1. Actively Enjoy the Engagement

It can be so easy to get swept into the tornado of wedding planning the moment you say “Yes!” Everyone wants to know when you’re planning to get married, where it will be, and so on. Sometimes it’s necessary to make the active decision to enjoy your engaged life. Take time to soak it up. Focus on each other. Admire your new bling. Share some quality time with your new fiancé and stay focused on what matters here: you love each other and you get to spend the rest of your lives together!

2. Announce to Loved Ones First

The news of your engagement often spreads much faster than you may anticipate, so after you tell one person, you want to take initiative and tell the people closest to you whom you love most. This may include best friends, family members, and anyone else you love and respect dearly. Consider who you wouldn’t want to hear the news from someone else and make sure they get to hear it directly from you.

3. Get Your Engagement Party Planned

Sometimes couples get so excited about the wedding that they forget the engagement is worthy of celebrating as well. Find a time when you can throw an engagement party to properly celebrate you, your fiancé, and the love you both share. Invite your best friends and get ready to have a blast!

4. Schedule an Engagement Photoshoot

This is a season of your life you’ll want to remember and what better way to capture it than with a professional photo session? Browse some local photographers either by searching through their Instagram portfolios or by taking the suggestions of friends and family. When you find a style you like, reach out to learn more about their prices and packages. Some photographers include an engagement session with their wedding photography packages, so be sure to shop around until you find a style and package that suits you best.

5. Make Ring Adjustments

If your engagement ring isn’t the ideal fit, then now is a great time to take it to get resized. You can take it to a local trusted jeweler if the designer isn’t an option. If you haven’t yet, you can also take the time to get your ring insured so you can feel free to wear it without concern of losing or damaging it.

6. Choose Your Wedding Date!

This is when the wedding starts to get real. Talk with your fiancé and start narrowing down a season, month, and then a day when you plan to tie the knot. Be sure to consider any influential factors like jobs, school schedules, and any other restrictions from family members or friends whom you want to be there. Remember, however, this is ultimately your day. You get to choose when it happens.

7. Put Together Your Wedding Website

Wedding websites are a great way to tell people your story, share some engagement photos, and organize your wedding details in one place. It’s where you can post your gift registry, RSVP information, and more details about your wedding day plans. Make sure to choose a site that’s user-friendly so all your guests can easily access it and get answers to their questions without needing to text you the morning of the wedding.

8. Choose Your Wedding Party

If you’re undecided about who you want in your wedding or how many people you intend to have, then feel free to wait a bit before finalizing these details. However, keep in mind that picking your wedding party early can be a huge help. This means there are more people available at an earlier time to help with any tasks that come up and it also helps ensure that your best friends don’t end up making other plans on your determined date.

9. Get a Wedding Planner

It’s never too early to book a wedding planner. They can help take the stress off your engaged life, letting you sit back and enjoy far more of the season and planning process than if you’d approached the event alone. A wedding planner will help make sure you don’t leave out any necessary details and that things get done promptly. If you want to enjoy more of your engagement, then a planner is the right way to go.

10. Book the Most Important Vendors First

While priorities can vary from couple to couple, the venue is something you want to consider in advance since these often fill up quickly. Claim your date as soon as you can with your venue. Alternatively, if there are any vendors you know you want—a photographer whose style you love, a caterer with food you’ve been dreaming of—then you want to make sure you address them first to make sure they can work with your date. Get them booked as early as possible.

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Planning a wedding is a big job. There are seemingly endless tasks to accomplish. If you’re feeling overwhelmed and wondering how you can possibly plan your wedding in a year, you’ve come to the right place. If you have 12 months to plan your wedding, then this to-do list will help make sure you have everything in place for your big day.

12 Months Out

Things can feel too far away to be real at this point, but it’s important to start working on the big-picture things for your wedding. You’re getting the foundation in place at this point, and here are some things you want to make sure you do:

Choose the big day (or up to three possible dates so you can be flexible with vendors)
Talk about your budget (get clear on this or you’ll end up going over) and clarify who is contributing what amount)
Start contacting venues to find availability for your date
Browse ideas and start getting a feel for what you want your wedding day to look like
Browse dress and veil styles to get an idea of what you like
Start building a list of wedding professionals (wedding planner, photographer/videographer, caterer, florist, DJ, hair/makeup artist)
Start building your guest list
Set up your wedding website
Order your Save the Dates
Schedule an engagement photo session

