The Complete Wedding Planning Checklist & Timeline

Every wedding is different, but the order of operations is surprisingly universal: the venue defines the date, the date defines the invitations, the replies define the seating. Here is the timeline we bake into our free planner — when you create a wedding event, this checklist appears pre-filled with due dates counted back from your day.

10–12 months out: the foundations

Set the budget, draft the guest list, book the venue. These three lock each other in: the venue you can afford depends on the headcount, and almost every other decision waits for the date. If you only do three things early, do these.

6–9 months: the big vendors

Photographer, catering (with a tasting!), music, attire. Good vendors book out first — and their deposits are your first real spending. Track quotes and booking statuses in the budget & vendor tracker so "who did we pay and how much is left" is never a mystery.

2–3 months: invitations out

Order and send invitations with a clear reply-by date. An online RSVP page saves you weeks of chasing: each guest gets a personal link, replies update your list instantly, and automatic reminders nudge the silent ones.

2–3 weeks: seating and paper

When most replies are in, build the seating chart and print place cards straight from it. Confirm the final headcount with the caterer about a week out.

The trick that makes it stick: a calendar, not a list

A checklist you never open is just guilt in table form. In our planner every to-do, payment deadline and programme item lands on one calendar — you tick things off right from the month view, and nothing sneaks up on you.