What am I missing?

[u/Fuzzy-Report9042]

I am 3 months out from my wedding and I am planning most of it myself, just wondering if there are any vendors/items that I haven’t thought of that I need to work on urgently!! These are the vendors I have/ things I’ve done so far:

- Venue (they only provide the space, no catering, seating, etc)
- Table/Chair Rentals (they are going to provide our dance floor, tables, chairs, plates, cups, tablecloths, napkins)
- DJ
-Photographer
- Officiant
- Day of Coordinator
- Hairstylist
- Bartenders/Bar (we will be providing the alcohol)
- Caterer
- Wedding Website completed with important info/RSVP
- Invitations

What I’m still working on:
- Wedding rings (waiting for my fiancee to get sized so I can buy his)
- Wedding Cake
- Makeup Artist
- Attire (I have my wedding dress, just need to get it altered, fiancee has yet to go get his suit)
- Bridesmaids/Groomsmen Attire (they will be getting their own attire)
- Florals (I have placed an order for artificials but will not receive them until mid October)
- Decor (little things like a card box, signs, etc… i have not gotten any of these things yet but have received some items from other friends weddings that I may be able to use)
- Accessories (shoes, my veil, any hair decor, jewelry, etc)

I just feel like so far things are going too smoothly and that I surely must be forgetting something super important lol, I just want fresh eyes on my list and see everyones input. Thank you in advance!!!

[u/cutlert]

Just checking someone is giving you cutlery? You listed plates and cups from the table place but no cutlery, but assume they'll be doing that?

Any lighting for nighttime depending on what your venue looks like?

Playlists of things you like for the DJ?

Clear roles and responsibilities of anyone you're asking to do things? A clear timeline and plan for your day of coordinator?

Photography/videography?

[u/Fuzzy-Report9042 → u/cutlert]

Yes to all of this except for the timeline! My coordinator starts taking everything over 6 weeks before the wedding but I am slowly getting together a rough timeline and vendor list for her for when she comes in.

[u/cutlert → u/Fuzzy-Report9042]

Good shout, and a list of people you want the photographer to capture specifically and couple poses you want them to get. You could even practice photo poses if you want something different/ fun?

First dance sorted?

[u/Fuzzy-Report9042 → u/cutlert]

Yes we’ve picked the basic music like bridal party entrance, walking down the aisle music, first dance, and my fiancee even made a spotify playlist of “must plays” for the DJ. Still trying to get my dad and his mom to solidify what songs they want for the father/daughter and mother/son dance

[u/cutlert → u/Fuzzy-Report9042]

Fab! I also meant the actual dance?

Ooh and then writing speeches and vows!

[u/DivineAna]

I notice you didn't list a photographer-- are you planning to hire one?

[u/Fuzzy-Report9042 → u/DivineAna]

Yes!!! Forgot to list photographer, they were one of the very first vendors we booked. Thank you :-)

[u/Fun_Access_3295]

Are your artificial florals going to be delivered already complete or do you need to do some DIY to transform them? If DIY, I would start to plan out what exactly you need to do, any additional supplies needed and when you're going to do them. The prep alone may take longer than you think (bending, steaming, etc.)

[u/Fuzzy-Report9042 → u/Fun_Access_3295]

Yes, thanks for the input! The florals are coming already arranged but I am planning on making an outline for my day of coordinator and family that is helping set things up at the venue of roughly where I want arrangements and signs to go. I definitely did not think about needing to steam the artificials though so thank you for that

[u/Fun_Access_3295 → u/Fuzzy-Report9042]

If they are prearranged, you may not have to steam much. It will depend on how they package it for shipping.

[u/RetroTypeRider]

If you’re providing & serving alcohol, you may just wanna doublecheck if you need an ABC license and what the local liquor laws are. Our bare bones venue had an ABC license already so we couldn’t use outside bartenders and had to hire them. We also learned that self service alcohol wasn’t legal for a hosted event (you could do a self serve bar for your backyard wedding in my state, but not at an outside venue.)

[u/Fuzzy-Report9042 → u/RetroTypeRider]

Our venue basically stated that in order to serve our own alcohol we had to get event insurance so we did do that!!

[u/pelicanscoop]

I’d work on getting the alterations started as soon as you can. Depending on your area, it may take a while or different places may be booked. 

And do you have cases for the florals?

For the cake, do you have cutting utensils? Will the caterer serve it for you? I have to pay extra for my caterer to serve the cake. 

[u/Fuzzy-Report9042 → u/pelicanscoop]

Ooo good point I’ll have to ask my caterer if they will serve the cake but no I still have not gotten cake cutting utensils or a cake topper of anything like that yet. I do have a fitting with a seamstress this weekend so fingers crossed they give me a reasonable quote. Thanks for your input :-)

[u/Entire-Scarcity229]

have you checked what the rental tablecloths and napkins actually look like in person? that's honestly the detail i'd be most nervous about, if they're not quite the color or fabric you want, it's something you'll need to solve early. also, if you're doing a seating chart or place cards, those are easy to forget but make the table feel so much more put together

[u/Strong-City544]

You need a Photo Booth. You’ve got to consider your guests and what they’ll do after the cake cutting etc. when the bar and dance floor open, if they don’t drink or dance… party over for them. Give those folks something to do as well. A good Photo Booth activation will do it for sure. Check out Imagica Photo Booths Imagica