Wedding Checklist: What to Do When, From 12 Months Out to the Big Day
Most couples plan their wedding in 12 to 18 months. The order matters more than the speed. If you book the photographer before the venue, you have a problem when the desired date isn't free.
12 to 10 months before
- Set the budget and a rough guest count
- Settle the date and style
- View and book the venue
- Ask your witnesses
10 to 8 months before
- Book the photographer, DJ or band, and a celebrant or speaker for a non-religious ceremony
- Catering, if not through the venue
- Send save-the-dates, especially to guests from far away
- Reserve a room block
8 to 6 months before
- Choose the wedding dress and suit, lead times are long
- Clarify the registry office (Standesamt) appointment, registration is usually possible up to six months ahead
- Plan florals and decor
6 to 4 months before
- Design and send the invitations
- Choose the rings
- Taste and finalize the menu
- Order the wedding cake
3 to 2 months before
- Collect RSVPs and follow up
- Coordinate the day's schedule with all vendors
- Hair and makeup trial
- Music requests to the DJ or band
6 to 2 weeks before
- Create the seating chart, see the 6-step guide
- Final guest count and allergies to the venue
- Print place cards, menu cards and the seating chart
- Last fitting
The last week
- Prepare tip envelopes and payments
- Pack an emergency kit
- Bring the decor to the venue
- Schedule to the witnesses and vendors
- Sleep
Why the order matters so much
Almost everything in wedding planning hangs on two decisions: date and venue. Only once both are settled can you contact the photographer, DJ or caterer, because the first thing they ask for is the date. If you fall in love with a photographer first and then find no venue on their free days, you start over.
The guest count comes right after. It determines how big the room has to be and how large a part of the budget it makes up. A rough number is enough at the start. Whether you end up with 74 or 81 guests doesn't matter to the venue yet, whether it's 60 or 120 does. How to find this number is in the article Creating the guest list.
What almost always comes too late
Three things tend to get pushed back in the planning and then become tight:
- Documents for the registry office: birth certificates, proof of residence and, for partners from abroad, further documents. This can take weeks. Ask the registry office early what you need.
- RSVPs: Even with a clear deadline, many replies are often still missing on the due date. Plan two weeks for following up, see Collecting RSVPs.
- The seating chart: It depends on the RSVPs and is therefore finished late. Still start early with the groups, so that in the end you only have to move names.
Six months works too, with more flexibility on the date. Free dates on Fridays or in the off-season are often still available at short notice. Then book the venue and photographer in the same week and send the invitation directly instead of a save-the-date.
Delegate tasks. Witnesses, parents and friends like to help when they get concrete assignments. More on this in the article Witnesses' duties.
In FloraWed this checklist is already set up, divided into phases with deadlines. You enter your wedding date, and the due dates are calculated backwards from it. You can add your own tasks and assign them to a person.
A checklist with due dates
Tasks with dates and responsible people, so nothing slips through.