Planning a wedding feels overwhelming when everything is on the list at once. It becomes manageable when you see it as a timeline: a few decisions at a time, in an order that makes sense. This checklist walks through the year before the wedding, and links to our detailed guides for the tasks that deserve more than a bullet point.
12 Months Before: Set the Foundations
- Agree on your budget and who is contributing, then split it into categories (see our wedding budget breakdown)
- Choose a rough date or season, and a short list of alternatives
- Decide on a guest count range, since it determines the venue and the cost
- Start visiting venues and ask for their availability and price per head
- Create one shared place for notes, quotes and decisions
9 to 10 Months Before: Book the Key Vendors
- Book the venue and, if it is separate, the place of the ceremony
- Hire the photographer and, if you want one, the videographer
- Book the caterer, or confirm the catering that comes with the venue
- Choose the band, the DJ or the other entertainment
- Pay deposits and keep every contract and receipt in one folder
6 to 8 Months Before: Design the Day
- Choose the bridal party and the main attire for both of you
- Decide on colours, flowers and the general style of the decoration
- Book the transport and the accommodation for guests who travel
- Plan the honeymoon and check passports and visas in time
- Start the first draft of the guest list (see our guest list guide)
3 to 5 Months Before: Invitations and Details
- Order and design the invitations, and decide how guests will reply
- Send save-the-dates early if many guests need to travel
- Meet the caterer for a tasting and choose the menu
- Order the cake, the rings and the smaller details
- Plan the ceremony: the vows, the readings and the music
- Consider a QR code on the card (see QR code wedding invitations)
1 to 2 Months Before: Finalise Everything
- Send the invitations, ideally 8 to 10 weeks before the day, and set the reply deadline (see when to send RSVPs)
- Follow up with guests who have not replied
- Give the final headcount to the caterer and the venue
- Build the seating plan once the replies are in (see our seating chart guide)
- Finish the menu cards and any printed material (see menu card ideas)
- Do the final fittings and confirm every vendor’s arrival time
The Final Week and the Wedding Day
- Confirm times and addresses with every vendor, and share a one-page schedule with the people helping you
- Pack the rings, the documents, the vendor payments and an emergency kit
- Hand the seating plan and place cards to the person who will set up the room
- Delegate: choose a trusted person to answer questions on the day, so you do not have to
- Eat, sleep and take a moment to enjoy the day, because it will pass quickly
How to Keep the Checklist Under Control
A checklist only helps if it is short enough to look at. Keep three lists: what you must do this month, what you are waiting on someone else for, and what you have finished. Review them together once a week, for ten minutes, and move anything that is stuck. Most delays come from an unanswered email, so write down who you are waiting on and when you will follow up.
Frequently Forgotten Tasks
- The legal paperwork and the appointments for the marriage licence or civil ceremony
- A rain plan for outdoor ceremonies and photographs
- Dietary needs, allergies and accessibility for guests
- Thank-you messages, which are easier to write while the day is fresh
- A plan for gifts, cards and who takes them home at the end of the night
Plan Together in One Place
The more places your plan lives, the more things get lost. EventsGuest keeps the guest list, the replies, the tables, the menu and the expenses in one dashboard that both of you can open from your phone, so the checklist above turns into a living plan instead of a document you forget to update. You can see every tool on the features page.