The Ultimate Wedding Planning Checklist

Hellooooooooooo all my lovely friends!

I’m one of those weirdos that LOVES making lists and accomplishing those lists. I know not everyone is like that, so when planning an event as big as a wedding, things can get a little stressful! It’s easy to lose track of where you’re at in the planning process, what to do next, or when to have something figured out by. From booking vendors, to getting your dress altered, and all the in betweens!

Never fear. I’ve taken the time to put together a detailed yet easy to follow checklist for all you wonderful humans planning your favorite day!

12 MONTHS OUT OR AS SOON AS YOU GET ENGAGED

• establish a budget + who is paying for what

• pick a date

• book a venue

• book a photographer (+ get your engagement session on the calendar!)

• book a videographer

• book a wedding planner

• start on your guest list

• start your registry

• schedule a day to go dress shopping

Pro tip:

Establish boundaries RIGHT AWAY as far as guest list goes. All too often, the guest list gets out of hand because families insist on having a say in your guest list. Establish ASAP the limits of your guest list. Such as, “If I’ve never met them, they’re not invited.” “If I wouldn’t recognize them, they’re not invited.” And so on! It’s YOUR wedding day, not your aunt’s who insists on bringing her work bestie.

9 MONTHS OUT

• decide on a theme or color scheme

• book a florist

• book a DJ (or live band if you’re going that route)

• book a caterer

• finalize guest list

• send out save the dates

• pick out your dress

• reserve a hotel block if you’re expecting lots of out of town guests

Pro tip:

For your engagement session, incorporate a location that has sentimental value to you two! Hang out in a park ya’ll frequent, travel to your hometown, grab drinks at your favorite bar or coffee shop, travel to a place you two have always wanted to visit, and so on. If not a location, BRING something to jazz things up. I love it when couples bring beer, wine, pizza, or something of that nature. Such a fun way to get you two feeling in your element!

6 MONTHS OUT

• order wedding dessert

• book an officiant

• pick out groom’s attire

• pick out groomsmen attire

• pick out bridesmaid attire

• book your invitation designer and/or calligrapher

• book your honeymoon

• book hair & makeup artist

• book bartenders

• wedding night accommodation

• book transportation for you/your guests if needed

• decide on ceremony and reception times

Pro tip:

Want MORE photos in MORE locations? Don’t have time to do it all on your wedding day? Schedule a date sometime after the wedding for you and your spouse to get all dressed up in your wedding wear and take MORE photos with your photographer! This takes the pressure off of capturing it ALL on the wedding day and allows you to be more present with all your friends + family on the wedding day instead.

3 MONTHS OUT

• send out invites

• buy wedding rings

• finalize menu with caterer

• make sure your passport + travel documents are up to date

• final dress fitting

• start on a list of songs for your DJ

• finalize gift registry

• hair + makeup trial

Pro tip:

Schedule in at least 10 minutes of alone time for you and your partner during the wedding day. All too often you hear people say they barely saw their new spouse on their wedding day. Don’t let that happen to you! Let your photographer or planner know that you’re wanting a moment of alone time, and they’ll make sure it happens for you two!

1 MONTH OUT

• nail down photography timeline

• contact DJ/host about reception sequence of events

• contact officiant about ceremony sequence of events

• finalize seating plan

• pickup your dress

• nail down songs for the ceremony + first dances

• get your marriage license

Pro tip:

So many people say no to a first look because they don’t think their first look coming down the aisle will be as romantic. Spoiler, nothing will replace the feeling of walking down the aisle or seeing your best friend walking down the aisle toward you. Seeing each other before the ceremony isn’t going to change that feeling! I promise. ;)

1 WEEK OUT

• finalize headcount for the caterer (pro tip: always account for at least 10 people who didn’t RSVP showing up)

• give a timeline to your wedding party and immediate families

• confirm final details with vendors

• confirm arrival times with vendors

• haircut + color (for the bride AND groom!)

• organize any outstanding payments

• go through roles with all your friends + family that have a job the day of your wedding (make sure those people especially have a copy of the timeline)

• let your photographer/videographer know if you have any “must have” shots that aren’t obvious

• get your nails done

Pro tip:

Assign jobs to your loved ones to lighten your load. Your loved ones want you to feel at ease on your wedding day and during the planning process. Ask your maid of honor to be in charge of getting lunch organized on the wedding day. Have your bridesmaids help with any DIY projects along the way. Ask your personal attendant to be in charge of helping the photographer with family portraits. Ask your aunt to make sure dessert is set out on time. All these little things can be a LOT for one personal to handle, so don’t be afraid to pass along those responsibilities.

1 DAY OUT

• have everything you’re going to need set aside and ready to be loaded in the car the next morning

• pack an “emergency” bag of things like deodorant, chapstick, bandaids

• one more time, make sure everyone knows where to be when!

• SIT BACK and RELAX! If you’re having your rehearsal dinner the night before, take the time to enjoy the moments with your favorite humans.

Pro tip:

Let’s not use plastic confetti y’all. Opt for dried flowers (like Sophia + Brett in this photo!), biodegradable confetti, bubbles, sparklers, streamers, and so on! Basically please don’t litter. It isn’t worth it if you can get the same wow factor with something harmless and pollution free!

Spoiler alert: your wedding day will be your favorite day for a long long long time. I’ve been married a year and a half, and there’s nothing about my wedding day that makes me go “oooooo that sucked.” There was rain, we ran behind schedule, we had to move our ceremony spot because of mud, I got mud on my dress DURING the ceremony — things went wrong! But the overall feeling of the day is what I reflect on and what gives me all those good warm fuzzies. I married my best friend with both our families and all our best friends present and THAT’S what I loved about our wedding day.

Thanks for reading along! Hopefully this master list is helpful for all you brides + groom’s planning your big day!

Xo, Kyndal Elise