I'm Mormon, so naturally my wedding is an LDS wedding too! I'm making this list, (which I'm sure will grow within the next few days) in the hopes of helping another little nervous Latter Day Saint bride like myself.
1. Give Yourself TIME:
My engagement has been almost 4 months long. This has given me time to get everything done. I have friends who've rushed the process and ended up frazzled and/or unhappy about the result. Keep your relationship PG rated and your long engagement won't be an issue. Personally, I believe that if you can't control your "urges" or "passions" for a few more months maybe you should rethink WHY you're getting married. Give yourself an appropriate amount of time to get your actual wedding and reception ready, but also give yourself time to prepare physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually for everything you're going to be going through.
Don't think you can get it done? This website helped me a TON. They have a budget excel spreadsheet, and a wedding checklist. http://www.weddinglds.com/design-a-custom-lds-wedding-planning-notebook/lds-wedding-planning-checklist/three-month-lds-wedding-planning-checklist
2. Photographer= INVEST.
You will NEVER look back at your wedding pictures and think, "Jeez, why did I spend so much on photography? I didn't need this many pictures." You can't put a price tag on memories. Do your research and find a photographer that meets your budget and needs. As a photographer, my advice is: Cheap work isn't good, and good work isn't cheap. Make sure you see samples of their work, and make sure there isn't any hidden fees. Some photographers make you go through them for prints, DON'T FALL FOR IT. Get a photographer that gives you the copyrights, and a disk or flashdrive of pictures to use as you will. Make sure you book your photographer as soon as you can if it's a summer/fall wedding. Photographers fill up quickly during this season.
3. Say Yes to the Dress... FAST.
My dress was expensive (by frugal LDS standards) by the time all was said and done. I wanted sleeves put on it that weren't little cap sleeves, and it had to have a few normal alterations, so I got it done. Doing these little things to my dress personalized it. No one else has my dress, and it's completely my taste, and I feel 100% comfortable in it. Also, don't wait when it comes to getting your dress or getting it altered. If you don't purchase the sample dress you try on it can take 3-6 months to get the dress in in your size. Ask the store about alterations, because there's a 99% chance that your dress will need alterations whether it be hemming, sleeve changes, back fills (to make it modest) etc. If your weight fluctuates, I recommend a corset back... Mine was a zipper back, and it stressed me out knowing that I needed to stay under a certain weight for it to still zip. Avoid the stress, and get a corset back, or try on a zip up back every week to make sure it still fits.
4. Set 2 Temple Dates
I can't imagine having done my endowments/sealing in one day. Enough said. Do yourself a favor and do your endowments a few days in advance so that you can more fully focus on each special day and soak it all up separately.
5. You Only Get Married Once
As a Mormon, you're (probably) only going to get married once. Make it count. Make your wedding and reception personalized. Make things your own! If you want to do the traditional route, that's great, but I recommend making it unique. For example, our boutonnieres are made from shotgun shells, and we had a set of scriptures as our guest book. I know you're going to freak out about spending money, but if you invest it correctly you'll have a super awesome day. My parents and inlaws have been REALLY financially supportive when it comes to wedding expenses, but we have all used the money "smartly". We didn't waste money on stupid stuff like expensive reception favors... so be aware that there are little "money traps". With the same token, there are things that WILL cost money. You WILL have to pay for some expensive stuff, but like I said before, good things aren't the cheap things.
6. Get Those Invites Out
Invitations need to be addressed and out of your house about a month ahead of time. Start making a master list (I made mine in excel) of all of your addresses as soon as you can. A mistake I know a lot of my friends have made is not taking in the fact that photographers take a couple weeks to process photos before they give them to you. Make sure you include details like that into your timeline. The sooner you book your photography sessions, the smoother sailing will be when it comes to announcements.
7. PINTEREST ISN'T REALITY
Unless you have an unlimited budget you're probably not going to have that wedding you pinned to your pinterest board. Learn to be happy with a real set of expectations. Use pinterest as inspiration, but don't copy it exactly. Your ring probably won't be that rose gold vintage one with a 2 karat pink diamond... and you're probably not going to have enormous centerpieces with thousands of dollars of peonies. Don't let it all get you down, but remember to keep reality in mind. There's no shame in dreaming big, but you shouldn't have any "Oh I wish I had..." moments on your big day.
8. Plan Ahead
Remember the details.
9. App it Up!
There are so many excellent phone and ipod apps out there (some that are free as can be) that have made my life 100 times easier. Technology is amazing. My two favorite wedding planning apps have definitely been: Wunderlist and WedPics. Wunderlist is free, and if you and your sweetie both have it on your phone you can make all sorts of checklists that you can both see and check off as you accomplish things. This has been a lifesaver for my little forgetful almost-hubby and myself. WedPics lets the people who download the app send all the pictures to one place for you to post and be able to print. It's almost like a wedding profile. Everyone's phones can be connected through your wedding profile, so when they're snapping away at the wedding and reception on their phones, they can save them to the profile. It also has filters like Instagram to make them look a bit more interesting and polished. Like I said earlier, there is no such thing as "too many pictures."
10. Remember Your Manners
Thank You notes are NOT optional. As soon as the gifts and generous acts get rolling in, get the thank you's out so you don't forget. When opening cards, keep the envelopes so you have the return address. Remember to appoint someone to keep a list while you're opening gifts so you know who gave you what when you're writing the thank you cards later. Don't leave anyone out! Make sure you load up on stamps.
