Wedding Wednesdays Vol. 4: 6 Months!

(Originally posted 2.8.12)

As of 2/4/12, I have 6 months until I get married. Hooooooooooly crap, where did the time go? When we got engaged in October of 2011 and decided to get married the next August, that seemed like such a long time. It hit me a few days ago that I have 6 months until I get married and I feel like I have nothing done. So in an attempt to control my freak out, I'm going to make a list of things I have done and things I need to do. This is more for me to keep track of things I need to do, but input from anyone about anything would be very much appreciated.

Completed

• Pick out our wedding colors. (Can be found here if you're interested)
• Announce our engagement to friend, family, and the newspapers 
• Choose a wedding date and time. (August 4, 2012 at 6 p.m.!)
• Find wedding dress (Easier than I thought)
• Find reception hall & ceremony site (Thank goodness this is one in the same)
• Find ceremony officiant (Hello Daddy!)
• Start guest list (This is pretty much done, however my parents still need to send in their final list. HINT HINT)
• Choose bridal party 
• Figure out wedding flowers (I made this easy by deciding not to have any and making by own bouquet out of silk flowers)
• Figure out and make save the dates (Made a post about them here)
• Send out save the dates
• Find photographer
• Make wedding website

To Do:

• Get in wedding day shape......ya haven't really done this at all. I need to get my butt in gear
• Find caterer (We're currently negotiating with ours. I still feel like $15/gallon of lemonade is stupidly expensive)
• Figure out what I'm planning on feeding guests (again, once our caterer stops being stupid, this  might happen)
• Figure out family customs that we need to incorporate into the wedding (I don't think we need to worry about this, but I should probably ask just to make sure)
• Finalize wedding guest list (HINT HINT parents)
• Find DJ or decide if we're going to just set up some speakers and an IPOD
• Figure out if we need lighting (I have no idea about this)
• Plan out the ceremony (Keegan and I should probably be in the same state as my dad to figure this out. I just feel like this isn't something you do over the phone.) 
• Figure out cupcakes (we had someone, but she backed out the day before our taste testing....)
• Figure out honeymoon. (We're 99% sure that we're going to go to my grandparents cottage in Canada so that Keegan can meet my extended family, but the idea of going somewhere with sand and 90 degree weather is still calling my name...)
• Get passports for both of us (In case we do go to Canada...)
• Figure out if we're going to have musicians play for the ceremony of just plug in an IPOD again)
• Trail my wedding hair and makeup (I'm so not girly, so I really need Keegan's cousin's advice in this. However, I won't see/meet her until June. Is that too late?)
• Get hotel rooms for out of town guests
• Make sure my bridesmaids have ordered their dresses (last I checked, only 3 out of 5 have done this.)
• Plan rehearsal dinner
• Get the OK from both sets of parents for the invitation wording
• Make 269 invitations (This needs to happen sooner than later because it's going to take me forever to get this done.)
• Start making centerpieces and other wedding decorations (Am I putting too much on my plate by DIY-ing everything?)
• Order Keegan's tux (thank goodness we're just having the boys wear black pants and white shirts, trying to get 5 boys who all live in different states to get their tux's ordered would probably give me a stroke.)
• Book a wedding-night hotel room (I have no idea where this is going to be)
• Make honeymoon travel reservations (such as, are we going to drive the 2 days to Canada or fly?)
• Send out invitations! 
• Figure out accessories for me
• Choose a wedding contract (I have no idea what this is, but TheKnot.com says we need one)
• Figure out if we need chairs for the ceremony (I want a short but sweet ceremony, like 15 minutes or less. Do people really need to sit for 15 minutes?)
• Buy wedding bands for both of us
• Decide and buy wedding favors (I don't know what to do for this. I'm thinking coasters because I want people to actually use the favors and not throw them away, but do people really care?)
• Figure out bridal shower (if I'm going to have one,) and bachelorette/bachelor parties 
• Get 1 or two dress fittings
• Make sure bridesmaids have dresses....again
• Figure out if anyone is going to do a ceremony reading (probably not, but who knows)
• Finalize wedding registries (I'm 99% sure we're done with these, but after moving into our new house, we might need to tweak some things)
• Fight with insurance companies to get me added onto Keegan's insurance
• Figure out how we're getting to/from the wedding. This will probably include figuring out how we're getting Keegan's baby (a.k.a. his '71 Vette up to Missouri from Mississippi)
• Work on vows
• Figure out ceremony programs (again, for a 15 minute ceremony, do we need these?)
• Figure out if there will be kids at the wedding that need to be taken care of
• Submit wedding announcement to newspapers
• Make sure we have rooms for out of town guests (almost all our guests....jeeze)
• Get wedding license 
• Buy (most likely make) thank-yous for any showers and for after wedding
• Get presents for wedding party (have already started)
• Buy (most likely make) guest book or something of the sort
• Finalize ceremony
• Figure out "something new, old, borrowed and blue"
• Have bridal portraits?
• Work out schedule for the big day
• Call late RSVPs for wedding and rehearsal dinner
• Pick up dress and accessories 
• Decide on "must take" photos for photographer 
• Make a "must play" and a "do not play or I will hunt you down" list for DJ if we have one
• Make sure everyone is paid
• Pack for honeymoon
• Get wedding ready (mani & pedi anyone?)
• Make sure parents know where we'll be for the honeymoon just in case
• Figure out where all of the wedding stuff will be when we're on the honeymoon
• Do rehearsal dinner
• Have bachelorette/bachelor parties
• Sleep (hahahah ya right)
• GET MARRIED!

After Wedding

• Go on honeymoon
• Get picture CD from photographer 
• Get stuff from Missouri to bring back to Mississippi
• Get dress preserved 
• Send thank-yous
• Make sure everyone has been paid
• Love each other

Well if you've read through this, I applaud you. Again if there is any wedding advice you want to share, please do. With all that I have to do, any advice would be much appreciated.