A Wedding-Planner-Certified Wedding Planning Checklist

Yay! You’re engaged! I’m sure it didn’t take long for your wedding to-do list to start and get a mile long. I mean, who doesn’t want the perfect wedding? The best wedding? The ULTIMATE wedding??

Don’t worry, that’s where we come in—wedding planning is our forte. We’ll walk you through the whole wedding planning journey—where to start, a simple timeline, and how to get the best bang for your buck—with this simplified 14-step guide.

1. Start by setting your wedding budget OR hire a wedding planner who can help you set a realistic budget

Your wedding planner is your wedding day’s best friend. They are experts in all things wedding and will keep tabs on every single detail. They’ll also help determine and refine your wedding style, so that every part of your wedding is what you want and is aesthetically cohesive. They also help find qualified vendors, source wedding decor, help set up on the big day, field any intrusive loved ones, and ensure a stress-free wedding. And while they seem expensive up front, they almost always save you money in the long run.

And if you’re unsure if you need a planner, just read people’s experiences with their weddings. We have yet to see someone who regretted getting a planner. And if you’re still on the fence, make sure to at least create a wedding website to keep all of your wedding details organized. There’s a lot to take on, so best to create a place where every idea and note can live.
2. Find your wedding dress

You ideally want to get your wedding dress 8-12 months ahead of the wedding. That way you have plenty of time for sizing, alterations, and any delayed shipping times that could happen.
3. Start booking your wedding vendors
This includes the venue, florist, officiant, caterer, photographer, videographer, DJ, baker, and/or musicians. This could also include extras like late-night pizza drop-off at the wedding reception or a mobile coffee station.
Choosing your venue will also play a major role in the next step…

4. Set the date

Many of us have dates in mind that we would prefer, whether they’re sentimental or just simply pleasing. (Many people like the 2s or repeating numbers, like 10-10!) But a venue may not have availability on the exact wedding date you had in mind, so you might have to adapt to the date they have available for you.

5. Engagement photos

Engagement photos are a great way to get to know your wedding photographer. You get to establish a relationship and expectations, and also get a feel for their photography style. Engagement photos give you a great way to share your announcement or wedding date on social media and even start a hashtag that everyone can use for anything pertaining to your wedding. That way every picture will end up in one place, and you won’t have to track them all down later.

Photos are also important because you’ll most likely use them for the next step.

6. Assemble a guest list and send out wedding invitations with RSVP and date cards

There are many different ways to tackle this step. You can do it yourself (which we don’t recommend as it takes SO much time), you can use a website like Zola or Minted, or you can hire someone to do them for you. We LOVE seeing all the creative invitation suites that creators make. They add a personal touch without the personal work.
And invitations set the tone for your wedding, so it’s worth getting some you really love to represent your big day. (And a pro tip: Wedding guest counts are pretty fluid. As in they may change after the RSVP date. Be sure to give your caterer the most recent and up-to-date guest count up until the very end. You don’t want to be short on food.)
7. Select your wedding party

This is where you and your SO choose your best man, groomsmen, bridesmaids, and other members of the bridal party. Some couples make this an event itself, such as asking all of your intended bridesmaids over brunch. Some just ask each person one-on-one. It’s totally up to you!

8. Create your wedding registry

Choose a store or two where you can find most of the items you and your SO need and create a registry so all of your guests can easily purchase wedding gifts before the big day. There are also alternatives to this, like setting up a honeymoon fund. You can check out Honeyfund or Traveler’s Joy to get started with that idea.

9. Plan any pre-wedding events

Such as an engagement party, bridal shower, and bachelorette party.

10. Outfit your wedding party

A.k.a: Consider the style and theme of your wedding and choose your wedding dress, tuxedos, and bridesmaid dresses accordingly. You want to make sure you do this with enough time for your party to order their size, get any fittings (if needed) and budget for it.
And while it’s much more common and well-known that groomsmen can get rentals, bridesmaids can too. Depending on your vision, you can even let your bridesmaids choose their own dress within a certain color palette or style and they can employ the use of sites like Rent The Runway.
11. Obtain a marriage license
And make sure to have it with you on the day of the wedding! It’s often best to task someone responsible with this, so you can take it off your plate.
12. Plan the rehearsal dinner

And send out the invitation to the wedding party and their plus-ones.

This is where you’ll rehearse the wedding ceremony, followed by an intimate dinner with your wedding party. This typically happens the day before the wedding, as all guests are already gathering for the big day, and it keeps everything fresh in their minds.

This is also the perfect time for you to hand off your wedding ring and your SO’s wedding band to the responsible parties.