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Wedding checklist, month by month

Enter your date and see every step in order, from the venue to giving notice at the register office. Tick things off, add your own, print it.

We use it to put each step in the right month. It stays in this browser.

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Fit it to your wedding

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Where to start

Add your date and we'll put each step in the right month. Until then, here is where to start.

  • Talk through your budget and who is contributing
    Essential · Paperwork
  • Write a first guest list, for the day and the evening
    Essential · Guests
  • Choose a season and a general style
    Venue
  • Visit venues
    Venue
  • Book your venue
    Essential · Venue · 0/4

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What to do first

  1. Talk through your budget and who is contributing.
  2. Write a first guest list, for the day and the evening.
  3. Decide on a civil or religious ceremony, and a season.
  4. Visit venues, then book your venue and date.
  5. Book the registrar or speak to your church, and book your photographer.
  6. Then catering, music and outfits, and give notice of marriage in good time.

How to use this checklist

  1. Add your wedding date. Every job moves into the month it belongs in, and moves again if your date changes. No date yet? Choose "Not sure yet" and start at the top.

  2. Tell it where you're marrying. England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland each have their own rules for giving notice. Pick yours and the legal steps change to match.

  3. Fit it to your wedding. Civil or religious, dress or suit, and anything you're skipping. Jobs that don't fit hide, and come back in one tap.

  4. Start with this month. The list opens on the next few things to do. Anything whose date has passed waits in Catch up, spread over the coming weeks, most important first.

  5. Print it. Download a clean A4 PDF, with your ticks, for the fridge or the planning chat with your parents.

If you're starting late, jobs whose dates have passed wait in Catch up, spread over the next few weeks with the venue first. Nothing is ever marked late. Giving notice always stays on the list, with its latest date.

The checklist by time left

18 to 12 months before

  • Talk through your budget and who is contributingAgree a total and the three things that matter most to you. Everything else gets easier to decide.
  • Write a first guest list, for the day and the eveningA rough count is enough for now. Many couples invite a smaller group to the ceremony and wedding breakfast and more to the evening.
  • Choose a season and a general styleIndoor or outdoor, formal or relaxed. A few photos you like will help later.
  • Visit venuesAsk what is included, the end time, the rain plan and whether you can bring your own drinks.
  • Book your venuePopular venues book up a year or more ahead, especially Saturdays between May and September.
  • Decide on a civil or religious ceremonyA civil ceremony happens at a register office or an approved venue. A church wedding follows the church's own steps. Your choice sets which of the next steps apply, so hide the ones that do not.
  • Decide whether you want a planner or on-the-day coordinatorMany venues include a coordinator. Ask before you hire another.
  • Take out wedding insuranceCover usually starts when you buy it, so many couples arrange it soon after paying a first deposit. Read what is excluded.
  • Book your photographerGood photographers book early. Ask to see a full wedding gallery, not only highlights.

12 to 9 months before

  • Book the registrar or celebrantFor a civil ceremony. Contact the register office for your venue's area once your date is fixed. Booking the registrar is not the same as giving notice.
  • Speak to your church or place of worshipAsk about banns or notice, any rules on where you live, marriage preparation, and whether a registrar needs to be there.
  • Agree your wedding breakfast and cateringThe wedding breakfast is the main meal after the ceremony. Ask what the venue provides and what a caterer would add.
  • Book your band or DJAsk when they can set up and how long they play. Most play through the evening reception.
  • Ask your wedding partyMaid of honour or chief bridesmaid, bridesmaids, best man, ushers: whatever suits you both, and as many or as few as you like.
  • Start looking at wedding dressesGowns are often made to order and can take six months or more. Allow time for alterations.
  • Book your videographerOptional. Check how they work alongside your photographer.
  • Find places to stay for guestsShare a few options at different prices on your wedding website. Some venues offer rooms for guests.

9 to 6 months before

  • Choose and order your wedding dressAsk for a delivery date well before your first fitting.
  • Book your floristBring photos, your colours and your budget.
  • Send your save-the-datesSend them earlier if many guests are travelling or your date falls on a bank holiday weekend.
  • Set up a wedding website or details pageOptional. Dates, locations, the order of the day, places to stay and your gift list.
  • Decide on a gift listA list at a shop, a honeymoon fund or no list at all. Pass it on quietly if guests ask.
  • Choose what your wedding party will wearMatching, mix-and-match or their own choice. Order early if anything needs making.
  • Book hair and make-upAsk whether they travel to you and how many people they can do.
  • Plan and book your honeymoonBook flights and hotels once your date is firm. If you are travelling abroad, check your passports are valid for the trip.

6 to 3 months before

  • Choose suits or morning dressHire shops usually need measurements a couple of months out.
  • Order your wedding cakeAsk about tastings, delivery and what they need from the venue.
  • Book wedding cars or other transportFor you, your wedding party and any shuttle for guests.
  • Choose your wedding ringsAllow time for sizing and engraving.
  • Plan your ceremonyReadings, music, vows and who walks where. Talk it through with your registrar or the person leading the service.
  • Plan your drinks receptionDrinks and canapés while the photographs are taken. Think about shade or shelter, and what guests can do while they wait.
  • Order your invitations and stationeryOrder a few extra. Allow time for printing. Think about separate invitations for evening guests.
  • Talk about your hen and stag dosYour wedding party often organises these. Pick dates that leave you a rest before the wedding.
  • Plan your evening receptionThe food, the music and when evening guests arrive. Many couples serve a late snack.
  • Do a menu tastingSettle the wedding breakfast menu and any dietary needs.
  • Give notice of marriage at the register officeBook the appointment early: register offices can be booked up for weeks. You each sign a statement at the register office for the district where you live, after living there for 7 days. It must be at least 29 days before the wedding, and the wedding must be within 12 months of notice. Anglican weddings can differ: check with your church.

