Wedding planning timeline
Enter your wedding date to see 47 planning tasks, each dated from the day itself: from booking the ceremony venue a year ahead to packing for the honeymoon in the final week.
A year to ten months before
- Book the ceremony venueVenue12 months before
- Book the reception venueVenue11 months before
- Choose the catererCatering10 months before
- Book the photographerPhotography10 months before
Nine to eight months before
- Book the videographerPhotography9 months before
- Choose the wedding attireAttire9 months before
- Book the ceremony musicMusic8 months before
- Book the reception band or DJMusic8 months before
- Design the save-the-datesStationery8 months before
Six to five months before
- Send the save-the-datesStationery6 months before
- Book the civil ceremony appointmentLegal6 months before
- Book the floristFlorals6 months before
- Design the invitationsStationery5 months before
Four to three months before
- Send the invitationsStationery4 months before
- Publish the wedding cardStationery4 months before
- Book the honeymoon travelHoneymoon4 months before
- Book the honeymoon lodgingHoneymoon4 months before
- Confirm the menuCatering3 months before
- Gather the legal documentsLegal3 months before
- Attend the first fittingAttire3 months before
- Book the hair and makeup trialBeauty3 months before
- Book the couple's transportTransport3 months before
- Register the gift listDay-of logistics3 months before
Two months to six weeks before
- Confirm the venue walkthroughVenue2 months before
- Choose the first-dance songMusic2 months before
- Confirm the floral paletteFlorals2 months before
- Arrange the guest shuttleTransport2 months before
- Arrange the travel documentsHoneymoon2 months before
- Build the programmeDay-of logistics2 months before
- Agree on the shot listPhotography6 weeks before
- Write the guest FAQsDay-of logistics6 weeks before
The last month
- Brief the photographer on the shot listPhotography1 month before
- Share the must-play listMusic1 month before
- Confirm the witness detailsLegal1 month before
- Publish the seating planDay-of logistics1 month before
- Confirm the venue's final paymentVenue3 weeks before
- Confirm the dietary summaryCatering3 weeks before
- Attend the final fittingAttire3 weeks before
The last two weeks
- Confirm the final headcount with the catererCatering2 weeks before
- Confirm the photographer's timelinePhotography2 weeks before
- Confirm the day-of beauty scheduleBeauty2 weeks before
- Confirm the transport timelineTransport2 weeks before
- Prepare the day-of run sheetDay-of logistics2 weeks before
- Arrange the attire pickupAttire1 week before
- Confirm the floral delivery windowFlorals1 week before
- Pack the honeymoon bagHoneymoon1 week before
- Prepare the beauty kitBeauty3 days before
These are sensible defaults, not rules. Your venue and suppliers set their own deadlines, so check your contracts and move anything that has to come earlier. For a wedding abroad, see what to send guests travelling from abroad, and when.
Questions couples ask
- When should we send save-the-dates?
- About 6 months before the wedding in this timeline, with the design ready two months earlier. For a destination wedding, send them 9 to 12 months before, because guests need time to arrange travel.
- When should wedding invitations go out?
- About 4 months before, the same week your wedding website goes live, so the invitation can point guests to it. The design is due a month earlier.
- When do we give the caterer final numbers?
- 2 weeks before the day in this timeline, a week after the summary of your guests' dietary needs.
- What should we book first?
- The ceremony venue, about a year ahead, then the reception venue. The caterer and the photographer follow at about ten months, and the music at about eight.
- Can we plan in less than a year?
- Yes. Enter your date, and every task whose date has already passed is marked as soon as you can. Start with those, in the order shown.