The 12-month wedding planning timeline.

• —Set a target total budget (in writing). Subtract 10% for hidden costs immediately.
• —Draft the guest list. Use brackets: must-invite, probably, maybe. Recount monthly.
• —Agree on the wedding shape — single venue or multi-event? Local or destination? Religious or civil?
• —Book the venue. The single date-locking decision. Every other vendor follows the venue's availability.
• —Hire the wedding planner (if you're going to) or commit to self-planning.

The venue is the only month-12 task that has hard scarcity — most premium venues book out 14-18 months ahead. The other tasks can shift; this one cannot.

• —Hire the photographer and videographer — they book up faster than any other vendor after the venue.
• —Hire the band or DJ — same scarcity issue as photography.
• —Hire the caterer (if not bundled with the venue).
• —Send save-the-dates digitally — formally, paper save-the-dates are sent 6-8 months ahead, but a digital save-the-date now lets guests block calendars and book travel.
• —Set up the wedding website. Even a placeholder one — guests will look.

Save-the-dates have moved from paper-only to digital-first. The reason: international guests now need 6+ months to book affordable flights, and they need that confirmation early. Send digital first; send paper later if you want.

• —Choose the wedding attire — dress, suit, accessories. Both sides. Account for alterations (3-6 fittings).
• —Hire the florist. Book a consultation; align on palette and budget.
• —Hire hair and makeup. Schedule the trial for 6 weeks before the wedding.
• —Book transport (shuttles, couple's car, vendor transport if destination).
• —Confirm officiant and complete any required pre-marital paperwork.

The hardest part of this window is making aesthetic decisions without the venue being decorated yet. Anchor each decision to the venue's existing texture (stone walls? wooden floors? glass? marble?) and the time of year (golden October? cold blue January? bright June?). Don't anchor to Pinterest.

• —Send digital invitations (or paper invitations) — 6 months ahead for destinations, 4 months for local weddings.
• —Finalise the RSVP deadline. Best practice: 6-8 weeks before the wedding.
• —Book accommodation blocks at nearby hotels for guests.
• —Confirm the honeymoon. Book flights and primary accommodation.
• —Start the marriage license paperwork if your jurisdiction requires lead time (some require 30-90 days minimum).

Digital invitations cut the stationery line from 1,500-3,000 EUR to under 400 EUR, give you live RSVP analytics, and let you re-send to non-responders without re-printing. This is the line where 70% of couples now go digital.

• —Track RSVPs in real time. Send the first reminder at the 4-month mark to non-responders.
• —Finalise menu and bar selections with the caterer (often a tasting at month 5).
• —Confirm wedding party (bridesmaids, groomsmen) attire.
• —Build the seating chart draft based on RSVPs in so far — finalise at month 1.
• —Order rings (allow 6-8 weeks for engraving and resize).

RSVP tracking is the single most underestimated time-sink between months 5 and 1. A platform that handles per-event RSVP, dietary intake, plus-ones and reminder logging in one place saves 10-20 hours of admin compared to a spreadsheet.

• —Send formal paper invitations if you haven't already (3 months ahead is the formal deadline).
• —Final menu tasting and confirmation.
• —Hair and makeup trial.
• —Finalise vendor playlists, do-not-play lists, ceremony music.
• —Update the wedding website with logistics: transport, accommodation, parking, dress code, schedule.

Month 3 is the first deadline where you cannot push tasks. Vendors lock their bookings here; the menu freezes; the seating chart starts to crystallise. If you're behind here, you'll be behind on the day.

• —RSVP deadline closes (set it at 6-8 weeks before the wedding).
• —Send second-round reminders to anyone who didn't respond.
• —Finalise the headcount with the caterer (most caterers require this 30-45 days ahead).
• —Pay the second vendor instalments (most are due 30-60 days before the wedding).
• —Start the day-of timeline draft.

The headcount you confirm with the caterer in month 2 is the headcount you pay for — even if 5 guests bail in week 1. Don't confirm a single guest more than the count you can pay for.

• —Final seating chart — names locked. Print escort cards or upload to a digital display.
• —Day-of timeline finalised and shared with every vendor.
• —Wedding party briefing — roles, timings, what they're carrying.
• —Marriage license collected (most jurisdictions require pickup within 30-60 days of the ceremony).
• —Pay remaining vendor balances (final instalments are typically due 2-7 days before the wedding).
• —Confirm hotel block, transport, vendor arrival times.

The day-of timeline is the document that prevents a 6am phone call on the wedding day. Every vendor knows their arrival time, their slice of the schedule, and their dependency on others. A real-time day-of coordinator app makes this living rather than static.

• —Final vendor confirmations (call every vendor; confirm time, location, contact person).
• —Pack the wedding-day emergency kit (safety pins, stain remover, makeup, etc.).
• —Rehearsal dinner.
• —Wedding party gifts.
• —Beauty prep: nails, hair colour, last facial.

Two weeks out, every task is a small one — but there are 30 of them. This is when the wedding planner earns their fee. If you're self-planning, designate one trusted friend as the "week-of POC" — they handle vendor calls and you don't.

• —Final vendor walk-through (often the day before).
• —Welcome events (welcome drinks, rehearsal dinner).
• —Beauty trials final, manicures, last-minute hair appointments.
• —Confirm every transport and accommodation booking.
• —Pre-print the day-of timeline; share with planner / coordinator / vendors via the app.
• —Sleep.

If you've followed the timeline, the wedding week should feel quiet — not stressful. The stressful weeks are 3 and 2 (RSVP cliff + headcount finalisation); week 0 is mostly closing loops. If you're stressed in week 0, something earlier slipped.

• —Thank-you notes to every guest who attended or sent a gift — within 2 months of the wedding.
• —Vendor reviews on Google, WeddingWire, The Knot — they earn their reputation on these.
• —Photo gallery published on the wedding website as a keepsake.
• —Process the honeymoon fund and registry payments.
• —Update marriage status with employer, bank, tax authority, passport office.

Thank-you notes have a 2-month window before they stop reading as gracious and start reading as overdue. Block 2 hours per weekend in months 1-2 post-wedding to write 10-15 per session.