10-11 Months Out

Now that it’s under a year until your wedding day, things are starting to feel more real. You’ve started planning, some things are falling into place, people are congratulating you—it’s time to start getting excited! Here are some tasks you want to ensure you get done in this timeframe:

Finalize and reserve the sites for your ceremony and reception
Book your vendors (wedding planner, photographer/videographer, caterer, florist, makeup/hair artist, DJ, baker)
Hire your officiant
Choose your bridal party and nail down their attire (make sure it goes with the color scheme and style of your wedding day)
Mail out all your Save the Dates
Go wedding dress shopping and purchase your dress!
Start whatever health/skincare/haircare routine you need to make sure you’re looking your best for your wedding

7-9 Months Out

Your wedding is coming up so quickly! There’s less than three-quarters of the year left to plan, but it also feels so far away. Don’t get discouraged with this part of the planning process. Take it day by day and make sure you get these things done:

Refine your guest list
Start brainstorming invitation designs
Find hotels near the wedding site for guests to stay (at least three)
Create your gift registry and be sure it’s on your website
Start thinking about the honeymoon (make sure you and your fiancé have passports if necessary)
Think about wedding rings

6 Months Out

You’re halfway there! You’ve gotten so much done, but there’s still so much left to do. Here are things you need to make sure you get done at this point:

Reserve necessary rentals for the wedding day (chairs, tables, linens, dishes, decor)
Schedule tastings with anyone making food or drinks for your wedding
Discuss the ceremony plan with your officiant
Order wedding invitations and thank you cards
Ensure transportation from the ceremony to the reception is secured
Purchase wedding rings
Explore hair and makeup styles

4-5 Months Out

You’re getting to the final details. Things are coming together and it’s beginning to feel real…but likely still far away. Don’t get too distracted. Here’s what you need to get done in this timeframe:

Finalize your wedding guest list
Schedule a dress fitting and have any alterations started
Finalize florals (bouquets, boutonnieres, decor)
Order your wedding cake
Prepare a song list for your DJ
Consider guest list for rehearsal dinner
Book the venue for the rehearsal dinner
Book your honeymoon flights and hotels
Book a room for your wedding night

2-3 Months Out

If it’s not feeling real yet, it should! You’re in the final stretch. This is crunch time and there are a lot of final details to work out. Here is everything you need to get done in this time:

Mail invitations and develop a tracking system for RSVPs
Apply for a marriage license
Purchase remainder of wedding day necessities (toasting flutes, ring bearer pillow, guest book, flower basket, serving utensils, decor)
Finalize reception menu
Plan ceremony/reception seating charts
Develop a wedding day timeline and make sure it gets to your vendors
Finalize music for the ceremony and reception
Write your vows
Design wedding day programs
Purchase gifts for the bridal party, family, vendors, etc.
Have a bridal shower

1 Month Out

Here are little things not to forget. The wedding day is almost here and things are feeling electrified. Don’t get bogged down in stress! Take it one day at a time.

Confirm dates and times with all your vendors
Pick up the marriage license
Final dress fitting
Give guest count to the caterer
Update gift registries
Confirm honeymoon reservations
Make arrangements for pet/plant/childcare over honeymoon
Delegate wedding day duties (tux rental return, gift collection, guestbook)
Pack for the honeymoon
Write thank you notes as you receive gifts

1 Week Out

You’re almost there. It’s so close! Here are some final details to consider:

Prepare all final payments for vendors
Make sure the photographer/videographer has your requests
Prepare wedding day emergency kit
Get nails done/go get a spa treatment

Get Married!

All your hard work, organization, and patience have paid off. It’s time to get married. Let the day happen, sit back, and enjoy the delicious food, wonderful music, and company of your loved ones. Don’t forget to celebrate what matters: you finally get to marry the love of your life!

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If you’re nervous to bring these questions up with your fiancé, it’s a good idea to start by sharing your own history, and see how that steers the conversation. If you’re going to spend the rest of your lives together, you need to be able to have the tough talks, especially when it comes to health and intimacy. To get you started, here are four sexual questions to ask your fiancé.

1. Have you always practiced safe sex?

This is a good question to open the dialogue when it comes to using condoms and other forms of protection and birth control to find out their level of comfort and consistency with practicing safe sex. It might also lead to finding out exactly how many sexual partners you’ve each had, which might be something you want to know as well. If your partner is evasive, ensure them that you don’t have judgement—you want to know so you can take care of yourself and know that they are STD-free.

