You’ve just booked your wedding and you don’t know where to start preparing for it? Here’s a timeline that will help you see things a little more clearly! The famous D-Day is known to go by at breakneck speed, so the preparations are an opportunity to savour this experience for several months, so take advantage of it!

Don’t forget that we are here to advise you, answer your questions and help you with the organisation,

don’t hesitate to contact us! :

ONE YEAR BEFORE

1) Create a folder or binder for your wedding

You are going to have several different providers and therefore several papers or documents to keep for D-Day, having a place to keep everything will make your life easier.

2) Get inspired

Pinterest ! A gold mine when it comes to inspiration for your decoration, your dress, your couple photos, etc. You’ll find it all, and more. Here again, create folders on your account, you can find your inspirations to show them to your providers during your preparation appointments. For those who would prefer to leaf through magazines, take advantage of collecting your “inspiration manuals” in a wedding salon, for example.

3) Draw up a list of guests and collect their addresses

A reference list will be useful in every step of the organization, so take advantage of creating it from the very beginning.

4) Choose your date!

You’re bound to fall in love with Portes des Iris 🙂 ! A signature, a deposit and it’s done, your date is reserved. (Try your luck at the last minute, we may still have 1-2 dates during the summer. We have a special Winter Wedding offer, contact us to know our availabilities)

Photo : TLook

5) Contact some of our caterers for an offer

Let them know your tastes, your expectations and your desires (your budget too, of course!), they will be able to offer you a tailor-made service that will delight you from the aperitif to the evening snack. You can first discover them through our articles

6) Hire a wedding planner?

We will be there to help you during your preparations and on your wedding day. But if you feel the need for extra help, we know some very talented Wedding Planners! And the little extra, they know Portes des Iris and how it works very well. They will be able to guide you through familiar territory and turn your wedding planning into a peaceful experience. Ask us for their contact details!

7) Select your providers

Photographer, videographer, florist, music band, DJ, etc. In 20 years, we’ve met great providers, of all styles, all ages, all backgrounds, with specializations you would never have thought of. Ask us for our lists of providers! Moreover, for winter weddings, some of them offer you a special offer in collaboration with Portes des Iris; take advantage of their discounts and small attentions.

8) Who will celebrate the ceremony?

For a civil ceremony, we encourage you to quickly contact the Registry Office in order to provide them with all the necessary documents. We will provide you with the contact information you will need as well as a list of documents to provide them with. The Registry Office will then choose, according to their availability, the person who will perform your ceremony in one of our rooms (Athena ou Apollo).

Photo : Gabriela Oswald Photography

Photo : Christelle Naville Photography

For a secular ceremony, you can quite imagine using a family member or friends. In case you prefer to hire a professional, you can discover our celebrants’ suggestions in our article! Secular ceremonies can be celebrated outdoors, on the Terrasse des Iris or on the Terrasse de Collonges. Enjoy the sunshine and the singing of the birds during your exchange of greetings? Why not! Of course, we always offer you an alternative in one of our ceremony rooms in case of bad weather, and we will decide together, at the latest on the morning of the day, whether or not to hold your ceremony outdoors.

Photo : Tlook

For a religious ceremony at Portes des Iris, you can contact your Parish in order to find the religious person who will come for the blessing of your marriage. Here are the contact links according to your religion:catholic, protestant, evangelic, jewish, muslim, (other confessions are of course very welcome!). Your religious ceremony can also take place on one of our terraces!

Photo : TLook

For a religious ceremony at the Church, we propose you the Temple of Vullierens.

At 10 minutes walk from Portes des Iris, you could reach the Terrace by crossing the village and then the gardens of the Domaine. A beautiful walk that will delight your guests and allow them to discover a little more of the 30 hectares of the Château’s gardens. The Temple is multi-denominational, whatever your beliefs, you will be able to unite there. You can also discover the most beautiful churches in the region in our article!

Photo : Christelle Naville

Photo : Christelle Naville

EIGHT MONTHS BEFORE

9) Send the save-the-date to your guests

Take the opportunity to ask them if they have any special diets or allergies. This is important information to communicate to the caterer, so that he can propose adapted menus.

10) Book your caterer

And make a first appointment to elaborate and taste your menu.

11) Choose your outfits!

For the wedding dress, we advise you to allow enough time for at least 3 fittings. It will fit you like a glove 🙂 Same for the suit, allow enough time for possible adjustments. Take advantage of making your choice surrounded by your loved ones, these are often moving moments, you might even experience a few laughs during the first fittings 😉

Photo : Christelle Naville Photography

12) Make your first preparation appointment with your coordinator.

You will be able to re-visit Portes des Iris and get to know the person who will be present on your wedding day. You will be able to ask her your first organizational questions, in order to start defining your day a little more. Following this meeting, we will send you a first plan of the event (nicely named “Event Order”) as well as a first floor plan. We will also provide you with contacts for possible missing service providers. And why not the list of hotels in the area to reserve rooms or transport companies for your trips?

13) Start planning your honeymoon

If you are going abroad, check the validity of your passports and make an appointment with your doctor for any necessary vaccinations.

SIX MONTHS BEFORE

14) Choose and buy the invitations

You can hire a calligrapher if you wish! Incredible artists can take care of all your stationery, from invitations to menu cards, to seating plans and guest seating cards (place cards). You can discover lots of ideas and our best contacts in our article !

