The Ultimate Wedding Ceremony Checklist

The Ultimate Wedding Ceremony Checklist

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You won’t forget ANYTHING with this comprehensive checklist!

 

Keep this valuable checklist in your wedding binder, check off items and tasks as you’ve completed them or omit items you don’t want to include. Created by our wedding pros as a helpful tool to minimize the stress brides often feel when planning their wedding because they didn’t have a thorough checklist for their ceremony. You’re guaranteed to eliminate hours of stress trying to remember every little detail for your ceremony, as well as improving the quality of your ceremony with this wedding ceremony checklist.

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Before diving into the ultimate wedding ceremony checklist items, begin by asking yourself  the following questions: 

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1) What is our total budget just our your wedding ceremony?

2) How many guests you we invite to the ceremony vs. reception?

3) Do we want a church or wedding ceremony venue?  Decide what best matches your dream ceremony – read the venue contract thoroughly so you know what you can & cannot do before signing a contract

4) How you we want our ceremony to flow, what décor do we envision, and what, and who do we want to be included?

• Decide what time you want your ceremony to begin. Get advice from your venue.
• Decide in advance if you will allow guests to photograph your ceremony; remember that you hired a professional photographer and you may not want everyone’s cell phone screens in all of your pictures.
• Establish the flow of the ceremony – a beginning, middle and end
• Choose the overall style, colors, and look and feel you want for decor
• Processional and Recessional plans will need to be decided
• Wedding party – who will be your best man, maid of honor, bridesmaids, groomsmen, flower girl(s), ring bearer(s), reader, etc.

5) Who Will we choose as our Officiant, Pastor, Friend, Family Member?

• Friend or family member
• Justice of the Peace
• Minister
• Pastor
• Priest
• Rabbi

6) Will we need to hire a Ceremony/Wedding Coordinator? – this may be included with your venue

7) What are ceremony rehearsal time options? from your venue so you can alert your out of town wedding party members before making their flight plans

8) Do we need to establish a set up & tear down crew at the church or  venue? –chairs, tables, coordinator & décor

9) What is included from your venue or church as far as decor, chairs, etc?

10) Ask the church or venue what is not allowed?  For example, if you envision hundreds of fresh flower petals down your aisle, you need to ask if this is allowed.

 

Simply check off items you want  to include from this comprehensive Wedding Ceremony Checklist.

 

Conveniently listed alphabetically for you:

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A Greeter at the door or ceremony entrance to greet guests and direct them

Aisle Decorations and aisle runner (include tape or weights to secure runner)

 

Altar decorations

• Backdrop
• Canopy
• Chuppa
• Fabric / Draping
• Flowers, vines, greenery
• Lighting
• Candles

Attire for officiant – Remember, your officiant will be in all of your pictures; will they allow you to recommend certain attire and colors for them to wear?

Broom – for the jump the broom ritual

Bubbles, rice, confetti – find out what’s allowed

Chairs

• Chair coverings for chairs
• Chair sashes
• Floral bouquets for chair backs

Delivery charges for any rental items that must be brought in

DJ – pay deposit, ask if they attend the rehearsal or if that is an extra fee

• Microphones – stand or lapel
• Music during the ceremony (sand ceremony or unity candle or other)
• Pre-ceremony music while guests are being seated
• Processional and Recessional music (entrances and exits)
• Other moments?

 

Flowers / Petals

• Boutonnieres for fathers, stepfathers, grandfathers and groomsmen
• Bride’s bouquet
• Bridesmaids bouquets
• Corsages for mothers, stepmothers and grandmothers
• Fresh flower arrangements for aisle or aisle chairs
• Fresh flower arrangements for altar
• Petals for the flower girl(s)

Flower girl(s) (who will purchase their dresses?

• Flower girl basket(s)
• Wagon and Décor for wagon (if pulling a baby down aisle)

Gift table

• Card box or other item for cards from guests
• Linen for gift table

Guest book table

• Décor for guest book table – candles, pictures, flowers, programs, etc.
• Escort cards or place cards (sometimes these are on this table)
• Guest book, photo album, signature matt or other item for guests to sign
• Linen for guest book table
• Pen for guest book

Handicap accessibility plan and proper seating arrangement set up

Lighting – up lighting, romantic lighting, colored lighting

Marriage license

Memory table to honor those who have passed

• Candles
• Flowers
• Pictures in frames
• Linen for memory table
• Signage

Microphone for officiant, singers, musicians

Monogram for the wall or floor

Musicians

• Chairs, music stands, microphone, sound system or DJ, establish their time for arrival with venue

Parking – be sure there is plenty of parking for guests

Pen to sign the marriage license

Personal touches – other special and unique ideas you want to incorporate

Photographer

Podium for your officiant

Prayers or scriptures you choose to have read at the ceremony

Programs – can be formal or fun and entertaining also

Reader(s)

Rehearsal time, location and coordinator to practice the ceremony

Rental items – misc. items you choose to personalize your ceremony

Ring bearer(s) – (who will purchase their suit or tuxedo?)

• Fake rings for the ring bearer pillow
• Ring bearer pillow(s)
• Signage “Here comes the bride”, etc.
• Wagon and Décor for wagon (if pulling a baby down aisle)

Rings / wedding bands

Rituals and other spiritual items; what items are needed for those rituals?

Sand ceremony items

• Colored sands
• Main vase or decanter
• Small vases for colored sands
• Table for sand ceremony set up
• Linen for table

Seating arrangements – family & reserved seats. Figure this out in advance to minimize stress, especially if parents are divorced and you want everyone to feel special

Shawls or blankets, if ceremony is held outside during fall and winter months

Signage – directing guests where to sit, coat closet, restrooms, or other

Signing the marriage license with 2 witnesses – during or after the ceremony

Singers

Stage or platform to slightly elevate you above guests

Tissue – for the couple, parents and grandparents

Transportation

• Car
• Horse & carriage
• Limo

Umbrellas, Sunscreen, hand held fans for outdoor ceremonies

Unity candle ceremony items

• Candles
• Candle holders
• Lighter
• Linen for table
• Table
• Votive candle

Ushers

Videographer

Vows – you can write out your personal vows and read to each other or have your officiant read them for you to repeat; holding notecards is acceptable for reading.

Water or beverages for your guests

Wedding party, what order they will enter and stand, duties, etc.?

• Best man to carry rings and Maid of honor to hold brides bouquet during ceremony and straighten bride’s train on her gown

Wow Factors – does your venue offer something unique that guests may have never experienced before, a décor item that will have them speechless, fireworks if outdoor for the first kiss, pyrotechnics inside for the first kiss, a fun program that educates and entertains them? Remember your ceremony and the rituals you choose are symbolic, represent who you are, and the reason for the celebration; spending time to create the type of ceremony you want will create lifetime memories.

 

 

You’re guaranteed to save time planning your Wedding Ceremony now that you have this Ultimate Wedding Ceremony Checklist to help guide you!

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Pinterest has tons of lists too – Check them out!

View more Wedding Ceremony Information at The Bella Sera Event Center or inspiration photos on our Instagram Page

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www.TheBellaSera.com

 

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