If they are STD-free but haven’t always practiced safe sex, then you might need to navigate how you both can feel safe and comfortable when having intercourse and what you both expect. The same goes for if they have ever tested positive for a STD or sexually transmitted infection (STI). You will want to know when and what they had and how you both will navigate the trust in your sex life with that knowledge.

2. When was the last time you were tested for STDs?

If you’ve been sexually active, being tested is the only way to determine whether or not you have a STD. Condoms aren’t always fool-proof and some STIs can go undetected. You should feel free to ask not only the last time they were tested, but what the results were. It’s easy to get caught up in the moment, but this question is crucial for both your safety and peace of mind. Ideally, you will want to have been tested recently. If your fiancé hasn’t been tested for STDs and you would like them to, then you can volunteer to get tested together.

3. What types of sexual activities do you want to engage in?

Sexual health means safety on all levels including what types of sexual activities you both feel comfortable with engaging in together. Get curious about what types of sexual activities your partner is interested in (and vice versa), and then talk about whether or not they feel safe to one another. It might not feel sexy, but knowing what you each expect will help your sexual relations in the future.

4. What types of birth control are you comfortable with?

You’re getting married—but that doesn’t mean birth control is off the table depending on your future plans. Share what you’re comfortable with using and see if there is an option that will work for both of you. If you haven’t discussed family planning, now is the time to talk about when you both expect to try for children (if you do want to have kids!).

Trust is a huge factor when it comes to having sex with any partner, especially the one you’re marrying! Make sure you go into the situation informed, communicative, and with all the answers you need.

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What Is a Micro Wedding?

To start off, let’s make sure you’re clear on what a micro wedding is. This is a form of an intimate wedding. They typically consist of 30 people or less and commonly include less than 10. Yup, they’re that small! The nice thing about a micro wedding is that as the couple getting married, you can define what it means to you. It’s a flexible term, and you get to decide just how intimate you want it to be. That’s the beauty of this type of wedding. Many couples make their micro wedding extra special by having it in a unique location or venue, which often can only be done with a small group. It really makes for a cool experience!

So now that you know what this sort of wedding entails, you need to plan it for yourself. The steps below make it a cinch.

Step One: Choose the Location

The first step in the process is to choose the wedding location. Since these weddings are so small, many couples opt for a destination event. The world is your oyster when it comes to choosing where to have your micro wedding. You can also choose from many types of venues that you likely wouldn’t be able to use for a more traditional wedding. Decide on your dream location and venue first, and then you can move onto the next steps.

Step Two: Create a Guest List

Now, you need to create your guest list. As mentioned above, these events are typically 30 or fewer people. However, many of them are much smaller. Do what feels right for you!

Step Three: Select Your Vendors

You’ll still need vendors for your micro wedding, although you may not need all those that a more traditional wedding entails. You’ll definitely need some sort of officiant. You’ll likely want a photographer (and maybe even a videographer). You will also likely want a florist to create at least a bridal bouquet. Other vendors to consider are hair and makeup artists, catering, and perhaps some sort of musician for your ceremony or reception. This all really depends on what you want out of your wedding and what’s important to you. Since micro weddings are each so unique, skipping on any and all vendors is completely fine!

Step Four: Plan the Experience

Many couples make micro weddings into a full experience for their guests. Some choose to make it into a whole weekend! Spend some time planning out the event. It certainly doesn’t have to follow the traditional blueprint of a wedding. You can do anything from a fancy dinner to a beachside picnic for your micro wedding. Choose what feels right to you and the rest will fall into place!

Step Five: Send Invitations

Send your invitations to those you hope will attend. Make sure to give people ample time to plan if there is travel involved. You’ll want to request RSVPs for the event to ensure you have an accurate guest count, even as you would with a larger guest list.

Step Six: Enjoy Your Big Day

Finally, enjoy your big day when it arrives. Micro weddings are so special because they really allow you to spend the maximum amount of time with those you hold nearest and dearest to you on this momentous occasion. Take in every moment and enjoy the special experience you’ve carefully planned!

Micro weddings are a wonderful innovation in the world of these big events. Make yours your own and it’ll be a day you’ll never forget!

