Wedding Countdown Planner

18 months before your wedding

Set a budget – Establish or revisit your overall wedding budget now that you know the initial cost. Allocate funds for other important aspects like attire, suppliers, and decorations.

Review your Schedule of Payments – Make sure that you are aware of the timeline for the instalments so you can budget accordingly.

Research suppliers – Look for potential suppliers such as photographers, videographers, cake makers, florists, musicians and entertainers:

We have worked with these wonderful suppliers and trust them to add a special touch to your day.

Consider wedding insurance – Look into wedding insurance policies to protect your investment against unforeseen circumstances.

15 months before your wedding

Secure key vendors – Start booking critical suppliers such as photographers, videographers, florists, and entertainers. Popular suppliers can get booked up months in advance.

Guest list – Sit down together to sort your guest list and decide on who will be part of the bridal/ groom party.

‘Save the date’ – It is an ideal time to send out ‘Save the Date’ cards to ensure the people who are most important to you are available to join you for your special day.

Advisories – We recommend creating a spreadsheet with columns that include guest contact information, RSVP, dietary requirements, relationship to you and a notes
section.

Set-up an email address just for your wedding that you both have access to, so that sending invites and guest information is easy to collate.

12 months before your wedding

Wedding dress shopping – Begin shopping for your wedding dress with the family and friends whose opinions you value the most, whilst remembering the season that you are getting married in and styles that flatter you.

Start looking for attire for the groom, bridesmaids, and groomsmen. Schedule fittings and alterations well in advance.

Pick your theme – Now you have your setting, start to think about the style, the tone and the dress code. Take time in deciding your theme, ensuring that your wedding reflects both of your personalities.

We find that Pinterest often supplies couples with great inspiration and ideas for a theme. We regularly update our Pinterest account and boards with new themes, styles and trends.

Consider decor and layout – Begin planning the overall look and feel of your wedding, considering Manor Hill House’s layout and style. Decide on colours, themes, and any additional decorations you may wish to add.

9 months before your wedding

At this stage, Manor Hill House will be in touch to arrange a meeting with our chef and one of our events team members, during which you will create your own bespoke menu. Please refer to our catering brochure.

Make-up planning – Meet up with your hair and make-up artists. If you have a large bridal party to prepare, consider asking them to bring assistants to avoid rushing on your wedding day.

Pre-wedding parties – Allocate someone to plan your stag and hen parties and offer them ideas for activities that you would enjoy doing.

Arrange accommodation – At Manor Hill House, we have four rooms that we can offer to you and your guests, accommodating 8 people in total. However, if you have extra family members or friends who require accommodation for the night, now is a great time to book.

Book your honeymoon – Start discussing honeymoon options. Some couples choose to go on their honeymoon immediately, while others prefer to book it a few months later to extend the celebration.

6 months before your wedding

At this stage, your next stage payment is due to Manor Hill House Limited. Please see the ‘Schedule of Payments’ document for relevant amounts.

Organise transport – Arrange transport for you and your parties. This may include booking shuttles, limousines, or ride-share services. Make sure your guests pre-book their taxis for the evening due to our location.

Gifts – Set up a gift list which covers all budgets and highlights your most desired items.

Cake tasting – Book in cake testing with cake-makers, so you can select your favourite flavours to be in your wedding cake.

Finalise decor – Discuss further decoration plans with Manor Hill House. If you have changed your mind about initial colour choices, Manor Hill House has a range of
different chair drops, bows and table runners we can provide (subject to availability).

Just ask one of our trusted events management team and they can help you pick the perfect decor to fit your taste and style.

Dress fittings – Arrange dress fittings for you and your bridesmaids and remember to take the shoes you plan to wear. We suggest you allocate about £200 for alterations to
your dress.

Purchase your wedding rings – This gives you plenty of time to shop around, compare prices, and find the perfect rings, whilst allowing additional time for customisation and engraving. Remember your engagement ring and wedding ring should be the same metal.

Plan your table favours – Select and order favours for your guests – personalised favours can take longer to produce, so give yourself enough time. Think about how
you will present them – order necessary materials such as boxes, ribbons, or tags.

Send out your invitations – Ensure your guest list is complete and accurate to give you a good idea of how many invitations to order. Please refer to our blog ‘The ultimate guide to wedding invitations’ to see what to include.

3 months before your wedding

Follow-up RSVPs – Follow up with guests who haven’t responded yet

Meet with suppliers – Schedule final meetings with your key suppliers – florist, photographer, DJ/band etc. – to confirm details.

Liaise with the Manor Hill House team to finalise your timeline, including supplier arrival times.

Discuss ceremony table, top table and centrepieces with your florist

Finalise your music playlist and specific songs for key moments (from walking down the aisle to your first dance).

Provide dietary requirements – Make sure your guests have provided you with any dietary requirements and let us know so our chef can cater for everyone.

Speeches – Encourage your speech makers to start writing what they plan to say on the day.

Final dress fittings – Ensure alterations are complete; have bridesmaids and groomsmen fittings too.

2 months before your wedding

Seating arrangements – Start working on your seating plans, based on your RSVPs. This should include reserving seats for your civil ceremony (if applicable) and your
table plan for your wedding breakfast. Once completed make sure to send this over to Manor Hill House.

Roles and responsibilities – Talk with everyone in your wedding party to establish how they can help in the run up to your wedding, and their roles on the day.

External suppliers – Arrange for all external suppliers to send their Portable Appliance Tests (PATs), required for all electrical devices, and Public Liability Insurance certificates to Manor Hill House. These should include your DJ, band, photographer, photo booth, bouncy castle hire, etc.

If your photographer or DJ have not been to Manor Hill House before, arrange for them to view and familiarise themselves with the venue

Re-confirm all your bookings – make sure everything and everyone is ready for the big day.

Civil Ceremony – purchase your marriage license from the Worcestershire Registration Services.

Ceremony music – Select your music choices for the ceremony. For a civil ceremony, we would recommend choosing a few songs for guest seating and four tracks for the following: one for the bridal party entrance, two for signing the register and one for walking back down the aisle.

Final details meeting – Around this time, we will meet for your final details meeting to confirm your guest numbers, menu, timeline and finishing touches. This will help make certain we have a very detailed plan of your special day.

1 month before your wedding

Guest book – Purchase a guest book or similar, to be placed on the present table at Manor Hill House for your friends and relatives to record their messages and best wishes.

Thank you gifts – We’d recommend flowers or gifts for your family and friends involved in the wedding party as a small gesture of your appreciation.

Pre-wedding parties – Enjoy your stag and hen parties!
Honeymoon preparation – Confirm bookings and check your visas, passports and local currency.

Collect your wedding rings – Try them on for size and insure them.

Break-in your shoes – Remember to spend some time wearing your wedding shoes beforehand, so you are comfortable on the day.

1 week before your wedding

Beauty treatments – Schedule final beauty treatments such as manicures, pedicures, facials, and waxing.

If you dye your hair, this is the time for your final touch-up

Final details – Run through your final plans for the day with your most trusted friend or family member. It’s always a good idea to have someone you trust to know all the details, allowing you to relax more on your wedding day.

Paying suppliers – Check which suppliers need to be paid on the day and clearly mark envelopes with payment.

The days before your wedding

Final haircut – For shorter hairstyles, get a final haircut for the sharpest possible style.

Drop-off – Manor Hill House will arrange a mutually suitable date for you to visit and drop off your decorations, seating plans and any other materials we might need. This
could be 24-48 hours before your wedding day, depending on other event we are hosting.

External ceremony – If you are coming from a separate venue, provide the best man with our phone number so they can call us when the first guests are leaving the ceremony.