The Definitive Wedding Planning Checklist

Planning a wedding can be daunting, with so many tasks to complete and information to coordinate. The work becomes much less frustrating if you allow yourself enough time to prepare and sort the tasks month by month using a wedding planning checklist and wedding timeline.

Traditional engagements last about 12-14 months, but since each couple is unique, timelines can be adjusted as required. Breaking down the year month by month allows you to tackle the planning phase in manageable chunks, making the planning process more enjoyable.

Our Ultimate Wedding Planning Checklist will merge all of your wedding to-dos into one convenient list. You can keep a copy of this checklist on hand for easy reference, and revisit it every few months to make sure you're on track for the big day.

Let’s begin!

More than One Year Out

The wedding prep begins right after you say ‘Yes.’ After you tell all your family and friends you’re engaged, the game is on! It is time to set the ball rolling and put the first tangible components of the event in place. Here’s how you should begin:

Set A Budget

Before you begin, you must first decide who will pay for what and what your wedding's budget will be. Then you'll want to break down the budget—what's most important to you? What isn't?—and begin allocating funds appropriately. (Here's where a little market analysis comes in handy.)

These figures will change as you prepare, so it's a good idea to start with a comprehensive spreadsheet. This will make it easier for you to keep track of your expenses and make adjustments as required.

Choose Your Wedding Date

On the surface, choosing a wedding date seems like the easiest task on a wedding planning checklist. After all, there are 365 days in a year, how hard could it be to choose one? You'll need to find a date that works for both you and your loved ones, as well as the season, availability, and your budget. Finding a day when all of your preferred venues and vendors are available is a difficult task in and of itself.

To make this task easier, you may have to consult all the important stakeholders first, so that you can consolidate available dates and pick one that works for everyone.

Prepare A Guest List

Wouldn't it be great if you could invite everyone you want to? Most likely, you won't be able to, which is why you'll need to limit the number of invitations you send out.

Consider your budget (how much can you afford?) as well as your venue (how many people can it accommodate?).

One way of doing this is to consider who is paying for what and use that to divide the guest lists among yourselves. Typically, if you and your spouse-to-be are paying the bill, you should get 70 percent of the invites, with the remaining 30 percent divided between both sets of parents. If your parents are contributing, however, it is customary to divide the invites equally among all parties involved—your parents, your partner's parents, and you as a couple.

Hire a Wedding Planner, If You Can

We know you may be toying with the idea of planning your big day yourself, especially if you’re a perfectionist that wants everything done to your preferences. However, if your budget allows it—or your peace of mind depends on it—now is the time to enlist the help of your big day's planner. This person will be your right-hand assisting you with all decisions, from picking a location to monitoring your budget and managing logistics.

If you’re finding it difficult to get a well-ranked wedding planner, we recommend Afarose's exclusive partner, Tori Chellis. Visit her website for more information.

6 to 9 Months Out

Whether you get a wedding planner or not, you’ll be making a lot of decisions during this period. If, like many people we know, you’re an indecisive wreck (especially when you’re faced with several options), keep your trusted friends close at this stage. You may need up to three strong Yes's to decide whether the detailing on the flower arrangements should be teal or turquoise. At this stage, D-day still seems far away, but your plans are becoming more tangible. Some of them may have already actualized, but here’s what you should be working on in this period:

Choose A Venue

Trust us when we say that picking a venue is one of the most crucial decisions you'll make right now. Seriously, the venue has an impact on almost all the other decisions to come, from the number of guests you invite to the chairs you rent. It's also likely to be the most expensive item on the wedding planning checklist. That's why you should research your choices, visit the top contenders, and choose a venue that suits your guest count, design, and budget.

Choose A Color Theme

Now’s also the time to pick a wedding theme, if you want one. Have a conversation with your partner so you can decide on a vibe that suits you both. This is especially important if you and your partner have different tastes, which may be the case since opposites attract, yes? Pull out your Pinterest boards. Time to put those Pins to use. Draw inspo from the things you like, choose a color scheme, and put together a mood board. You can order swatches to check color in real life. Afarose is giving out three swatches for free now when you sign up!

Find A Caterer

Your wedding will be the best (and biggest) dinner party you'll ever throw. So, whether it's the venue's in-house caterer, a favored caterer suggested by your planner, or even your favorite taco truck, start by hiring people you can trust to deliver.

You don’t have to box yourself in with what you think should be served at a wedding. Don’t be afraid to be inventive when it comes to your menu. Add your favorite homemade meal if you wish, or order pizza as a course. Some caterers may not like it very much because it does not follow their Michelin dreams, but it's your day, not theirs. You’re the boss here.

Hire Capable Vendors

It’s important to secure a spot with vendors that book quickly, such as a professional wedding photographer, DJ, and Videographer. These guys are crucial to creating and making memories on your big day that will last a lifetime. Because they are so important to the big day, you need to do your research.

Take recommendations, but ask questions and compare portfolios where you can. You need to be sure that you’re not hiring a photographer that will end up taking blurry pictures or a videographer that focuses on recording only your very attractive bridesmaid. Those are real wedding horror stories, by the way.

Have an Engagement Photo Shoot

Here’s a great way to test your photographer’s skill. You will get a hint of what your wedding photos will look like and you get the photos that will go on your invites and other stationery (or websites). If you like the photos from the engagement shoot, you can go ahead and cross off ‘Photographer’ from your wedding planning checklist. You’ve got that down figured out now.

Now is also a great time to get some practice in front of the camera, and get rid of any shyness or awkwardness.

Start Shopping for Your Wedding Dress

When it comes to the perfect wedding dress, you may or may not know exactly what you want, which is perfectly fine. Here's a comprehensive guide to dress shopping to get you started. It is very important to shop from detailed professionals like Afarose, who pay attention to even what shade of white will suit you best.