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Love Yourself Where You’re at Right Now

Too often when we are setting new goals for our wellness routine, we do so out of frustration and disappointment with ourselves. But it’s important to understand that wellness starts from the inside out. No matter how much you exercise, eat healthy, or meditate—if you don’t love yourself right now, that other stuff won’t work or last in the long-term. So, love yourself now! Write down five things each morning about what you’re most grateful for in your life and about yourself. Make a habit of giving yourself a compliment when you walk by a mirror. Smile at yourself. Loving yourself first will make all the other upgrades that much easier and enjoyable to do.

Make Hydration Delicious and Fun

Water is essential for good health. It keeps our skin glowing and our brain working, but drinking the necessary amount can get boring fast, so make it fun by adding some lemon and cucumbers to your water bottle each day. Create a chart so that you can cross off how many glasses of water you’re drinking. Add fun stickers to your water bottle to mark off how many ounces you drink per hour. Soon, drinking water will be your new favorite thing!

Add a New Healthy Food to Your Diet Per Week

Make eating healthy more enjoyable and dynamic by adding one new food to your menu per week. Experiment with new recipes to get your imagination going. You might even want to pick a new food based on the alphabet. For example, start the first week with avocados for the letter A, and add something starting with a B the following week. Eating healthy will become easier and more sustainable by mixing things up.

Find Movement That You Actually Like

We all know exercise is good for us, but why does it feel like such a grind to do? Probably because you’re forcing yourself to do something you hate. Exercise doesn’t need to be a chore! In fact, if you focus on finding movement that you genuinely enjoy, you’ll probably think of it less as dreaded exercise and more as a fun activity to do. Movement can be anything from dancing to walking to swimming. Pick something you like to do and incorporate it into your day for 20 minutes. You’ll notice a difference in no time!

Choose a Mantra to Calm Your Mind

Meditation is a great way to calm your nerves and bring peace to your mind. But what about during the day when you’re not meditating? This is where the beauty of a mantra comes in handy. Find a mantra that speaks to you, such as “I am calm” or “All is well”—so when you’re in the midst of a stressful situation you can repeat that mantra silently to yourself to find instant calm.

Make Getting a Good Night’s Sleep Something You Look Forward To

The power and importance of sleep can’t be overestimated. Ensure you’re getting quality ZZZs by switching off your phone at least an hour before bed and staying away from your computer and TV, as well. If you have trouble falling asleep, a diffuser with essential oils like lavender can help you relax. Invest in cozy pajamas and an eye mask, and make the room as dark as possible. Invest in a weighted blanket if you’re prone to anxiety. Making your sleep time an occasion will make it something you look forward to, and you’re more likely to commit to those seven or eight hours that are so necessary.

By adding a twist to the classic self-care tips, you can easily upgrade your wellness routine and feel your best in 2022 and beyond.

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1. Get Away from the Screen

A lot of wedding planning consists of sitting at your computer or swiping through your phone, searching for ideas, taking notes, answering emails, and looking through vendor websites. You may find yourself awake until 1 in the morning, scrolling through inspiration sites—or comparing yourself to other people or wedding budgets and ultimately feeling bad about your situation. Setting boundaries on your screen time can help you destress from wedding planning like you wouldn’t believe. Consider phone-free evenings or staying off social media on the weekends. See how you feel afterward and you may implement this habit into your married life, as well.

2. Take Care of Your Mind and Body

It may sound cliché, but a walk through the park can make an enormous difference in helping you destress from wedding planning. Hitting the gym, attending a yoga class, or even throwing the ball around for the dog are great ways to destress. Move your body and give your mind time to calm down. Exercise and movement are some of the best things for both your physical and mental health.

3. Go on Date Nights

You and your fiancé are likely so swamped with wedding planning that you may have forgotten about maintaining the romance of your relationship. Take a break and make sure you implement purposeful, quality date nights into your week. They don’t have to cost much; a night drive sharing your favorite music together or playing your favorite board game at home can be enough! It’s easy to forget about this investment when you get busy with other things, but it’s so important to have quality time together when you aren’t discussing seating arrangements, cake flavors, or dress colors.

4. Press into a Creative Outlet

When was the last time you invested in your favorite hobby or took time to create something? Maybe you used to write, draw, knit, or go on weekend trips and document them. Maybe you enjoy photography, thrifting stylish clothes, or graphic design. Press into your creativity to help you destress from wedding planning. You might be surprised at how much better you feel after scratching your creative itch.

