Congratulations!
You’re engaged and are excited to start planning the best day of your life.
Whether you book all your wedding suppliers at once, or wander round in a daze wondering where to begin, hopefully this wedding planning to do list will help a little.
There’s no set order in which you HAVE to plan your wedding, but we find that having a rough guide helps.
This list has been compiled from the I Do team’s personal experiences, along with a rough guideline of when you might want to tick off each item.
So here’s your I Do Wedding Planning Checklist:
Around 12 months before
- Decide roughly how much you’re going to spend (and stick to it)
- Decide on and book your venue with your chosen date
- Choose whether you’re having a church or a civil ceremony (& book the registrar)
- Book your photographer & videographer
9 Months Before
- Write your guest list
- Choose your bridesmaid, flower girls, maid of honour, groomsmen
- Send Save the Dates – not everyone does these but its good practice to make sure your guests keep your wedding date free
- Start searching for your wedding dress and looking at preferred styles
- Book your wedding florist and Cake maker if you’re having these
- Decide on & Book your Food & Catering
6 Months Before
- Order your wedding dress-this makes room for any alterations to be made, your wedding shoes can also help with alterations
- Book your wedding entertainment-magician, photobooth, DJ
- Book your wedding transport
- Order your wedding rings-these could take 6 months if you’re having them custom made
- Start searching for bridesmaid dress ideas
- Buy all your wedding accessories – tiara, belt, jewellery, bag
- Decide on/Book your hair & makeup – make sure you have trials for both beforehand to ensure you’re happy with your bridal look
- Send out your invites- If you’re super organised, you’ll want to send these around 4-6 months before the big day
- Plan and book your honeymoon (one of the best bits)
3 months Before
- Order the groomswear & bridesmaid dresses
- Make sure you give notice of your wedding (this is a legal requirement)
- Start your wedding favours-if doing these yourself, order all the bits you need in plenty of time and make extra just in case
- Purchase gifts for your bridal party
- Finalise the catering and guest numbers
- Start to bed in your wedding shoes
- Have your Hair & Makeup trials
- Write your speeches
Time to Get married!
You don’t have to do every single one of these if you don’t like. Some couples don’t have a proper wedding cake, for instance, and instead have cheese wheels. in which case, you can order these a little later on.
Some venues will be in more demand than others, and may even require you to book 2 years in advance!
However you choose to plan your wedding, hopefully this checklist will help guide you along the way
Congratulations and happy planning!