

First, choose the season and year when you'd like to wed-then grab the calendar and, with the help of your nearest and dearest loved ones, start narrowing down dates. The more flexible you are about your wedding date, the more venue options you'll have available. And remember, if your parents are contributing financially to your wedding, they get a say in who's invited. While you don't have to have a final guest list at this point, you should have a pretty good estimate. Sure, you might think you want a 50-person wedding, but when you take a look at all those must-invites, it may be a much bigger number. So how big is this thing going to be? It's hard to estimate a guest count without actually putting pen to paper (or fingers to keys) and writing down some names (the WeddingWire Guest List tool can help you get started). A wedding budget tool can help you stay on track and avoid overspending.
#Wedding planning checklist how to
Once you have a total amount of money you can spend, you'll want to figure out how to divvy it up for each vendor or service category. Set a wedding budget.Ī crucial step in the planning process-and one that may require some serious discussions with your parents. Enjoy your engagement party.īefore you begin planning in earnest, it's time to celebrate! The engagement party is typically thrown by the couple's family members, but may also be hosted by friends or other loved ones. For couples working with the average engagement of 13 months, this phase occurs a year or more before the wedding day-but, of course, your timeline may be shorter or longer than this. You're not signing contracts or coming up with a firm head count yet, but you're laying the groundwork for these decisions to be made. It involves lots of discussions with parents, other family members and loved ones, and the like to figure out things like the budget, guest list, potential dates, and more. This phase usually takes place shortly after the proposal, when the couple is ready to start thinking about wedding planning. Phase 1: The Basics Timeframe: 13+ months before your wedding Consider this timeline your guide to putting together a great event, one phase at a time.

We've divided our ultimate wedding planning checklist into phases, so whether your event is a few months away or you have a longer timeframe to work with, you can condense or expand it to fit your needs. This timeline is designed with couples who just don't have the time or energy to read through an exhaustive checklist, and just want to get married, like, yesterday. If you’re in the latter group, this wedding planning timeline has got you covered.

There are others, however, who just want to get it all done as quickly and efficiently as possible. When it comes to planning a wedding, there are some people who want to luxuriate in the process, taking their time to choose everything from attire to centerpieces to favors.
