Wedding Planning Timeline Outline
Wedding planning is different for everyone and everyone operates on their own timeline. Some people are more comfortable having two years or longer to plan while others only take a few months to plan! This list is a general outline of a suggested timeframe to get the larger tasks done. Of course, you may not want all of these vendors or perhaps you want additional vendors. If you are unsure of how to work those vendors into this overview feel free to reach out! I’m always happy to guide people through the planning process!
I always start with my Full and Partial Planning clients by creating a customized planning outline for them. It is important for me to make sure that the outline both manageable but also realistic. We typically start broad, and then fill in the finer details to make sure everything is done, done well, and done in a timely manor so everyone is happy and no one is overwhelmed!
18-12 months before the wedding
Have engagement party (typically hosted by family or close friends)
Decide on a budget and determine what aspects of the wedding you value the most
Pro-tip: everyone has different things they care about most for their wedding! Decide what you are most looking forward to and what you’d like to allocate a bigger portion of your budget to!
Decide whether or not you want to purchase event insurance for both the day of (some venues will require this anyway) and also in the event you need to cancel or reschedule for any reason (illness, weather, etc.)
Decide whether or not you want a wedding planner.
Pro-tip: If you decide against one initially, but ultimately decide to go with one later on, plenty of planners offer partial planning options! If you are planning a destination wedding outside of your home country, a planner is critical!
Decide on the time of year you’d like the wedding to take place
Narrow the date down to a few options
Pro-tip: unless you are 100% married to a date in your mind, find a few dates, or a range of dates, that you are open to! This will help if you decide on a high-demand venue with a tendency to book out far in advance!
Create a rough outline of the guest list to help guide your venue search
Pro-tip: Have at least a ballpark figure of how many guests you will host before you decide on a venue! Many venue’s can only accommodate a set number of guests, so it is important to find one that can hold all of your guests!
Book a venue (both ceremony & reception spaces if you choose to have the ceremony at a separate location)
Create day-of timeline draft
Pro-tip: you can (and will!) make changes to this timeline as you work your way through planning, but having a general idea of the timing of key events on your wedding day will help as you book vendors!
12-8 months before the wedding
Book caterer (if not included with the venue)
Book photographer
Pro-tip: it is best to do this before creating save the dates if you want to use pictures from the engagement pictures for your save the dates!
Have engagement shoot with photographer
Figure out what items are not provided by the venue or caterer and source them through a rental company
Create wedding website for guests to find relevant information, registry, and RSVP.
If the majority of your guests are traveling from out of town, create save the dates & send them!
Begin looking for attire (i.e. wedding dress & tux/suit)
Pro-tip: on average, wedding dresses are purchased 8 months prior to the wedding, but as long as it is purchased with enough time to have it altered (2-3 months prior) you will be okay.
Ask friends/family to be in your bridal party
8-6 months before the wedding
Book bartender if not included with the venue or caterer
Book a florist and discuss what arrangements will work best with your budget and desired aesthetic
Book videographer
Book DJ or band for the reception and ceremony.
Pro-tip: Remember, many ceremony locations will need an outside sound systems brought in. Make sure that if this is the case with your venue your DJ or musician can make this accommodation
If most of your guests are local send your save the dates
Create a room block for out of town guests
Reserve transportation from hotel to venue and from venue to hotel for bridal party and other guests
Find a seamstress to alter your dress (you won’t be able to alter this far out, but it is important to reserve your space, as many people will book up)
Book day-of-coordinator if you have chosen not to have a full planner or if your planner does not include day of services
Begin working on playlists & song choices for special moments/dances
6-4 months before the wedding
Begin planning your honeymoon
Pick out attire for bridesmaids & groomsmen
Find hair and makeup artist(s) and have a trial run
Pro-tip: trials aren’t meant to be perfect! They are learning experience for you and your makeup professional. Your professional is learning your skin tone, facial structure, and general preferences. You are learning how your preferred style translates to your face, how well your hair and makeup will hold up throughout the day, and, of course, figuring out if your hair and makeup team is able to hear your feedback and make adjustments accordingly. Now, if by the end of the trial the professional hasn’t earned your trust, of course, consider finding someone who can achieve your hair and makeup goals. It is much better to have this revelation during a trial than on your actual wedding day!