3 months to 1 month before

  • Order your veil and accessoriesBritten makes veils to order, so the safe date depends on your wedding date and where you live.
  • First dress fittingBring the shoes and underwear you plan to wear.
  • Ask who will give speechesTraditionally the best man, the father of the bride and the groom. Many couples add others. Agree the order and a time limit.
  • Arrange for your banns to be readFor a Church of England or Church in Wales wedding. Banns are read on three Sundays in the three months before. Your vicar will tell you the dates, and whether you also need to give notice at the register office.
  • Send your invitationsUsually eight to twelve weeks before. Give an RSVP date about four weeks before the wedding.
  • Do a hair and make-up trial
  • Make or update your willsIn England and Wales, marriage cancels an existing will unless it was written with that marriage in mind. Worth seeing a solicitor before the day.
  • Send your evening invitationsFor guests who join you for the evening reception.
  • Draft the order of the dayStart from the ceremony time and work forwards and back. Leave room for photographs, travel and the room turnaround before evening guests arrive.
  • Write your speeches and vowsVows are optional. Aim for something short enough to say without notes.
  • Send your photographer a family photo listNames and groupings, plus anyone who needs a hand getting to the photographs.
  • Hen and stag dosLeave a gap before the wedding so there is time to recover.

The last month

  • Add your rings to your home insuranceOften a small addition to your contents cover. Keep the receipt or valuation.
  • RSVP deadlineFollow up with anyone who has not replied.
  • Collect dietary needs and food choices
  • Share the order of the day with your suppliers and wedding party
  • Pack the emergency kitTwo to three weeks before, so it also covers the rehearsal. Give it to someone dependable to hold on the day.
  • Final dress fitting
  • Give your venue and caterer the final numbersDaytime guests, evening guests and dietary needs.
  • Make your table planStart with the people who need to sit together, then fill in the rest.
  • Confirm each supplier's arrival timeSend the order of the day and the venue address, and give them the phone number of someone who will answer on the day.
  • Pay final balancesCheck each contract for what is due and when.
  • Send the final order of the day to your suppliersAbout ten days before. Your supplier links update by themselves, so a short note that it is final is enough.

The week of the wedding

  • Put any tips in labelled envelopesTipping is optional in the UK, and some suppliers include a service charge. Give the envelopes to someone you trust to hand them out.
  • Pack for your honeymoon
  • Check the things nobody can replaceThe rings, vows, shoes and chargers. Check they are packed the night before.
  • Run through the ceremonyOptional. Walk through where everyone stands and when. It usually takes under an hour.
  • Give gifts to your wedding party and parents

On the day

  • Sign the marriage registerWith your witnesses, after the ceremony.

After the wedding

  • Return hired outfits and anything borrowed
  • Have your outfits cleaned and flowers preserved, if you likeDo it soon, before stains set.
  • Order copies of your marriage certificateYou will need an official copy to change your name or details with some organisations.
  • Start your thank-you cardsWrite a few each day. Mention the gift and something specific about it.
  • Leave reviews for your suppliersA few honest lines help other couples, and your suppliers.
  • Change your name, if you are taking a new oneOpen the name change tool. It puts the steps in order around your honeymoon.
  • Back up and share your photographsKeep two copies in different places, and send family the ones they will love.
  • Look at the Marriage AllowanceIf one of you earns less than the personal allowance and the other pays basic-rate tax, you may be able to transfer part of it. Check on GOV.UK.
  • Update your pensions, insurance and bank detailsCheck who is named on pensions and life cover, and tell your bank and employer about any new name.
  • Finish your thank-you cardsWithin three months is a good aim.
  • Plan something for your first anniversaryDinner, a weekend away, or simply looking back through the photographs.

Printable wedding checklists

Free A4 PDFs with real text, no email needed.

All printable checklists · Planning in six months

Frequently asked questions

How do we give notice of marriage, and when?
In England and Wales you each sign a statement at your local register office, by appointment, at least 29 days before the wedding, and the wedding must be within 12 months. In Scotland you each send a marriage notice form to the registrar where you're marrying, within the three months before and at least 29 days before (10 to 12 weeks is advised). In Northern Ireland notice must be with the registrar at least 28 days and within 12 months before. The checklist dates yours.
In what order should a wedding be planned?
Budget and a first guest list for the day and the evening, then the venue and date, the registrar or church, and your photographer. Then catering, music and outfits, save-the-dates, and giving notice. Invitations go out about ten weeks before, evening invitations about eight.
How far ahead should we book the venue and the registrar?
Popular venues book 12 to 18 months ahead, particularly for summer Saturdays. Book the registrar or celebrant as soon as your date is fixed: booking them is separate from giving notice.
When do evening invitations go out?
About eight weeks before the wedding, a little after the day invitations, with the evening start time and any dress code.
Can we plan a wedding in six months?
Yes. Book the venue, the registrar or church and your photographer first, and give notice in good time. Add your date to the checklist and it spreads the early jobs over the next four weeks for you.
What's different in Scotland and Northern Ireland?
Scotland uses marriage notice forms (M10) sent to the registrar where you marry, and for a religious or belief ceremony you collect the Marriage Schedule in person up to 7 days before and return it within 3 days. Northern Ireland's notice is at least 28 days, ideally about 8 weeks (10 if either of you was married before), and the schedule for a religious ceremony can't be issued more than 14 days before.
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