The Ultimate Wedding Planning Timeline and Checklist
For newly engaged couples, the time spent planning their wedding is equal parts exciting and overwhelming. There’s so much to look forward to, but there’s also so much to do! One of the most common complaints I hear from couples getting married is how disorganized they feel. Which is why many of them turn to a wedding planning timeline to keep all those little details on schedule. The best way to plan a wedding without going crazy is to create a wedding planning timeline and stick to it.
Getting Started with Your Checklist
To build your wedding checklist, we start by asking you a few questions related to your wedding. This is how we build your checklist: we take your wedding date and work about 12 months backwards from there. We also know that all weddings are different, so you can change the due date of any of your tasks if our timeline isn't perfect.
Then, we ask you if you'd like a lot of guidance or a little guidance. In other words, we have two versions of our checklist—one with every detail, and one with just the essentials—and you can decide which version to see. After that, we ask if most of your guests are traveling to your wedding to help us determine when you need to book hotel rooms and send out your save the dates.
Big Picture Items: Budget and Vision
Before you start planning the details, there are a few “big picture” items you’ll have to deal with first. For instance: setting a wedding budget. Gather all involved parties—including any parents who may be contributing—and decide together what your wedding budget is going to be. Get on the same page with your partner about the guest count, overall vibe, and location that you have in mind for your ceremony and reception. Ask each other whether you’d prefer a small wedding or a big event with all of your friends and family.
Wedding Planning Timeline Overview
This checklist will show you how to start planning a wedding step-by-step, including tips for booking vendors, a venue, and some additional details, so you can avoid wedding stress.
| Timeframe | Key Planning Tasks |
|---|---|
| 10 to 18 Months Out | Select a date and venue, hire a wedding planner, and book high-priority vendors. |
| 8 to 12 Months Before | Schedule engagement photos, launch a wedding website, draft a guest list, and register for gifts. |
| 6 to 8 Months Before | Send your Save the Dates and include your wedding website URL. |
| 4 to 5 Months Before | Order your wedding invitations. |
Selecting a Date and Venue
Once you’ve narrowed down your wedding budget and aesthetic, you’ll want to start looking at wedding venues. Booking a venue turns a lot of your ideas into hard and fast realities. Plus, once you’ve set the wedding date, you can check availability for your other vendors much more easily. When searching, be prepared with a list of questions to ask during your venue tour like is your preferred date available and how many guests can they accommodate? Your wedding venue is one of the first things to check off your wedding planning to-do list!
Hiring High-Priority Wedding Vendors
Depending on your wedding style, there are a lot of wedding vendors you will have to book before the big day: caterer, photographer, videographer, hair and makeup artist, florist, and entertainment. Our recommendation is to book them in order of importance. For instance, if you place a lot of value on having great wedding photos, you might want to book the photographer before you book your florist.
Engagement Photos and Wedding Website
One of the first things you’ll want to do after you get engaged is to start your wedding website. While most couples create their wedding website 8-12 months before their big day, it’s actually never too early to start yours. You’ll want to have plenty of time to either take engagement photos for it, or find old photos you love.
- Schedule and take engagement photos to be used on your invitations and website.
- TIP: Photos from a photographer can take months to be edited, so be sure to leave yourself enough time so you can use the photos on your wedding website and Save the Dates.
- Draft a guest list through your wedding website.
- Link your wedding registry to your wedding website.
Incorporating Traditions and Customization
Did you know that over 40% of couples married in the US in 2010 were interfaith? That's why we ask if you're incorporating any cultural or religious traditions into your ceremony. Sometimes it's these additions that make a wedding truly yours, but so often we forget to prepare for them. Feel free to add as many traditions as you want from our list of options. Once you see the checklist we've built for you, you can customize it even more by editing, removing or adding tasks. Don't forget to schedule deadlines and reminders.