The Ultimate Wedding Checklist For Grooms To Be

Congratulations! To the question of all questions, your beloved answered “Yes”! 

Now the fun really begins: follow our practical checklist for grooms below to make sure your special day goes to plan while keeping the stress at bay.

Most weddings are planned within a 12-month window, however, if you’ve taken a more ‘shotgun’ approach you can reduce these accordingly.

12 months before

Together with your bride, think about where you want to hold your ceremony and reception. 

Church, registry office, two-in-one civil wedding at your dream location on the lakeshore? The best places are quickly taken, especially in the summer and autumn months. Start looking for locations as soon as you know how many guests you want to invite – and how much budget you have available.

Find out who you really want to have at the wedding, and who you won’t necessarily miss on your big day. Decide and start creating your guest list together with your bride. Your parents probably want to have a say too. However, don’t hesitate to veto people you definitely don’t want to see at your wedding.

Choose your best man 

Be careful with your choice, after all, your best man should be helping you on the wedding day – and organise an unforgettable bachelor party.

Think about what you want as a wedding gift

Monetary contributions to finance the wedding, a travel account with the travel agency for your honeymoon, donations for a charity of your choice. Or you can make a wedding list with many beautiful things for your common household that you can really use.

9 months before

Put together a playlist of your favourite songs, after all, you know your bride’s taste in music very well, don’t you? Look around for bands and DJs and listen to see which artists suit you. Be sure to get references and see the DJ or band you want to sign in action – at a wedding preferably.

The guest list should be ready now – send the save-the-date cards.

6 months before

Plan your honeymoon 

Will you be honeymooning in the Maldives? Or is your paradise in the local mountains or one of the world’s metropolises? (For long-distance travel, check what kind of travel documents or visas you will need and apply for them in good time.) Even if you are planning your honeymoon together: book a trip or an action with which you can surprise your bride on holiday.

Learn to dance – or refresh your dance skills 

Attend a workshop or crash course with your future wife to save face on the big day.

Transport

Organise vehicles from the ceremony to the reception if you have more than one location. Think of a noble wedding limousine or a romantic wedding carriage. It’s best to avoid a low riding sports car, as the bride will have trouble getting in and out in a wedding dress.

Sends the invitations 

It is also one of the groom’s tasks to obtain missing responses to the invitations of his share of the guest list.

4 months before

Food and drink not only keep body and soul together but also your wedding guests in a good mood. Choose your wedding menu, wedding wine and wedding cake, actively support your loved one with your expert advice as a gourmet.

3 months before

The wedding dress is certainly already ordered, the outfit of the groom is still missing! From the simple three-piece to a top hat and tails, everything is possible – just make sure your wedding suit fits the style of the wedding. 

Choose an outfit in which you feel comfortable and which still harmonises with the wedding dress. Since you are not allowed to see the wedding dress yourself, your bride and groomsmen will certainly be happy to support you in choosing the wedding suit.

Order your wedding rings and the engraving 

Check the engraving. Once you’ve checked the engraving, check it again. By the way, picking up and buying the wedding rings is 100% your job as a groom.

6 to 8 weeks before

Choose a morning gift for your fiancée, don’t be stingy, after all, you’ve found your sweetheart. Remember to wrap the gift nicely and add a lovely greeting card!

Even the perfect groomsmen deserve gifts, after all, they are active moral support during the whole wedding preparations. Choose something clever, distance yourself from table coasters or letter openers!

2 weeks before

Do something truly romantic with your future wife – maybe take a long weekend in a cosy b & b in the country.

Time for the stag do – have a great time but make sure you don’t do anything you might regret!

1 week before

Check your speech. You are expected to say a few words at the wedding reception. The speech does not have to be eloquent, but authentic and cordial.

Go to the barber.

The day before

Write your bride a few loving lines and put them somewhere where she will definitely find the message, especially if you don’t see them on the morning of the wedding. Go to the altar with the wonderful feeling that you’d done everything right! 

Above all, enjoy your special day with your friends and family!