In this sixth of a series of articles about planning your wedding we're going to pick up with what to do starting 1 month before the big day.

We are getting to the home stretch here. Just 30 days until your wedding. These are the things that should be taken care of at this time.

The first thing is to choose wedding rings. This is something you and the groom need to do together unless he decides to go with a one ring ceremony. Discuss this with him first. If you feel strongly about him wearing a ring you should let him know about your feelings.

Now is the time to mail invitations. One month prior should be plenty of time for your guests to respond as to whether or not they will be able to come.

You're also going to have to make room reservations for any out of town guests that you're planning to have. You don't want these people fending for themselves or sleeping on the streets. Make sure the accommodation is clean and comfortable.

Check the wedding party clothes. Make sure that everything is just right. This will still give the fitters time to make any last minute corrections if needed.

Get together with the band and make sure you have all the musical selections worked out including your first dance and any other special music that you want. You don't want to micromanage this, as most wedding bands will play appropriate selections. Just make them aware of any special songs that you definitely want played.

Make the reservations for the brides maids luncheon. Don't skimp on this. They deserve to be fed well.

Make sure all the last arrangements for the rehearsal dinner are in order. Discuss this with the guests and the caterer handling the dinner. You want everybody on the same page here.

There is going to be a wedding shower that your maid of honor is going to throw for you around this time. Make sure you make yourself available during this month. Most likely they will try to make this a surprise. Most likely if your maid of honor or one of your friends starts acting strange on a given day you won't be surprised. Fake it. They'll love you for it.

Make sure that you apply for your marriage license. Each state is different so you are going to want to get all the information that you can before you do this. The last thing you want is to make it to that day, not have a license and not be able to go through with the ceremony. Laws are very strict about these things. No license, no marriage. Of course you're also going to need a blood test before you can get married. Make sure that this is taken care of as well. You probably want to schedule a trip to the doctor for you and the groom on the same day.

In the next article in this series we'll be going over what needs to be done 2 weeks before the big day.

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Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Weddings
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