A Checklist of Things to Do Before Wedding Preparations Kick Into High Gear: For Those with Six Months to Over a Year Until the Big Day ♡

How to Spend the First Half of Your Pre-Wedding Period is Key ♡

The preparation period for weddings varies from person to person, but many pre-brides often have about six months to over a year.

However, it’s common to hear from brides who have completed their weddings that they "really started preparing 3-4 months ago"＊

This makes sense! Meetings with venues and dress fittings typically begin about six months prior, so there's really nothing that must be tackled during that time.

@mame_san0

Despite having an ample preparation period of one year, many brides find themselves saying, "I didn't have enough time to prepare to my satisfaction" or "I was sleep-deprived every day leading up to the big day..."

The reason for this is that they haven't effectively utilized the first half of their pre-wedding period.

How you spend the first half, before meetings with the venue begin, can significantly impact the difficulties of the latter half.

But honestly, it's hard to know what can be done when nothing has been decided yet!

Therefore, in this article, I will introduce tasks that can be tackled even when the wedding theme, concept, dresses, or performances are all undecided＊

This is a must-read for pre-brides who think, "There’s still a long way to go, so I don’t have anything to do yet!" ◎

@choco_yukamaru

The First Thing to Do in Wedding Preparation ① Organize Photos

One essential item for the wedding is... photos!

If you're creating a profile book or profile movie, you'll need a lot of pictures, including ones from when the couple first met and even ones from when they were born＊

By organizing the photos you want to use and compiling them chronologically on your computer before preparation formally begins, it will be much smoother when you start preparing the movie♡

This saves you the hassle of checking dozens of albums, peeling off and scanning photos during busy times◎

If you have many paper photos at your family home, make sure to pick them up when you visit!

It's also recommended to sort through the vast numbers of photo data that might be piling up on your PC, smartphone, or SD card in advance. Once wedding preparations get serious, there won't be time to sift through thousands of photos!

Uploading the pictures you want to use to services like Dropbox, Google Photos, or an unlisted album on Facebook ensures you can access them from both your smartphone and PC, which is a great idea◎

The First Thing to Do in Wedding Preparation ② Set Up Your PC Environment

Many brides might want to make various wedding items by hand to save money or add originality＊

Whether you’re creating paper items or a movie, a computer is essential!

Brides who frequently use computer software for work or hobbies will be fine, but those who usually only use their computers for browsing might need to be cautious.

Once wedding preparations kick into gear, you may not be able to start DIY projects right away.

You may find that needed software isn’t installed or that you have an outdated version that’s incompatible with the software you want to use…

One bride mentioned, "It took so long just to install Excel that I was already exhausted before I even started DIY!"

Commonly used software for DIY paper items and photography includes Excel, Word, and PowerPoint＊

For videos, many Mac users tend to use iMovie.

Be sure to check what's installed on your computer◎

By the way, nowadays, some brides are also creating videos using smartphone apps like CapCut!

➡ Check out Microsoft Office packaged version＊

amzn.to

The First Thing to Do in Wedding Preparation ③ Request Invitation Samples

The invitations are sent out about 2-3 months before the big day♡ Since they are the first item guests will see, many might want to focus on the design, texture, and paper quality!

There could be cases where the actual item doesn't match your image, so previous brides have been sure to request samples of invitations they liked to see them in person and confirm their favorites◎

Requesting samples can take several days to over a week. By the time you think, "I need to decide on invites this week!" there may be no time to compare samples＊

@fullmoon_fam

Moreover, since sending invitations involves time for calligraphy and enclosing them even after they arrive, starting to think about them six months in advance isn’t too early◎

The First Thing to Do in Wedding Preparation ④ Organize Bank Accounts

Although it may seem unrelated to the wedding, organizing your bank accounts and setting withdrawal limits is something I'd recommend doing while you have time◎

As the wedding day approaches, the number of purchases will increase. It can become unclear who is paying from which account and how much can be spent if it's not well managed.

To keep track easily, creating a separate account for wedding expenses or deciding on a single dedicated card is very useful＊

Also, since transferring hundreds of thousands of yen to the venue is often necessary, it’s a good idea to raise the limit on your cash card◎ Preventing situations where you’d try to send money from an ATM only to hit a limit and end up stuck going to the window on a weekday is crucial!

The First Thing to Do in Wedding Preparation ⑤ Plan Pre-Wedding Photos

If you're planning to take pre-wedding photos before the wedding, decide on a time and start searching for studios early＊

If you're considering location photos while wearing a dress, spring and summer are generally more comfortable for shooting, so be careful not to miss out!

Additionally, brides wanting seasonal wedding photos set against backdrops of cherry blossoms or autumn leaves should start considering this early too◎

@ykn0709_wd

Let's Spend the First Half of the Pre-Bride Period Planned and Purposefully ♡

This has been a list of tasks for brides-to-be who have yet to start preparing for their weddings in earnest＊

If you start tackling tasks incrementally ahead of time, you can avoid feeling sleep-deprived or having arguments with your partner right before the wedding♡

If you feel like there’s not much to do after choosing a venue, please consider starting on the items introduced in this article!

@kn_eternallovewedding