Wedding Planning Checklist: Every Step in Order
A complete wedding planning checklist, month by month: what to book first, when to send save the dates and invitations, and what to do after.
By the VowBirds team7 min read
Planning a wedding is a few hundred small decisions, and almost none of them are hard on their own. What makes it stressful is not knowing what comes next, or finding out too late that something needed booking months ago.
This wedding planning checklist puts every task in order, from the week you get engaged to the thank-you notes afterwards. It assumes about a year to plan. If you have less, start at the top anyway and work through each section quickly; our wedding planning timeline shows how to squeeze it into six or three months.
Right after you get engaged
Before you book anything, agree on the three things every other decision depends on: how much you’ll spend, roughly how many people you’ll invite, and the season or date range you want. Change any one of them later and half your plans change with it.
- Celebrate, and tell close family before it goes on social media
- Talk about what matters most to each of you: the food, the party, the photos, a small guest list, a big one
- Agree on a total budget, and who is contributing what
- Write a rough guest list to get a realistic head count
- Pick a season or a few possible dates
- Decide whether you want a planner or day-of coordinator
- Make one shared place for your budget, guest list and to-dos, so you’re both working from the same plan
10 to 12 months before
This is booking season. Venues and the most popular vendors book up first, and the venue fixes your date, so it comes before everything else.
- Tour venues and book your ceremony and reception venue
- Set the date
- Book your planner or coordinator, if you’re using one
- Book your photographer, and your videographer if you want one
- Book your caterer (if the venue doesn’t provide one)
- Choose your officiant
- Ask your wedding party
- Start your wedding website with the date, location and a note that more is coming
Set up the budget as soon as you sign the first contract. Deposits start piling up in this phase, and it’s much easier to track them from the first one than to rebuild the list later.
8 to 9 months before
- Shop for wedding attire; many gowns take months to order and alter
- Book your florist
- Book your band or DJ, and ceremony musicians if you want them
- Reserve hotel room blocks for out-of-town guests
- Finalize the guest list and collect mailing and email addresses
- Design and send save the dates (6 to 8 months ahead, or 8 to 12 for a destination wedding)
- Put the travel and hotel details on your wedding website
Save the dates are the first thing guests receive, so make sure your website is live before they go out; the address is usually printed or linked on them. If you’re not sure what belongs on it yet, see what to put on your wedding website.
6 to 7 months before
- Create your registry and add it to your website
- Book your cake or dessert baker
- Book rentals: tables, chairs, linens, lighting, a tent if you need one
- Book transportation for the wedding party or guest shuttles
- Choose your invitation design and start on the wording
- Plan the rehearsal dinner and any welcome or farewell events
- Book your hair and makeup artist
4 to 5 months before
- Do a menu tasting and choose your menu
- Finish the invitation wording and get a proof approved by both families
- Order printed invitations, or get ready to send them digitally
- Buy your wedding rings
- Plan the ceremony: readings, music, order of events
- Schedule the hair and makeup trial
- Buy or rent attire for the rest of the wedding party
If you’re sending invitations by email, you can design them now and send them later in a couple of clicks. Here’s how digital wedding invitations work on VowBirds, or open Invite Studio to try a design.
2 to 3 months before
- Send invitations 6 to 8 weeks before the wedding (around 3 months for a destination wedding)
- Set an RSVP deadline 3 to 4 weeks before the day
- Look up your marriage license rules: where to apply, what to bring, any waiting period, and how long it’s valid
- Schedule dress fittings
- Write your vows, if you’re writing your own
- Buy gifts for your wedding party and parents
- Choose the songs for your first dance, processional and recessional
Kindly reply by the fifteenth of May at emmaandjames.com
The last month
Most of the last month runs on one number: the final head count. Chase late replies a few days after your RSVP deadline, then give your caterer and venue the total by the date in their contracts.
- Follow up with guests who haven’t replied
- Give the final head count and meal choices to your caterer
- Make the seating chart
- Apply for your marriage license within its valid window
- Confirm arrival times and details with every vendor
- Write a day-of timeline and share it with vendors and the wedding party
- Make the final vendor payments, and put tips in labeled envelopes
- Have the final dress fitting
- Order or print place cards, menus, signs and programs
A guest list that tracks replies as they arrive makes this part much easier. In VowBirds, every RSVP lands in your guest list with meal choices attached, and you can send a reminder to just the households that haven’t answered.
The week of the wedding
- Confirm final details and timing with every vendor one last time
- Hand off decor, signs, favors and the guest book to whoever is setting up
- Pack for the wedding night and the honeymoon
- Pick up attire
- Rehearse the ceremony and enjoy the rehearsal dinner
- Give the rings, the marriage license and vendor envelopes to someone you trust
On the day
- Eat breakfast, and keep water nearby all day
- Leave all problem-solving to your coordinator or a trusted friend
- Sign the marriage license after the ceremony
- Take a few minutes alone together during the reception
After the wedding
- Return rentals and anything borrowed
- Make sure the signed marriage license is filed, and order certified copies
- Write thank-you notes; within about three months is the usual etiquette
- Change your name on documents and accounts, if either of you is
- Leave reviews for vendors you loved
- Have your dress cleaned and preserved, if you want to keep it
Keep the checklist and the plan in one place
A printed checklist works until the plans change, and they always change. Keeping your to-dos, budget, guest list and invitations together means a new date or a bigger guest list updates everything at once, and you and your partner always see the same plan. That’s what VowBirds is built for, and planning is free.
Frequently asked questions
What is the first thing to do when planning a wedding?
Agree on a budget, a rough guest count and a season or date range. Venues, vendors and costs all depend on those three, so settle them before you book anything.
How far in advance should you book a wedding venue?
Ten to twelve months is typical, and popular venues on summer Saturdays can book up more than a year ahead. Off-season dates and weekdays are often available with much less notice.
When should wedding invitations be sent?
Six to eight weeks before the wedding, with RSVPs due three to four weeks before the day. For a destination wedding, send them about three months ahead.
When should save the dates go out?
Six to eight months before the wedding, or eight to twelve months for a destination wedding. Have your wedding website live first so you can include its address.
How long do you have to send wedding thank-you notes?
Within about three months of the wedding is the usual etiquette. For gifts that arrive before the wedding, send a note within a couple of weeks.
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