The Ultimate Wedding-Planning Checklist and Timeline

A Beginner’s Guide to Planning a Wedding

So you asked the question, stuck the ring on the finger, excitedly await many lifetimes with your partner — and what happens next? You have a long laundry list of things to check off before your wedding day—from arranging flowers to coordinating candlelight—and planning your ceremony and reception can feel like a chore, but it’s not. So take your time in planning, and arrange all your to-do lists into one organized wedding-planning checklist and timeline, as it makes the process far less stressful and can be so enjoyable as well. “By taking it month by month over the year, you’re breaking the planning process down into bite-size chunks so it doesn’t feel so overwhelming,” says Elizabeth Foster, the creative mind behind Elizabeth Foster Events. "You can savor each step."

Meet the Expert: Elizabeth Foster is the founder of Elizabeth Foster Events, a wedding planning company in Southern California. Foster has been involved in more than 300 weddings to date.

The ideal engagement length is around 12 to 14 months; but every couple’s timeline is different. Indeed Foster once planned a wedding for a couple in seven weeks! If your engagement is shorter, her top advice is to shrink the wedding timeline. “If you’re getting married in six months, you should get all the tasks on the wedding-planning checklist that are earmarked for months 12 to six done in that first month and you’ll keep pace with everything else,” she said.

Here, Foster shares her top professional tips, and she’s helped us devise a 12-month wedding-planning checklist and timeline to guide couples on their way to a stress-free “I do!”

12 Months Before the Wedding

Create a Budget: Decide what you and your partner are able and willing to spend on your wedding. This will inform your decisions as you make your plans.

Pick A Date and Venue: Check out venues for your ceremony and reception and settle on a date. Book your venue as soon as you can, as some popular venues are booked up a year in advance.

Guest List: List out all the potential guests to have an estimate for the number of attendees.

Start Researching Wedding Professionals: Start looking into the photographers, videographers, florists, DJs or bands and any other vendors you’ll need.

Choose a Wedding Dress: Shop for your wedding dress and place your order well in advance to allow for fitting.

9 Months Before the Wedding

Book Your Professionals: Once you've made your selections, book your wedding professionals to guarantee their availability.

Send Save the Dates: If your wedding is during a busy season or at a far-off destination, send save-the-date cards to your guests.

Pick Out Wedding Attire for the Groom and Bridesmaids: Start picking out wedding attire for the groom and bridesmaids.

Schedule Your Menu Tastings: If your venue is providing catering, book menu tastings to decide what dishes will be served at your reception.

The Honeymoon: Start planning the honeymoon, including choosing a destination and reserving travel and accommodations.

6 Months Before the Wedding

Send Wedding Invitations: Send out invites that include details from the ceremony and reception.

Wedding Cake: Order your wedding cake from your cake baker.

Book Engagement Photos Find a photographer and book a session for engagement photos.

Buy Wedding Rings: You'll need to buy the wedding rings that you will exchange in the ceremony.

Start Planning the Wedding Ceremony: Start planning the wedding ceremony with music, readings, and vows.

3 Months Before the Wedding

Get a Marriage License: Apply for a marriage license at your local government office.

Confirm Details with Vendors: Confirm all details with your wedding vendors, from arrival times to menus to music playlists.

Make a Seating Chart: Make a reception seating chart for your guests so they know where to sit.

Plan a Ceremony Rehearsal: Plan a ceremony rehearsal to coordinate roles and responsibilities for all participants.

Buy for Bridesmaids and Groomsmen: Buy your bridesmaids and groomsmen gifts to thank them for the time spent at your wedding.

1 Month Prior to the Wedding

Final Wedding Dress Fitting: Go for a final fitting of your wedding dress.

Get guest numbers confirmed: Finalise the exact number of guests with your venue and caterer.

Collect Wedding Essentials: Wedding rings, marriage license, et cetera.

Take a Breath: Most importantly, take a breath and enjoy the final weeks before your wedding. Let yourself enjoy the thrill and anticipation of this special day.