Ensure that delivery timelines are reasonable enough to meet up with your big day. Of course, you have to try on your dress and possibly have some adjustments done, so it is important that the dress is ready before the wedding. This may be a hassle if you’re shopping online, but not if you’re shopping from Afarose. Before making a purchase, you can test the quality and fit of our sizes and colors with our Try-At-Home Sample Program. You can choose 2 or more dresses for $10 per bridesmaid dress or $15 per wedding dress, which includes delivery both ways and a 7-day rental period.

Create Your Wedding Website

Your wedding website should be a virtual itinerary guide for your guests. It should contain all the information they need to get into town, where to stay, even fun local spots they can visit while waiting for the celebration.

Make and Send Out Your Save-the-Dates

The Save-the-Date is the first glimpse your guests will have of your big day. That's why you need something that reflects your personality as well as the overall wedding theme you have chosen.

Start collaborating with a graphic designer or stationer now to build your dream materials if you're going custom. If you're going the DIY route, get to it ASAP and send them out to your guests.

Book Transportation and Secure Accommodation for Out-of-Town Guests

Not all couples do this, but it is thoughtful to book transportation means and reserve hotel rooms for out-of-town guests. It’s the least you can do for people who are crossing borders to be there for you on your big day. Also, you’re more likely to get discounts on hotels and transport services if you book far ahead.

Finalize on Bridesmaids' Dresses

After doing some preliminary research on Afarose, pick the dresses for your bridesmaids. We advise that you ask how they feel about the choices you're considering. They’re going to be wearing the dresses, after all, and they’re bridesmaids not mannequins.

With that in mind, we're all about the trend of picking a color palette—like purple, grey, burgundy, or white—and letting your girls choose their own outfits.

4 Months Out

With only four months left, you have just enough time to go over everything you’ve done so far and make sure they’re ready to go. Do reviews and ensure that all players are doing their parts, and make adjustments where necessary. The next steps are:

Hire an Officiant

If you're not getting married in a church, you'll need to hire someone to make it official. Couples may hire a specialist or ask a close friend or family member to do the honors. This one should be an easy check off the wedding planning checklist.

Book the Honeymoon

The groom is supposed to arrange a surprise honeymoon for the bride, according to traditional wedding etiquette. But if you're planning a honeymoon together, try to get things mostly figured out by the four-month mark. This means agreeing on a budget, a schedule, travel arrangements, and some semblance of an itinerary. You don't have to plan every minute of your journey, but you should discuss the most important things you want to get out of it and take steps to make sure those things happen.

Order Your Flowers

There’s not a lot to be said about this. Get your wedding flowers, boo! Of course, the choices that are available to you depend on the season, so don’t expect to find daffodils if you’re having a Game-of-Thrones-themed winter wedding.

Register for Marriage Classes

Pre-marital therapy has helped numerous couples. It can be beneficial to have an impartial third-party urging you to discuss problems in your relationship that haven't yet surfaced by using effective communication techniques. Counselors will also teach you healthy dispute resolution techniques so that you'll be prepared when inevitable conflict arises. To boot, certain states can give you a discount on your marriage license if you attend marriage counseling.

Get Your Marriage License

Every state has its own set of rules and regulations, so look up yours online.

You'll also need to look into the paperwork details if you're holding a destination wedding, whether it's domestic or overseas. Then, as a couple, make sure you, your witness(es), and your officiant all sign it.

Finalize Your Rehearsal Dinner Prep

Now's the time to send out invites for your rehearsal dinner. Feel free to talk about the design and overall aesthetic with your partner and the parents. Make sure you let everyone know the vibe you’re going for so your uncle does not show up to the BBQ buffet in his Sunday best.

Have Your Final Tasting With the Caterer

You’ve told the caterer what you want. Now it’s time to see if they understood the message. Taste the final dishes and make whatever adjustments need to be made. If you feel like you would need an unbiased opinion, bring a third party with you. After you have selected your dishes, create your wedding menu.

Choose the Cake

Gâteau time! Have fun with your cake choice, and make sure it reflects what’s important to you and your partner. You could make it a statement piece that will complement the wedding theme, or your favorite cake flavor, or both.

Send the Wedding Invitations

You already did the difficult part- selecting the guests. Now it’s just time to print and mail (or hit send) your invitations out. RSVPs are usually due one month before the wedding, so make sure to include that detail in the invitations.

2-3 Weeks Out

Hair and Makeup Trial

Time to get a glimpse at your wedding glow up. We’d advise you to stay within your comfort zone here. Yes, we know you think we should be saying the opposite, but you should stick with styles and looks that work for you. If you want to try to add some pizzazz, do it moderately so that you still look like yourself. You don’t want to not recognize yourself in your wedding photos.

Buy Wedding Bands

You know that your engagement ring is different from the wedding bands, yes? Get your wedding bands ready, and you can take this time to polish your engagement ring so it can sparkle alongside it.

Write Your Vows

If you’ve chosen to write your own vows to one another, start thinking about what those should sound like for you two as a couple. Get in your feels and write some tearjerkers or some dry jokes, whichever you’re about.

The Week Prior and Week Of

With a week left until the big day, all the jitters return. It gets as real as it can ever be, and now all you have to do is dot your i’s and cross your t’s. Your wedding planning checklist is almost done at this point. Look back on all your plans to be sure there are no loose ends.

Get a manicure/pedicure and break in your wedding shoes. You don’t want painful blisters on your feet on your wedding night.

Rest well and continue your skincare routine so that your skin is popping and ready for the big day.

Get a massage, then have a final dress fitting to be sure that your wedding dress hugs the way it should.

Get Married!

You’ve now crossed everything off your wedding planning checklist. Get hitched, and have a happy married life! Congratulations!