Wedding planning typically begins at least 3–4 months before the big day. To avoid a last-minute rush, it's best to identify the main tasks, purchases, and services you'll need well in advance. With everything carefully planned, this important milestone in your life can become a source of wonderful memories.
Thoughtful planning allows the newlyweds to enjoy their celebration while ensuring guests have a great time. It also helps prevent confusion and unexpected problems in the days leading up to the ceremony.
To stay organized, avoid forgetting important details, and make sure you've purchased everything and booked the necessary services, we recommend creating a wedding checklist. It should cover everything you need for the wedding and identify which tasks must be completed before the big day. You'll also need to decide where to hold the celebration, what the bride and groom will wear, and whether guests should follow a particular dress code.
For convenience, consider making separate lists for guests, wedding vendors, and photo shoot locations to visit after the marriage ceremony. You can also create checklists for ceremony essentials, bridal jewelry, decorations for the reception venue and wedding cars, and music selections.
Wedding Essentials: A Checklist for the Bride and Groom
The bride and groom are at the center of the celebration, so their wedding-day looks deserve special attention. It's best to purchase clothing, shoes, jewelry, and other wedding accessories early enough to allow time for fittings and any necessary alterations.
What Does the Bride Need for Her Wedding?
The bride typically has a longer list of essentials than the groom. That's why it's helpful to prepare a separate checklist of everything she'll need for the ceremony and reception.
The bridal checklist includes:
- Wedding dress, bridal shoes, a comfortable change of shoes, and accessories such as a veil, stockings, gloves or a muff, garters, and veil combs.
- Beautiful, romantic, and sexy lingerie.
- Bridal jewelry, including earrings, a necklace, and hair accessories, along with hairstyling products (or an appointment with a professional hairstylist).
- A small handbag or clutch.
- Bridal makeup products (or the services of a professional makeup artist).
- Bridal bouquet.
Depending on the season, the bride may also need outerwear for a cold-weather wedding or a parasol for a summer ceremony.
Before the wedding, the bride may also want to schedule appointments with:
- An esthetician (ideally well in advance, especially if trying new skincare treatments).
- A hairstylist.
- A manicure and pedicure specialist.
- A spa.
- A dentist.
On the wedding day, we recommend keeping a small makeup bag handy with products for touch-ups, tissues, bobby pins, and other useful essentials.
Groom's Wedding Checklist
The groom should also have a checklist of important items, including:
- Formal attire (a suit or tuxedo).
- A dress shirt and tie or bow tie.
- Dress shoes and socks.
- Boutonniere.
- Pocket square.
- Money for the traditional bride ransom ceremony, if the couple plans to include this custom.
What Do You Need for the Marriage Ceremony?
If you're getting married at a Ukrainian civil registry office (DRATS), be sure to confirm the documentation requirements in advance.
For the ceremonial part of the wedding, you may also need:
- Passports or other documents required for marriage registration.
- Wedding rings and, optionally, a ring pillow.
- Wedding glasses (for the newlyweds, guests, and the traditional glass-breaking ritual).
- Champagne and chocolates.
- Wedding car decorations.
- Ribbons and boutonnieres for the witnesses.
- Decorative ribbons for champagne bottles.
- Rose petals.
Wedding Planning Checklist: The Main Steps
Creating a wedding planning checklist in advance can help you avoid unnecessary complications and expenses. Start by choosing your wedding date, setting a budget, and deciding on the type of celebration you want. You can then move on to booking the venue, selecting vendors, and planning the day's activities.
Your wedding planning checklist should cover:
- Choosing the wedding date and type of marriage ceremony.
- Deciding whether to have a church wedding and, if so, selecting the church.
- Exploring wedding ideas and choosing locations for an outdoor ceremony, photo shoot, and reception.
- Selecting the wedding theme and style.
- Determining the number of guests and preparing the guest list.
- Choosing your wedding witnesses.
- Booking wedding services, including photography, videography, an emcee, decorators, a DJ, or a live band.
- Planning the reception program.
- Selecting the wedding menu.
- Ordering the wedding cake.
- Preparing and rehearsing the couple's first dance.
- Arranging transportation, including limousines and other vehicles for guests and videographers.