15) Buy the bridesmaids’ dresses (and the groomsmen’s suits!)

Again, if you go to the store, it’s a great time if you can get everyone together! Take the opportunity to make an outing with those close to you, you will create beautiful memories! Allow at least six months to be able to order and have the clothes retouched.

Photo : Duo Films

Photo : Duo Films

16) Plan your animations and choose a Master of Ceremony

In order to have someone who will take the course of the day for you! This will allow you to fully enjoy your reception. This person will be able to organize the speeches and the animations, and coordinate them on D-Day (perhaps with a few surprises?). Some DJ’s are happy to take on this role, but you can also give this mission to one or more of your relatives (especially if you have large, multilingual or multicultural families). Need some ideas for your evening’s entertainment? We give you some examples !

Photo : Christelle Naville Photography

17) Make an appointment with your celebrant

And define what you want for your ceremony. Even civil ceremonies can really be defined in your image; the fact of signing your union in a place other than a town hall / city hall allows you more flexibility. Dare, invent and create! Your officiant will advise you and help you collect all the necessary documents.

FOUR MONTHS BEFORE

18) Buy your shoes

Don’t forget to take them with you for the next fitting appointment so you can adjust the length of your dress. If you decide to wear heels, you should also bring some nice flat shoes! (although Portes des Iris has underfloor heating so you can walk around barefoot, even in the middle of winter). Just to go and take pictures in the gardens, you’ll make your life easier!

Photo : Christelle Naville Photography

19) Schedule hair and makeup appointments

If you are making trials, take pictures so you can compare and improve what you want.

Photo : William Gammuto

20) Start planning the day’s program

Draw up the program and plan each step (guard of honour after the ceremony, couple’s photos, cutting the cake, etc.). The designated Master of Ceremony will also have to make his own programme of entertainment (with your help or not) in order to coordinate the rhythm of the service with the caterer. Here are some tips for the timing of your day !

21) Make an appointment with your florist

You can even come back to Portes des Iris to talk about decoration on the spot. This will give you an idea of the spaces and allow you to plan the final result as precisely as possible. An opportunity to make a small point with your coordinator! Our set up in the Eloïse room is at your disposal for some table art tests…

Photo : Regis Colombo

22) Buy the wedding rings

In order to have time to have them engraved, if you wish.

Photo : Christelle Naville Photography

TWO MONTHS BEFORE

23) Send the invitations

Send them 6 to 8 weeks before the ceremony and ask for confirmation within three weeks.

24) Buy your underwear

And plan your second fitting.

25) Meet your photographer

If he/she doesn’t know Portes des Iris and the Domaine, invite him/her to come to your last preparation meeting, so that he/she can stroll around the gardens. We would also be happy to welcome him/her at another date to show him/her around. If he/she knows about Domaine, discuss specific shots and the places you like best. In case you want to do group photos, bring up the subject, photographers often have great ideas to make it more fun for everyone.

Gabriela Oswald Photography

26) Review the music selection (and animations?) with your band and/or DJ

Bring your list of favorite songs, but also the list of those you don’t like! Review the timing of the evening. Usually it is the band or the DJ who is in charge of the sound system in the reception hall and who brings one or more microphones for possible speeches. So go through the planning and the different animations, maybe you need music during them?

27) Enjoy your bachelor and bachelorette parties!

Photo : TLook

ONE MONTH BEFORE

27) Finalize the ceremony and reception sequence

28) Make a note of the confirmations in your guest list

Call people who haven’t answered yet and consider asking about food allergies again.

29) Determine your seating plan

We can recommend several websites or applications that will make your job easier!

Photo: Diana Baccini

30) Last preparation appointment

Take the opportunity to invite service providers who are not yet familiar with the Domain (DJ, musicians, photographer, videographer, etc.). You can also invite your Master of Ceremony and relatives who will play an important role on D-Day. It is good that everyone is comfortable with the venue and this will allow them to meet your coordinator, so they will know who to talk to on the wedding day (and to coordinate with her any surprises they wish to set up 🙂 ). Give your coordinator the list of suppliers ( including their contact details and those of your relatives involved in the organisation), your timings for the day and your seating plan; she will then update all the necessary documents.

31) Make an appointment for the final fitting of your dress

Photo : TLook

32) Write your vows 🙂

THE WEEK BEFORE!

33) Confirm the final number of guests

We need at the latest 3 days before (72 business hours) the final number of guests and the final placement of the tables.

34) Go get your dress

34) Check the last details with your photographer

Perhaps provide him/her with a list of the moments you would like him/her to photograph.

35) If you’re going on your honeymoon right after the wedding, pack your bags!

Photo : Christelle Naville Photography

36) Take care of yourself!

Get some rest! All the preparations are behind you, your wedding day is in the hands of your service providers and we will be there to make sure everything goes smoothly. Take time for a manicure, a pedicure and why not a massage!

THE DAY BEFORE

37) Deliveries to Portes des Iris

Deliver your belongings and your decoration, or ask relatives to do so. (We will confirm if delivery is possible about 10 days before your wedding). If you come personally, you can take the opportunity to make one last point with your coordinator and already see the planned layout of your reception hall.

Now all you have to do is enjoy every moment and savour your day together at Portes des Iris!

Photo : Christelle Naville Photography

Léa Margot, January 2020