12 Month Wedding Checklist

12 Month Wedding Checklist

Lockdown has proven more than ever that planning ahead is a necessity! With that in mind, if you’re planning a wedding in short notice, here’s a 12-month checklist that will help reduce stress when planning and make sure your big day goes off without a hitch!

First Things First…

• Set Budget- The first thing you should consider is your budget. This will affect all your future wedding decisions, though as many weddings go over budget, it’s best to slight underestimate it at this stage.
• Draft your Guestlist – this will help you whittle down venues based on maximum capacities.
• Mood board- Creating mood boards are a great way to help visualise your wedding aesthetic, and make sure everyone is on the same page style-wise.
• Research and book your venue for ceremony and reception. – Many wedding venues in the UK hold a civil ceremonies license if you were opting for a non-religious celebration.
• Book your registrars / officiant.
• Hire a Wedding Planner- While it’s technically possible to plan the whole wedding on your own, the experience is far more stress-free if you have a wedding planner to help!
• Research suppliers.

9-8 Months Before…

• Book a photographer.
• Take engagement photos- If you haven’t already, doing an engagement photoshoot is a must to make every step memorable.
• Order your dress- The dress will be a memorable moment so it’s important to find your dream dress in advance!
• Set up registry, or wedding website.- Setting up the registry early gives your guests plenty of time to co-ordinate gifts and find exactly what you’re after.
• Cake/menu tasting- Have fun with this step.

7-6 Months Before…

• Start finalising your guest lists.
• Order invites- Getting custom invites is a great way to personalise your wedding without too much expense.
• Order bridesmaid dresses- By this point you should have your bridesmaids picked out as well as the dress you want theirs to compliment.
• Reserve rentals.
• Hire florist/caterer.
• Book day of transport.
• Plan your honeymoon- Knowing this has been taken care of in advance prevents any last-minute stress that could ruin the magic of it all.
• Send out save the dates.

5-4 Months Before…

• Order cake.
• Book rehearsal dinner.
• Hire makeup and hair.
• Choose music.
• Buy groom clothes- or rent if you’d prefer!

3 Months Before…

• Finalise menu and flowers- especially if your displays include rare or hard to source foliage.
• Buy rings.
• Order favours.
• Plan ceremony/vows- this can also be done a month before if preferred.

2 Months Before…

• Send out invites- If you’re staggering your invites, you may want to send out the first round at the 4/5-month point!
• Meet with photographer.
• Batchelor/Ette party! – You’ll get to enjoy the hard work your Groomsman/Maid of Honour put into the celebration.

1 Months Before…

At this point, it should just be ensuring all prior plans still work and working out any last-minute problems that may have come up.

• Book your notice of marriage (if you’re having a civil ceremony)!
• Finalise dress fittings.
• Send rehearsal invites.
• Create your final seating plan.
• Finalise guest list.

And with all that done, you should be able to enjoy your wedding knowing everything has been accounted for!