HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1990-02-14, Page 15THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1990. PAGE 15.
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Wedding countdown
A checklist to help you
organize your wedding
SIX MONTHS TO
A YEAR AHEAD
□Your first responsibility as a
newly-engaged couple is to inform
your families and close friends of
your decision. Traditionally, the
bride’s parents are informed first
(and the groom may or may not go
through the formality of asking her
father’s permission), then the
groom’s. If the families have not
met before, a get-together should
be arranged, usually by the
groom’s family. An engagement
party may be appropriate.
□ Once the engagement is official,
it’s time to decide tentatively, in
consultation with both families, on
the time and place of the wedding
and reception. Together, you
should also draw up a preliminary
list of guests.
□ Consult your priest, minister,
rabbi, or other officiator to choose a
firm date and time for the cere
mony. There may be restrictions on
the date (e.g., no weddings during
Lent) or on the time of day (e.g.,
Jewish wedding ceremonies per
formed on a Saturday must be
delayed until at least one hour after
sunset). If a civil ceremony is
planned, a licence can be obtained
much later (see Three Months).
□ Budget for the wedding, recep
tion, clothes, honeymoon, etc.
Whereas in the past, the bride’s
family undertook to pay the entire
cost of the wedding, now both
families, as well as the bride and
groom themselves, are likely to
share the expenses.
□ As soon as the wedding date is
set, reserve a hotel, restaurant,
hall, or tent (for outdoor weddings)
for the reception. (For groups of
more than 200 people, reservations
should be made even more than a
year in advance; for smaller wedd
ings, the hall should be booked
eight months to a year before the
day.)
□ Contract a photographer early
since the best ones are often
booked six months to a year in
advance. You may want to have
some engagement photos taken at
this time. If you are planning to
have a wedding video made, book a
video photographer as well.
□ If you want live music at the
reception, enquire if the hall is
unionized, then book an appropri
ate band. Otherwise, book a DJ for
the reception.
FOUR TO SIX MONTHS AHEAD
□ Contact a caterer (if your recep
tion location does not offer a
catering service) and decide on the
budget, style of service, and menu.
□Choose your attendants. Tradi
tionally, there should be one usher
for every 30 to 40 guests and a
corresponding number of brides
maids. These days, the number of
ushers and bridesmaids does not
have to be equal.
□ Arrange for speakers at the
reception.
□The bride should shop for a gown
and headpiece. If she intends to
have her dress and the attendants’
dresses made, she should book a
dressmaker and arrange for consul
tations and fittings.
□The groom should make rental
arrangements for formal wear for
himself and the ushers. The best
man should help with this, and
arrange for a final fitting two or
three days before the wedding to
allow for last-minute alterations.
□ Order announcements and invi
tations and acquire notepaper for
thank-you letters. Also, consider
printed matchbooks, napkins, cake
boxes, order of service cards, and
place cards for the reception.
Hand-drawn maps showing the
location of the ceremony and
reception sites are useful, espe
cially for out-of-town guests; these
can be inexpensively printed.
□Consult a travel agent and make
travel and hotel reservations for the
honeymoon.
□ Discuss the invitation and an
nouncement lists with both families
and finalize them.
THREE MONTHS AHEAD
□If a marriage licence is required
in the province where you are
getting married, now is the time to
go about obtaining it. Blood tests
may also be required.
□ In consultation with your officia
tor, plan your wedding ceremony.
The organist, if there is one, can
help you select music for the
service. You may wish to contract a
soloist or other musician(s), or ask
a musically talented friend to
perform.
□ Choose your china, crystal and
flatware patterns and list these
with the bridal registry at selected
stores. You may also register such
items as linens or small appliances,
since some department stores and
specialty stores (e.g., bed and bath
boutiques) offer bridal registry
services.
□ Shop for wedding rings, or, if
they are to be specially made, order
them.
□ If the cake is to be made by the
bride or one of her relatives, it is
important that this be undertaken
early, and you should arrange to
have it iced. Otherwise, you should
order a cake, either a large dummy
and pre-cut, pre-wrapped pieces to
serve to guests, or a real cake, in
which case you must make sure
that the caterers can cut it expertly.
Keep in mind that if it’s a
traditional fruit cake, pieces may
be sent as mementos to friends and
relatives who could not attend the
wedding. Also, part of the cake
(usually the top tier) may be
reserved for the first anniversary or
christening.
□ Compile a list of flower arrange
ments required for the wedding
and consult a florist regarding
design, composition, and colour.
Check with your ceremony officia
tor about any restrictions regarding
the kinds of flowers that can be
used during certain religious festi
vals.
□Decide what beverages will be
served and whether there will be an
open or cash bar. If you reception is
to take place in a hall, contact a
wine and liquor representative to
advise you on quantities. This free
service usually includes arrange
ments for liquor licence and deli
very of supplies. Otherwise, the
local liquor control board will give
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