Let’s start things off, congratulations! This is your moment, your chance to celebrate your love and your commitment to each other with all your loved ones. You know the steps, you may even know the final look, but getting from “Yes!” to “I Do” can be stressful and full of decisions you never even expected to think about, and that’s if you’ve got a wedding planner by your side.
If you’ve decided to forgo the planner, then we’ve got you. We’ve put together everything you need to book and plan, as well as a timeline of when it all needs to get sorted, in this expert wedding planner’s guide.
12+ Months Before
A good rule of thumb is that it takes approximately 8 to 10 months to book everything for your wedding. The time before that needs to be spent hammering out a few details. This planning period could take two months, four months, or even be completed over a year or more if you want to save up to have the wedding of your dreams. During this time, you’ll want to:
Work Out Your Wedding Budget
You need to be realistic about your wedding budget. If you can’t swing a grand wedding right off the bat, don’t sweat it! Plan your wedding another year in the future, or even two. This gives you plenty of time to find options, save up, and even pay vendors and costs in advance.
Tip: Determining your maximum guest number is crucial for planning your budget effectively.
Create/Decide on Your Wedding Design
Once you have your budget, it’s time to put together your wedding design ideas. If possible, obtain general quotes for the types of designs you are looking for, so that you can immediately start selecting the ones that best fit your budget. You’ll also be able to put together a shortlist!
Shortlist Your Wedding Professionals
Next up, you’ll want to shortlist your wedding vendors. You can and should do this by filtering options by:
- Location
- Budget
- Gallery of previous weddings
- Reviews
Having a shortlist will make planning infinitely easier once you’ve secured your wedding date and booked your venue, especially with the more popular vendors booking out many months and sometimes years in advance.
Here’s a short list of the vendors to shortlist:
- Photographer
- Videographer
- Musicians
- Caterer
- Florist
8 to 12 Months Before
By this point, you should have selected your general wedding day and created a shortlist of your major vendors. Before you get into anything else, you’ll need to secure:
Your Venue
Start by viewing and booking your venue as early as possible to ensure the best day for you and your loved ones. Try to book this as early as you can and pay the down deposit to ensure it’s yours ASAP.
Go to Tastings
Food will be one of the most critical elements of your big day. People remember good food, and, most importantly, good food sets the mood. It’s the icing on top of an already fantastic day, which is why it’s so important to not only find wedding catering options that offer 5-star service, but also to try the menu so that you know precisely what you’re getting. Doing this early means having enough time to try your shortlisted caterers while still being able to book them on your chosen day.
Tip: Try to book the tastings close to one another, and create a ranking system so you can easily compare them and book ASAP.
Meet and Hire
It’s time to meet the rest of your vendors. This meeting is your opportunity to determine which of your shortlisted vendors is the most pleasant to work with for you. You want to hire people you and your partner like talking to, so don’t skip this meet, and if you like them, book them! Good vendors book out fast.
Wedding Attire
Now is the perfect time to start searching for your wedding attire, especially if you’re going for a custom or tailored option that needs time. You’ll also want to shop around for and acquire your wedding rings around this time, especially if you’re planning on custom designs.
Send Out the Invitations
Once you have your date locked in, it’s time to send out the invitations. You can also add key information, such as accommodation options, if the venue isn’t within city limits.
6 Months Before
Around the sixth mark, you should have all your vendors booked, wedding attire purchased, and tastings completed. With those big-ticket items done, it’s now time to:
- Finalize your wedding guest list for the caterer/baker/venue
- Decide on groomsmen/bridesmaid attire
- Plan your bridal shower/bachelorette party/bachelor parties
- Shortlist wedding hair/makeup artists
- Meet the officiant
- Post the official invites
4 Months Before
Four months before your big day is when it’s time to start hammering out those finer details:
- Book the rehearsal dinner
- Order wedding favors
- Get every guest’s mailing addresses
- Send out wedding date confirmations
- Finalize the Wedding Day Timeline
- Book your makeup and hair trials
Now is also a good time to pre-plan your honeymoon (if you’re having one after your wedding). For example, double-check when your passports expire, or book in your dream resort.
2 Months Before
Around two months before, you should get in touch with all your vendors, pay any instalment fees, and ensure everyone on your big day has the necessary information. It’s also a good time to finalize any last dress fitting adjustments, take those dance lessons, or start putting together the wedding favors/any DIY elements you’ve planned.
1 Month Before
Now is the time to confirm:
- Your vows/readings with your officiant
- The shot list/timeline with your photographer/videographer
- Song list with your musicians
- Timeline for toasts
- Wedding night/honeymoon accommodations (if you haven’t already)
- Get your marriage license
1 – 2 Weeks Before
It’s time to pick everything up and finalize every last detail:
- Pick up your wedding attire
- Provide the caterer/venue with the final guest count
- Confirm seating arrangements
- Ensure any day-of planner has everything they need
- Give everyone in the wedding party the timeline
1 Day Before
All that’s left is the rehearsal dinner and relaxing! You’ve made it, and everyone is now on the right page, knowing exactly how to bring your dream day to life.