- Planning the route for a post-ceremony outing.
- Choosing the dates and locations for the bachelorette and bachelor parties.
If you're organizing the wedding yourself, we recommend adding deadlines and assigning someone to oversee each task. This will make it easier to track your progress and confirm arrangements with vendors on time.
Wedding Professionals You May Need
Professional wedding vendors know how to organize a celebration that's entertaining, stylish, and memorable. You can hire a wedding planning agency for comprehensive assistance or work with individual specialists, such as:
- Wedding emcee or host. Even a small wedding can benefit from a host who entertains guests, leads games and activities, and keeps the celebration running according to the agreed schedule.
- Florist and decorator. These professionals are especially valuable for themed weddings, where every detail needs to be coordinated, from reception hall decorations to accessories for the couple and wedding cars.
- Photographer and videographer. Professional photography and videography help preserve the most meaningful moments of your wedding. With their services, you'll have beautiful photos, videos, a wedding album, or even a professionally filmed and edited love story video to look back on.
- Makeup artist and hairstylist. These specialists help create the bride's wedding-day look, including makeup and hairstyling.
- Entertainment professionals. DJs, magicians, dancers, and musicians can all contribute to the wedding program.
How to Choose Your Wedding Colors
When planning where to celebrate your wedding in Lviv, it's worth considering the color scheme for your decorations. Once you've chosen your palette, you can coordinate the reception hall decor with the couple's attire and, if applicable, the guest dress code.
Designers recommend choosing two colors: one primary shade and a second for eye-catching accents. Popular combinations include black and white, yellow and purple, fuchsia and olive green, white and blue, and white and pink.
Wedding professionals also suggest choosing colors based on the season:
- Summer: Bright, vibrant color combinations work particularly well.
- Fall: Orange, warm yellow, beige, gold, and red are popular choices.
- Winter: White, silver, and light blue can create a magical, winter-inspired atmosphere.
- Spring: Peach, pink, and green are especially suitable.
Let your guests know about your chosen color scheme and any dress code expectations in advance. The easiest way is to include these details in your wedding invitations, along with the date, time, and location of the celebration.
Where to Have a Wedding in Lviv
Choosing the right wedding reception venue is one of the most important planning decisions. Consider its location, capacity, layout, menu quality, service standards, and how well the interior matches your wedding style.
If you're looking for a memorable wedding venue in Lviv and want to reserve an elegant space for your celebration, explore the options available at the luxurious BANKHOTEL.
The hotel offers stylish reception venues for couples and their guests, including the 500 m² CONGRESS HALL, which accommodates 150 people, and SAFE RESTAURANT, suitable for weddings with up to 60 guests.
The exclusive BANKHOTEL WEDDING service includes:
- Beauty studio services.
- Access to popular photo shoot locations near the hotel.
- Complimentary wedding photography on BANKHOTEL property and a 50% discount on photo shoots in the hotel's LUXE accommodations (Premier and Presidential suites).
- Custom desserts and wedding cakes prepared by the hotel's artisan pastry studio.
- Special offers and discounted room rates for wedding guests staying at the hotel.
- A winter garden area for a cocktail reception or an on-site wedding ceremony.
- Transportation arrangements for the newlyweds on the day after the wedding.
The reception halls feature large round tables that can be arranged to suit your event. In addition to their stylish interiors, the spaces are equipped with a raised platform for the newlyweds, screens, and cameras for displaying live broadcasts or prerecorded videos, such as a love story film.
How Much Does a Wedding Cost in Lviv?
When setting your wedding budget, it's important to account for both essential and additional expenses. Start by estimating the cost of wedding attire, jewelry, decorations, transportation, reception hall rental, catering, and professional services.
The total wedding cost can only be determined once you've calculated all the necessary purchases and service fees.
If you're unsure how to organize your wedding and would like professional assistance with both the ceremony and reception, you can contact the BANKHOTEL event management team. They can help you select a venue based on your guest count and celebration style, as well as coordinate the menu, drinks, and desserts.
The hotel's specialists can also assist with venue decorations and entertainment planning. Wedding guests can enjoy professional waitstaff service, parking, and comfortable hotel accommodations for the newlyweds and anyone planning to stay overnight.
