
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, February 6, 1994                   TAG: 9402180304
SECTION: YOUR WEDDING                    PAGE: YW-2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: By BECKY HEPLER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG                                LENGTH: Long

WITH PLENTY OF PLANNING, YOU CAN GET IT ALL DONE

There are whole publishing industries dedicated to helping you plan your wedding, and from the looks of it, the process is not unlike the planning that went into the D-Day invasion of World War II. It's enough to make you think about chucking the whole idea of a wedding and just living in sin.

But you don't have to send your mother into a fainting spell. It is possible to plan your wedding and still have a life - and you don't even have to elope. Presented herein is Your Wedding Made Easy, the most basic of checklists. Wedding consultant Marla Kemsey of Chantilly Lace in Blacksburg helped with this project.

SIX MONTHS IN ADVANCE OF WEDDING OR WHEN YOU FIRST GET ENGAGED

The very first thing you and the bridegroom or you and your parents (depending upon whose checkbook is involved) must decide upon is the budget for the wedding. Even a small wedding can quickly exceed the price of a car.

All it takes is several of those, "Oh, you only get married once" weak moments and the bills can quickly get out of hand. So decide how much you are willing to spend, and the areas in which you wish to spend it, because that will affect many of the subsequent decisions.

The amount of advanced planning you must do is dependent upon the elaborateness of your wedding and its timing. If you are going for the full-blown, all-stops-pulled-out kind of event, you're going to need the services of lots of people and that will take some time to arrange.

It you choose the high season of May through August, you are competing with hundreds of other brides who need these same services. So the earlier you make the reservations for these things, the more likely you are to get the people you want. If you're not picky, you can start later.

At six months, you need to be nailing down the date so you can be reserving the location, the caterer, the photographer, the florist, the musicians and the minister. Your friends would also appreciate early notice, so choose your attendants.

If you are going for a custom-made bridal gown, this is the time to be making those decisions. Kemsey said it can take up to three or four months to special order some dresses and it leaves no time to send it back it's not right.

FIVE MONTHS IN ADVANCE:

This is a good time to announce your engagement in the local newspapers. Also, pick out and order the dresses for the attendants. There can be the same problem for special orders as with your gown, so starting now avoids some of those problems.

This is also a good time to start making honeymoon plans, especially if you are booking the more popular spots. Like everything else in this wedding thing, you're competing with all the other love-struck couples out there readying for that trip down the aisle.

FOUR MONTHS IN ADVANCE:

It may be hard to believe, but there is nothing you really need to do now. You worked so hard lining everything up the first two months and the pace will pick up soon enough, so relax and enjoy it. The planning of a wedding can consume you if you're not careful. Use this month to resume your other life.

THREE MONTHS IN ADVANCE:

Now is the time to pick out and order your invitations. You want plenty of time to check them out and make changes, if necessary, before you have to address them. If you want the addresses done in calligraphy, you'll need to allow additional time to get that done. TWO MONTHS IN ADVANCE:

Etiquette says you should give your guests six to eight weeks notice, so mail your invitations now. It's a little early, but you could start your bridal gown fittings, though the final ones will come later.

If you want a formal portrait of you in your gown to display at your wedding, a photographer usually requests six weeks to get that done. Pick out and order the tuxedoes.

ONE MONTH IN ADVANCE:

Get your marriage license and blood tests, if your state requires them (Virginia doesn't). Select and purchase the wedding rings (if you are interested in a custom designed ring, start this step much earlier, like five months or so). If you are changing your name, start the paper work now, and in any event, make the changes on all your legal documents that will be affected by your new status (wills, insurance, etc.).

Now is the time to finalize all those reservations you made six months ago. Check with the caterer, the florist, the photographer, the musicians, the minister and anyone else you are dealing with to iron out the final details. Make any arrangements you need for the rehearsal dinner. ONE WEEK IN ADVANCE:

Confirm, confirm, confirm the final arrangements.

D-DAY:

After six months of busy, hectic planning, this is the day to relax. The bride and the mother of the bride need to delegate any last minute decision-making or chores that need to be done, so they can spend the day getting beautiful, getting rest, relaxing and enjoying the fruits of their labor.

by CNB