Fall Wedding Checklist
Summer days are past. School has begun. Pumpkin Spice and Apple Cider Donuts abound everywhere…and of course you are working on your checklist.
Fall feels like new beginnings. There is a certain excitement in the fresh crisp air. The coolness of the night makes it feel almost invigorating to stay up later. Despite the fact that I am an early riser, I absolutely love staying up later and later in the Fall. There is just something about the Fall that makes me want to get things done, and the earlier dark nights make me want to do it all. I have been busy creating all of my checklists, all of my new schedules for this school year, and setting up all that I want to do and accomplish.
I have been seeing a lot of couples who are getting ideas for your 2026 wedding, while many of you are finalizing your September and October 2025 wedding plans. Congratulations to both of you! Planning in both the early stages and in the late stages is absolutely the most fun, and I am so excited to be on this journey with you.
Fall 2026 Couples - Let’s chat quick…
You have so much time - more time than you think. The simple fact that you are even reading this means you are already on top of it. This is the time to start ironing out all of your big vendors - your venue should absolutely be first. This gets your date confirmed, and your minimum or maximum guest count solidified. From here, you will truly have a vision of how big, or how small, you want your wedding to be.
Your next big vendors are your wedding planner, your caterer, your musicians, and your photographer. These are all people who are very personal and very special - and provide a very big service to you and your guests. Take the next month or two to do some research. Once your venue is secure (which may also be your caterer - bonus!), start to have conversations. Make sure their personality meshes with yours - your style, your vision, your likes and dislikes. Get to know how they do business.
Don’t commit to having a “friend” do these services until you have checked into some professionals first. Unless your friend is a professional in the wedding industry with real wedding experience, it is absolutely worth it to look around and get to know the industry a bit. It is a big industry, and we all love what we do. (I have had many “friends” who are photographers or DJs at weddings, but not wedding photographers or DJs and don’t know the flow of a wedding. Trust me - it makes a difference!)
Take your time and love every step. Work together as a couple, and don’t sign anything until you’ve talked to each other first.
Fall 2025 Couples - Now’s your moment!
You are busy! You have watched all of the summer brides do their thing. After the summer weddings this year, you have determined every detail that you definitely want - and definitely don’t want - at your own wedding. So much to remember!! Here’s the best thing you can do: review the details.
Here is my step-by-step guide to getting it all figured out:
Step 1: Make a list of all of your vendors. Do it old school on a piece of paper or make a new Google doc. This should include anyone and everyone who is providing any kind of service for your wedding.
Step 2: Take out each and every one of those vendor contracts. Locate them - print them out - and put them in a folder. If you don’t have a contract with someone, print out any emails you have from them with any information you have agreed to.
Step 3: Get out a new piece of paper, or add a new section to the bottom of your Google doc. Look over every single contract individually. While you are doing that - create your timeline. Start with the wedding day itself complete with your ceremony time, your cocktail hour, your reception start time, and your reception end time. Every single contract is going to tell you their payment schedule, their services, and how many hours of service they are providing. Add the dates and hours to your timeline from every single contract. At this stage - ONLY look at the due dates and times for everything. (For example: Add in your photographer’s arrival time, the photographer’s end time, and any due dates for payments and requested photo lists that you owe the photographer before the event.)
Step 4: Review the services of the individual contracts and agreements. Add a new section to your Google doc, or a new piece of paper, and just jot down the basics of the services outlined in the contract.
Step 5: Verify the Services! Make sure everything you have discussed with the vendor is in writing. Review those contracts and agreements carefully!! If the vendor has said “Oh yes, we will make sure the garbage is cleaned up,” but their contract shows that they will be departing at 10:00pm, but the event ends at 11:00pm, who is cleaning up the garbage after they leave? Do not assume the services will be provided if they have mentioned it in passing. Verify every little detail. Take the time to run through the full event in your head. Talk it through.
Step 6: Get A Day-Of Coordinator. I know, I know…so many of you have your Maid of Honor who is incredible, or your mom who has it all under control, or your soon-to-be sister-in-law who plans parties so she has it all under control. My simple response to this is - No. That person is a guest. The venue will treat them as a guest. The photographer will treat them as a guest. The DJ will treat them as a guest. Even you will treat them as a guest - whether you realize it or not.
I love being a guest, and I love being there for my sister, my niece, my nephew, or my bestie when they are planning an event. I love helping as much as I can, and advocating for them at an event when they don’t know what to ask for.
That being said, let me be very clear - when With Bells On is hired, we are there for a job. It is very different. We are attentive, we check every tiny detail, we verify every single contract from every single vendor, and we know what is supposed to happen inside and out during every single moment. Our whole job is to take the stress off of you. My whole being is to be your Fairy Godmother who just makes it all happen without you worrying - and I absolutely love what I do!
While yes, your best friend, your mom, and your soon-to-be sister-in-law are absolutely the best and love you so much - please don’t do that to them. Get yourself a day-of coordinator. If you are cost-conscious, at the very least, get someone who can set it all up and smoothly get everyone through the ceremony, the cocktail hour, and into the reception without even blinking an eye. Once you are in the reception, feel free to enjoy the night. Trust me - this little bit of third-party help is going to make all the difference in the world. With Bells On Day-Of Coordinating has been given as a gift many many times over the years to couples who don’t realize they need a coordinator, and I have been so proud of my team in these situations. The overwhelming joy when the couple realizes how easy the whole day goes is just the most affirming reason for doing what we do.
At this point in your planning, if you don’t have a coordinator, please get one! If you are on Long Island or in the Hudson Valley, I would love to talk as you wrap up last-minute details. If not, I wish you all the best as you search for a coordinator in your area.