The Ultimate Wedding Checklist - What To Start Planning 8 Months Out

8 Month Wedding Checklist - Download it here!

Create a gift registry

• Names and login information for gift registries
• Make sure your bridal party is scheduling fittings

• Finalize information with your vendors

Venue 

• Number of tables, décor to be used, etc.
• Payment info

Catering

• Schedule tasting and confirm entrées
• Payment info

Cake

• Schedule tasting and confirm flavor and design
• Payment info

Photographer 

• Finalize shot list and give to photographer
• Payment info

DJ 

• Finalize first dance song, dances with loved ones, and playlist
• Payment info

Musicians 

• Request list of songs and make tweaks
• Payment info

Flowers 

• Discuss vision, create mockups, and confirm arrangements
• Payment info 

Officiant 

• Confirm readings and vows
• Payment info

Hair 

• Schedule a trial run
• Payment info

Makeup 

• Schedule a trial run
•  Payment info

Videographer 

• Narrow down how long, number of videos, style, etc.
• Payment info

Other 

• Payment info

Assortment of Flowers: DIY Flowers, Tailor Measuring a Bridesmaid: Pexels, Wrapped Gifts Featuring Citrus and Greenery: Melissa Selmin, Cake Tasting Assortment: Hungry Horse Girl

THE ULTIMATE WEDDING CHECKLIST - 8 Months Out

The most intense months for planning usually happen when you first get engaged and the month before your wedding. However, just because there is a slight lull in wedding-related activities in the middle of your engagement doesn’t mean the things you do have to do are any less important!

During month eight of wedding planning, our 2021 planner is all about having fun building a guest registry and checking in with your bridal party and vendors to make sure everything is going according to plan. If you do these things, you can make sure everything continues to go smoothly as you approach your wedding date.

Create a Gift Registry

Planning a wedding can be stressful. As much fun as it sounds before you start planning, you will soon discover that it isn’t as much fun as you thought. There are a lot of things to do, a lot of things to keep track of, and things can get expensive fast!

Taking breaks in between all the stressful wedding planning activities is a good idea. Why not participate in a little retail therapy without spending a penny?

Registering for wedding gifts for the couple is a tradition that guests appreciate. It’s helpful to know exactly what the bride and groom want, which is something that can be difficult for even close family members.

Just make sure you are mindful when you create a registry. Must-have items from a few decades ago are no longer required. People are getting married later in life, and many couples live together before they get married. Items like silverware and dishes aren’t needed. Register for things you actually want and need. For example, if you and your partner like to go camping, register for a tent in lieu of new sheets. Ask for a dining room table to replace the hand-me-down you currently have and skip the fine china if you and your partner aren’t planning on hosting holiday gatherings.

Register at a few different places, and register for items at a wide variety of price points. That way, guests can get you something you want, no matter what their budget.

It’s also a good idea to register for more items than there are guests attending your wedding. It gives guests plenty to choose from, but it also ensures guests at other events, like bridal showers, know what to get you too. If you register with retailers that offer special perks for bridal registries, you may also enjoy a discount on items you didn’t receive if you want to buy them yourself.

Gone are the days of walking through department stores with a pricing gun when building your gift registry. Today, you can do it all online, but that doesn’t mean you might not want to stop into the store and talk to a sales rep. They can tell you more about their products and which ones would be right for a registry, so you can zero in on high-quality, heirloom items that you and your partner will use for years to come.

Having an eco-friendly wedding? Into minimalism? If for whatever reason you don’t like the idea of a registry, you have other options.

Ask guests to contribute to a honeymoon or house fund with a cash registry. If you don't like the idea of asking for straight-up cash, ask them to purchase a spa treatment on your honeymoon or pay for a year's subscription to Netflix.

Charitable giving is also increasing in popularity among brides and grooms. Guests simply donate money in your name to a cause of your choice. You’ll feel good, your guests will feel good, and you won’t go home with a salad bowl you don’t want.

Key takeaways:

• Register for things you actually want.
• Register at a few different stores.
• Choose items at a wide variety of price points.
• Register for more items than there are guests invited to your wedding.
• Find retailers that offer special perks to get additional deals.
• Consider going to the store and talking to a sales rep, even if you can complete your registry online.
• Consider asking guests to contribute to a honeymoon fund, house fund, or a charity in lieu of a traditional registry.

Make Sure Your Bridal Party Is Scheduling Fittings

As much as you want your bridal party to be as excited about your wedding as you are, the fact is, they have other things on their mind. It’s not that they aren’t excited to be part of your big day! It’s just that how they look in their dress is not as important to them as it is to you to look your best in your dress.

It can take months for a dress to come in and months for it to be tailored properly. You want to make sure your maid of honor and bridal party have ordered their dress by the eight month mark, and you want to make sure they are scheduling fittings. That way, they aren’t stuck in a dress that won’t zip or straps that keep falling down the day before your wedding.

Don’t forget to check in on the groomsmen too! Groomsmen can rent their tux or suit just a few months before your wedding, but if they are buying suits, they will want to do it now. That way, the suit has plenty of time to come in and be tailored before your big day.

Worried that your bridal party’s fittings are going to slip their mind? Make a day of it! Offer to go with your bridal party when they are ordering their dress or getting fitted. The groom can go with his groomsmen to make sure everything is going according to plan.

If you’re having a hard time getting everyone together, consider tying fittings to another event. For example, schedule fittings for your girls the morning of your bridal shower, and schedule the guys to go in and get fitted the morning of the bachelor party.

Don’t forget about other important guests at your wedding! Now is the time to start thinking about what you want your flower girl and ring bearer to wear, as well as finalizing outfit choices and scheduling fittings for attendants, ushers, and others.

Key takeaways:

• Bridesmaids should order their dress by around the eight month mark.
• Check in with groomsmen to make sure they are ordering their suits and getting fitted.
• Consider tying fittings to other events to ensure everyone gets fitted on time.
• Decide what you want your flower girl and ring bearer to wear.
• Finalize choices and schedule fittings for attendants and ushers, if necessary.

Finalize Information With Vendors

Hopefully, you have been working your way down our vendor list from month 12, booking them as you go. If you have any straggling vendors that you haven’t locked down yet, now is the time to do it.

If you have money in your budget after booking the essentials, you may want to consider a videographer. A videographer isn’t a must, but many brides and grooms are thankful that they splurged years down the road, as video documents your day in a way photography can’t.

Booking your vendors is just the first step. You will also have to finalize information with each vendor ahead of your big day. This is the month to start digging into the details.

Hopefully, your vendors have provided you with next steps. Make sure you follow your vendors’ lead. For example, your caterer may request that you provide them with the final guest count a week before your wedding, but they may request a finalized menu months before your wedding. That means you may want to plan a tasting during this month, so you have plenty of time to decide what to serve to your guests.

In addition to finalizing the details with each of your vendors, make sure you also discuss how they expect to receive their final payment. It is important to know if you should pay them the day of your wedding, as you’ll want to designate someone in your bridal party or your coordinator to make sure these vendors receive their payment when they arrive. Others may request payment within a certain timeframe after your event, some may request online payments, while others may request that you drop off payment at their physical location. Make sure you keep track of how much everyone is owed and exactly how you’re going to pay them so no one falls through the cracks.

Key takeaways:

• Consider hiring a videographer if you have room in your budget.
• Follow each vendor’s lead for what information to provide them with and when.
• Keep track of how much everyone is owed and exactly when and how you’re going to make final payments.