Hire an officiant
Order the wedding cake and/or other desserts
Begin planning gifts for bridal party
Make reservations at a hotel for bridal party, bride/groom, and family for the wedding night
Select & order wedding rings
4-2 months before the wedding
Pick out shoes to wear with your wedding dress
Take dress to seamstress
Begin writing wedding vows
Begin planning bachelor/bachelorette parties
Begin purchasing decor/personal touches OR decide on decor rental company
Schedule rehearsal time with venue and reserve a location for rehearsal dinner
Pro-tip: most venues will allow you to schedule this 45-90 days prior to your scheduled wedding day.
Apply for marriage license
Pro-tip: In California 9and many other states), you can apply for your marriage license up to 90 days in advance. Appointments can be difficult to come by! Be sure to schedule an appointment early!
Design, order, & send invitations
Pro-tip: If most of your guests are coming from out of town, send the invitations 3.5 months in advance. If most guests are local send invitations 2.5 months before the wedding. Either way, the RSVP date should be no less than 1.5 months prior to your wedding date.
Pro-tip: RSVP dates should be no less than 1.5 months prior to the wedding, but ideally no more than 2.5 months in advance. 1.5 months allows you time to follow up with guests who haven’t RSVPd prior to any final head count dates w/ the venue, caterer, etc. Any date much more than 2.5 months in advance allows guests a lot of opportunity for things to come up that will change their RSVP response and you’ll find yourself needing to reconfirm numbers with vendors and reworking seating charts!
2-1 month before the wedding
Bridal shower (typically family or bridal party will plan this)
Bachelor/Bachelorette parties (if most of your bridal party will be traveling for the wedding, consider having these earlier so that you aren’t asking your friends to travel too much too close together)
Make sure all bridal party have purchased or reserved their attire for the wedding
If any bridal party needs alterations, these should be dropped off
Plan party favors for guests and order the items you need
RSVPs due- check in with guests who have not responded to invitations yet
Have final venue walk through
Create floor plan(s)
Creating seating chart
Decide on ceremony details:
Processional song(s)
Who will walk in your ceremony
What order they are walking in
Who will stand for your ceremony & the order they are standing in
Who will sit after walking in processional & where they will sit
If you want any special ceremonies, readings, songs, etc.
Recessional song
Who will participate in the recessional
Where you will go after you recess
Where your bridal party and/or family will go after you recess
Who your witnesses will be
Who will carry rings and vows for ceremony
1 month before the wedding
Send all song requests to DJ
Check in with vendors to confirm services, obtain insurance policies (if required by venue), and track any outstanding balances remaining
Revise timeline & make sure it is up to date with your wants/needs & vendor contracted times
Send timeline to vendors
Collect vendor insurance information & share with venue
Have final dress fitting (this way there is still time if any other alterations need to be made)
Finalize and confirm all details of honeymoon
Decide what order you will have bridal party walk for the ceremony and grand entrance
Finalize floor plan with venue
Check in with caterer to confirm headcount and finalize the details of the menu
Pick up dress from alterations if it had to be left behind for further alterations
Make sure all bridal party has picked up dresses/suits from alterations
Pick out outfit for rehearsal dinner
3 weeks before the wedding
Map out all decor and organize it into clearly marked boxes to ensure everything is set up properly on the day of your wedding
Begin writing thank you notes for any gifts that have already been purchased from your registry
Finalize wedding vows
Finalize all song selections (i.e. first dance, parent dances, cake cutting, grand entrance, etc.)
2 weeks before the wedding
Have final meeting with DJ to go over details
Have final meeting with photo & video teams to go over details
Finalize seating chart and transfer it to display form
Pro-tip: this may seem a little last minute, but THINGS HAPPEN! Last minute guest cancellations and last minute guest confirmations come up so it is best to save this for as late as possible without letting it fall by the wayside!
1 week before the wedding
Get hair done (color and cut)
Create day-of checklist to make sure that no personal items or decor is left behind
Get nails done
If spray tanning, get spray tan (ideally 36-48 hrs prior to wedding)
Prepare all bridal party gifts
1 day before the wedding
Pack for wedding day/night
Pack for honeymoon
Have ceremony rehearsal
Have rehearsal dinner
Give bridal party gifts out at rehearsal dinner
Go home. Sleep well
The wedding day
Read through the timeline in the morning
Be sure to eat!
Get ready
Get MARRIED!
Have fun :)