5. Journal

Journaling is a simple way of pouring out your emotions and stresses. Writing down how you’re feeling, especially when the stress is creeping in, can help you feel refreshed and rejuvenated. You may even solve some problems as you write out your thoughts! Just take some time for yourself to relax, maybe drink a glass of wine, light a candle, and journal out what you honestly think and feel.

6. Allow Yourself to Feel Nervous

Sometimes the stress we feel is just nerves—it’s exciting to plan a wedding and get closer to marrying your best friend! Rather than trying to stifle your jitters, however, acknowledge them and try to pinpoint where they’re coming from. Are you stressed or excited? Are you feeling burnt out from planning or anxious about all the details? Allow yourself the time and space to fully feel your emotions and process them so you don’t end up frustrated at the entire process.

7. Delegate Tasks

You may be feeling stressed because you’re taking on too much of the wedding planning yourself. Make sure your fiancé is helping you in the planning. Have your maid of honor and best man be responsible for some tasks. Have any vendors you hire fully take care of their responsibilities and make sure you aren’t taking on more stress than is rightfully yours. It’s certainly a stressful time, but you will make it worse by trying to do everything yourself the entire time. It’s OK to ask for help. It’s OK to trust others with your vision for the day.

Wedding planning is a naturally stressful process, but you don’t need to invest in professional massages or a vacation to feel better. Consider things you like to do, even if it’s just lighting a candle and reading a book, and give yourself the space to do them. Keep the big picture in mind and never forget that all of this is to celebrate the fact that you’re marrying your best friend. Adventure is right around the corner!

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1. Green Tea

You love your cup of green tea on a rainy day; now get ready to see more green tea in your skincare! Known for its anti-oxidant properties, green tea in skincare is said to help in reducing pigmentation, protect against UV radiation, reduce inflammation, and even reduce sebum protection, which makes it a fab choice for those who are looking for both anti-aging and acne-prone products.

2. Sunflower Oil

Oils continue to trend and thanks to their moisturizing benefits, they probably won’t ever go out of style. Now sunflower is joining the ranks of rose hip and jojoba and will be popping up in your skincare due to it being non-comedogenic (it doesn’t clog pores), absorbing easily, soothing, and bringing an instant glow.

3. Peptides

Peptides are the new retinoids. They’re made up of small numbers of amino acids—the building blocks of larger protein molecules—and are helpful when it comes to stimulating collagen and elastin production to smooth out those fine lines. Peptides also help with reducing uneven skin tone, redness, and inflammation. As a result, your skin will have more elasticity, clarity, and suppleness.

4. Fermented Ingredients

You know fermented ingredients like yogurt, sauerkraut, and kombucha are good for your gut—but what does that look like for your skincare? Similarly, fermented ingredients in your skincare provide benefits to your skin by balancing the skin’s microbiome. Now, plant-based ingredients like rose, millet, fig, barley, and soy are being fermented to help with everything from inflammation to wound healing to strengthening your moisture barrier, similarly to how the probiotics work in the food in your fridge.

5. Niacinamide

Niacinamide had a moment in 2021 and will continue to dominate skincare ingredients in 2022—and for good reason. The water-soluble form of vitamin B3 with antioxidant effects can do everything from improving wrinkles and texture to aiding in skin elasticity, reducing hyper-pigmentation, treating acne, and brightening skin tone. And if that weren’t enough, it also helps with reducing pores and oil production.

6. Prickly Pear Seed Oil

Another oil is creating waves in skincare ingredients this year from the prickly pear plant, which is a species of cactus. The oil contains linoleic acid, which helps hydrate the skin, protect the skin barrier, and prevent water loss so your skin remains glowing and hydrated. Its antioxidant properties also protect against UV rays and other environmental toxins. Prickly pear seed oil is also known to reduce redness and inflammation, and helps to treat acne.

7. Sunscreen

Sunscreen will continue to find its way in all sorts of beauty products from serum to moisturizers as skincare experts and dermatologists continue to recognize it as a skincare requirement. Wear sunscreen daily to not only protect your skin from the sun, but help reduce the risk of skin cancer, reduce the signs of aging, and avoid redness.

8. Japanese Indigo

Also known as Dyer’s knotweed, this plant is popping up in skincare products thanks to its healing and anti-inflammatory properties, and is especially healing for skin conditions such as eczema and rosacea.

There is a ton of new skincare ingredients to look forward to trying this year as you can see from the list above. If you have any questions whether they are right for you, it’s always a good idea to consult with a dermatologist, or skincare expert.

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