Wedding planning checklist: a month by month timeline you can print

A wedding planning checklist is simply everything you need to do, worked backwards from the big day. It saves you from the two classic traps: finding out too late that your dream venue is already booked, and spending the final week in a panic. Here is our wedding planning timeline, month by month, built for roughly 12 months of planning. Got less time? Start at the line that matches your date and catch up on the earlier steps in order. This page is designed to be printed: just use your browser's "Print" option.

Before you start your wedding planning checklist: three decisions

Every other choice flows from these three. Make them together, before you visit anything:

• The overall budget, and who is contributing.
• A rough guest count: it decides the size of the venue and the catering bill.
• The season: a time of year, or two or three possible dates. Summer Saturdays are usually the first to go.

Everything else (style, colours, flowers) will follow.

12 months out: the foundations

• Set the budget and a rough guest count
• Pick a season and two or three possible dates
• Visit and book the venue
• Check the legal requirements where you're marrying (see the 3 months section)
• For a religious ceremony, contact your place of worship
• Book the caterer (often set or recommended by the venue)
• Book your photographer, and a videographer if you'd like one
• Choose your wedding party
• Start the guest list, one side at a time

The most sought-after suppliers (venue, photographer, caterer) are the ones to lock in first. The rest can wait.

9 months out: suppliers and mood

• Book the DJ or band
• Send save the dates
• Choose the dress and suits (alterations take time)
• Book a celebrant if you're having one
• Settle on a style and decoration
• Look into accommodation for guests travelling from afar
• Plan the honeymoon, and check passports are valid

6 months out: guests and entertainment

• Finalise the guest list
• Send invitations with an RSVP date
• Set up the gift list or honeymoon fund
• Book the florist
• Order the cake or plan the dessert table
• Think about entertainment: key moments, games, speeches, first dance
• Decide how you'll collect your guests' photos
• Book transport for the two of you, and a shuttle for guests if needed
• Let the wedding party organise the hen and stag dos

Entertainment is often left too late, even though it sets the mood of the whole day. Six months out is the right time to ask how guests will spend the drinks reception and the gaps between courses, and how to get them talking to each other. Our guide to wedding entertainment that gets guests involved and our ideas to get wedding guests to mingle can help. Weighing up a photo booth? See our guide to wedding photo booth alternatives.

3 months out: the legal paperwork

• Give notice or file your paperwork with the authorities (see below)
• Gather your witnesses' details
• Choose your wedding rings
• Hair and make-up trial
• Draft the order of the day with the venue, caterer and DJ
• Prepare the order of service and the menu
• Set up your photo challenge programme (if you choose that kind of entertainment)

Legal requirements depend on where you marry

The rules are set by the country where the wedding legally takes place, so check the official source for yours early, ideally when you book the venue. Two examples:

• England and Wales: according to GOV.UK, you must give notice at your local register office at least 29 days before the ceremony, and hold the ceremony within 12 months of giving notice.
• In France: the civil ceremony takes place at the town hall of a commune where one of you (or one of your parents) has a lasting connection. The file includes a recent birth certificate (under 3 months old when filed if issued in France, 6 months at most if issued abroad), the banns are displayed for 10 days, and the wedding cannot take place before the 10th day after publication (Service-public.fr). You need 2 to 4 witnesses, aged 18 or over (Service-public.fr). A religious ceremony in France comes after the civil one (French Penal Code, art. 433-21).

Marrying abroad, or in another country? Contact the local registration office or your embassy as early as possible: some countries ask for documents that take weeks to obtain.

1 month out: the final details

• Chase guests who haven't replied
• Do the seating plan
• Final dress and suit fittings
• Confirm every supplier: times, address, contact on the day
• Write your speeches (and remind anyone giving one)
• Prepare guest favours
• Choose the music for key moments (entrance, exit, first dance)
• Print table cards, seating chart and signs
• Prepare payment envelopes for suppliers

It's also the time to test your entertainment. With Voilà Moments, for example, the photo challenge programme takes five minutes to set up (your first names, the date, when the game starts and when the party ends) and you can try it free with 10 guests before paying. Then you print the table cards with the QR code.

Wedding week

• Confirm final numbers with the caterer
• Give the order of the day to the wedding party and the venue manager
• Name one trusted person to handle problems on the day
• Pack an emergency kit: safety pins, plasters, charger, tissues, snacks
• Collect outfits and rings
• Hand decorations, table cards and seating chart to whoever sets up
• Give the photographer your list of group shots
• Sleep (really)

On the day

• Eat a proper breakfast
• Hand your phone and any problems to the wedding party
• Keep the rings and any ID needed for the ceremony within reach
• Take ten minutes alone together at some point
• Enjoy it

By now, everything you've planned should run without you. That goes for the caterer and for the entertainment too: if you've chosen surprise-time photo challenges, they arrive on guests' phones by themselves, with nothing for you to start.

After the wedding

• Return hired items
• Settle final supplier bills
• Gather your guests' photos
• Send thank-you notes (even better with a photo)
• Change your name on documents, if you wish
• Update your details with your employer, bank and other organisations
• Choose photos for an album or prints

Collecting guests' photos is the step everyone puts off. Our guide to a wedding QR code photo album compares the options. With Voilà Moments, the album arrives the next morning, sorted by challenge with each photographer's first name, downloadable in one go at full quality and kept for 12 months: put a reminder in your calendar to download it before then.

Frequently asked questions

How far in advance should you start planning a wedding?

Around a year ahead is comfortable, especially for a summer Saturday, because the venue, photographer and caterer book up first. A wedding can be planned in six months or less: you just need to book the key suppliers in the first few weeks.

What should be on a wedding planning checklist 12 months out?

Budget, guest count, date, venue, caterer and photographer, plus checking the legal requirements where you're marrying. Those decisions shape everything else.

What do you need to do 3 months before the wedding?

Sort the legal paperwork, gather your witnesses' details, choose the rings, do your hair and make-up trial, and draft the order of the day with your suppliers.

What should you do one month before the wedding?

Chase late RSVPs, finalise the seating plan, confirm every supplier, write speeches, choose the music for key moments and print table cards and signs. It's also a good time to test your entertainment.

Is there a printable wedding planning checklist?

This page is one: each step is a checkbox. Use your browser's "Print" option to get it on paper, or save it as a PDF.