11 Months To Go!

Yep. So I'm bustin' out some To-do lists. According to The Knot, this is what I should plan to accomplish in the next month:

		Make sure to appraise and insure your engagement ring.
		Hire a consultant (if you're having one) and sign a contract.
		Choose your bridesmaids/groomsmen and ask them to be in the wedding party.
		Contact newspapers to announce your engagement (you may need to have an engagement photo taken as well).
		Decide on a caterer. Hash out a rough price per head and begin working on a menu.
		Choose a color scheme, if you so desire, taking into account the decor of the rooms/areas you have reserved for your ceremony and reception.
		Start investigating any ethnic customs or cultural traditions you might want to incorporate into your ceremony or reception.
		Finalize the guest list. Knot hint: When you’re done, make your life easy by entering everything into the Guest List Manager.
		Sign your caterer contract and send in a deposit.
		Start auditioning reception bands or DJs.
		If you've chosen an outdoor ceremony or reception site, look into tent and lighting rentals.

After reading this whole list, I decided that it will never work for the kind of wedding we are going to have. This list is more catered to a traditional wedding. Ours is going to be a little more offbeat and do-it-yourself. The Knot's to-do list serves as a nice guideline, but I decided to come up with my own.

Here is what we accomplished so far:

12 MONTHS OUT

• decide and secure venue with deposit
• buy wedding dress
• start blog
• make wedding website
• get as many ideas as you can for decor
• think about colors
• what time will the ceremony will start and end
• casual, formal, in between, or anything goes?

Here is our to-do list for this month:

11 MONTHS OUT

• discuss who will be in the wedding party
• ask family friend to marry us
• write out guest list
• keep getting decor and DIY ideas
  

I made an entire list from 12 months down to the big day itself. I have yet to finalize it all, as I'm sure more BS will arise as time waxes on. I showed the master list to Mike and he really responded well to it. He definitely wants to be a part of the planning, but it's not always clear to him what tasks he needs to accomplish - but with this list hanging up near his desk, he'll constantly be on the right track.

How are you guys keeping all this stuff organized?