon
- Renew or get a passport
- Driver’s license
- Get required shots (if trip is out of the country)
- Reservations for accommodations
- Reservations for excursions or tours
- Flights
- Transportation
- Money exchange
- Paper & electronic copies of important papers & phone numbers
- Converter or adapter (if trip is out of the country)
- Pack
Wedding Decorations & Tableware
- Ceremony aisle
- Ceremony altar
- Chair décor – sash, flowers, chair covers
- Sign in table / Guestbook
- Signage – (Welcome sign, unplugged ceremony, seating chart, other)
- Linens (base and overlay, runner)
- Cloth napkins
- China, glassware, silverware (for appetizers, salad, dinner, cake or dessert)
- Charger plates
- Centerpieces – flowers, candles, bling, etc.
- Guest favors
- Head table décor
- Head table backdrop
- Ceiling decor
- Lighting
- Wall monogram
- Guest book table
- Gift table ( card box, escort cards)
Stationary
- Save the dates
- Bridal Shower invites
- Bachelorette/Bachelor party invitations
- Wedding invitations
- Menu cards
- Escort cards
- Seating chart
- Thank you cards
- Ceremony signs
- Chair décor
- Parking signs
DJ “must do’s”
- Give DJ a genre to play while guests are being seated for the ceremony
- Choose specific ceremony entrance, ceremonial and exit songs
- Give DJ a genre for cocktail hour and dinner, or some specific favorite songs
- Grand entrance song(s) for wedding party and the two of you, and exact way you want everyone to be introduced
- Song for a slideshow
- Song for cake cutting
- Formal dance songs – first dance, father daughter, mother son, other?
- Anniversary dance song(s)
- Money dance song(s)
- Bouquet and garter songs
- Playlist or genre of music for the dance party (do not play, must play)
- Last song of the night
Photography “must do’s”
- Schedule your engagement photo session
- Give them a Pinterest board with the “style” of photos you like
- Give them any “must have” poses on text or email
- Choose pre-ceremony shots you desire for you both alone, and with wedding party or family members
- Choose any “must have” shots
- Prepare and give them your immediate family formal photo list
- Give them any special requests for detail shots
- Order prints, a book, or canvas
Additional items on your checklist
- ___________________
Planning The Wedding of Your Dreams is Not About Checking off a list of tasks!
From our 20 years of experience as an affordable all-inclusive wedding venue in Denver, we hear brides find a checklist online somewhere, start researching vendors, start buying stuff without a plan, and then realize they don’t know how to put it all together and ensure the whole event will flow the way they hope. They need help visualizing what it really takes to make the day unique for the two of them, how to ensure it will flow really well, be fun for their guests, and have the time of their lives on that day. This is why our all-inclusive Denver Wedding Venue includes our proven process implemented with every couple at their “Vision Planning Session”. If you take these critical next steps below, we know you’re going to feel so much more educated on how to look at the “big picture” first, and not just view your wedding planning as a list of tasks. The process of following these steps is how we’ve been able to help couples truly visualize what their special day will be like, and why we have hundreds and hundreds of happy couples who’ve rated us 5-star over our 20 years in business.
Critical Steps to Create The Unique Wedding Day You Really Want | The Big Picture View
Visualize yourselves on the day after your Wedding, and the feelings you want to experience! Picture the entire event flow of your day in your mind and how you can make it magical: your experience, the guest experience, the entertainment, elements of surprise, the type of food you want to enjoy, the music you want to hear, how to make it meaningful, fun and full of laughter and joy, who is most important to you and who you want honor and include where, the photos you really want to capture, if you want video, the party and dancing, and overall how to create memories of a lifetime, then plan a moment alone together inside of your day “even if for a few minutes.”
Share and tell your love story throughout the celebration or else it’s not going to be unique to you!
- The Ceremony – plan the look and feel, the ambiance and mood, who is involved, who is marrying you, who will walk with who and from where, where will they stand, the music you want, the traditions you want, the vibe you want
- Cocktail hour / The Bar – plan the look and feel, the ambiance and mood, entertainment, food, drinks (cash or open bar), non-alcoholic beverages, the music you want, the vibe you want, have a seating chart prepared or escort cards
- Plan your photography time – your alone shots, wedding party, and then immediate family formal shots. Ak your photographer for a realistic time allotment for all of this. Plan these shots out so you don’t run out of time or burn out on photos because you didn’t plan in advance. Don’t overdo the # of family formals, as shots of the two of you are what you’ll end up enlarging and framing the most.
- Your grand entrance – the song, the vibe, the introductions, and wow factors
- The Dinner Reception – plan the look and feel, the ambiance and mood, the lighting, design the floor plan and who will sit where, the music or entertainment you want, a slideshow, the overall vibe you want
- Formalities – toasts, cake cutting, first dance, father daughter dance, mother son dance, dance with your children, dance with grandparents, other?
- Cultural or Family Traditions – La Marcha, the money dance, the anniversary dance, other
- The Dancing and Party Time!
- Bouquet & Garter
- Last song of the night
- Sparkler send off
Summary
If having a unique and one-of-a-kind celebration is super important to you, let us help you visualize what that looks like for you and put together a vision and action plan to achieve it. Too many weddings are average, a little bit boring, have guests just sitting and observing most of the time, and follow the same DJ timeline flow without any excitement or personalization. Don’t let this be your wedding celebration!
Contact our pros at www.TheBellaSera.com. We’ve been passionately helping couples create the one-of-a-kind wedding celebrations they really want for over 20 years.
(720)937-6337
Recent Google Reviews: Google Reviews for Bella Sera Event Center
Groom – Stoke Lucero, Nov. 2024
This is the best place in Colorado hands down …. Staff is amazing everyone , food is 🔥🔥🔥 . If you want something different and amazing, book here! Thank you
Bride – Esme Han, 2024
Everything went so amazingly well and we were happy with our entire experience from start to finish. They were incredibly accommodating and flexible and catered to our needs/wants to perfection. I was so impressed how smooth everything went the day of the wedding and was constantly complimented on the venue, staff and how wonderful everything went. Our DJ Joe that came with our package was incredible our coordinators Peyton and Misti were amazing as well. They even threw in a few upgrades and gave us a beautiful wedding gift that made our day even more special. I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful wedding and experience.
All-inclusive wedding venue Denver with affordable wedding packages for every budget!