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Planning a wedding in six months

Yes, you can plan a wedding in six months. The venue, the registrar or church and your photographer come first, because everything else hangs on them. Then give notice in good time, send the invitations and work through the details.

Put your date into the wedding checklist and it spreads these first jobs over the next four weeks for you, then dates the rest. Nothing is ever marked late. Print the 6-month checklist (A4 PDF).

Do these first

  1. Visit venuesAsk what is included, the end time, the rain plan and whether you can bring your own drinks.
  2. Book your venuePopular venues book up a year or more ahead, especially Saturdays between May and September.
  3. Book your photographerGood photographers book early. Ask to see a full wedding gallery, not only highlights.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. Book your band or DJAsk when they can set up and how long they play. Most play through the evening reception.
  11. 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.
  12. Start looking at wedding dressesGowns are often made to order and can take six months or more. Allow time for alterations.
  13. Choose and order your wedding dressAsk for a delivery date well before your first fitting.
  14. Book your floristBring photos, your colours and your budget.
  15. Send your save-the-datesSend them earlier if many guests are travelling or your date falls on a bank holiday weekend.
  16. Book hair and make-upAsk whether they travel to you and how many people they can do.

6 to 3 months before

  1. Choose suits or morning dressHire shops usually need measurements a couple of months out.
  2. Order your wedding cakeAsk about tastings, delivery and what they need from the venue.
  3. Book wedding cars or other transportFor you, your wedding party and any shuttle for guests.
  4. Choose your wedding ringsAllow time for sizing and engraving.
  5. Plan your ceremonyReadings, music, vows and who walks where. Talk it through with your registrar or the person leading the service.
  6. Plan your drinks receptionDrinks and canapés while the photographs are taken. Think about shade or shelter, and what guests can do while they wait.
  7. Order your invitations and stationeryOrder a few extra. Allow time for printing. Think about separate invitations for evening guests.
  8. Talk about your hen and stag dosYour wedding party often organises these. Pick dates that leave you a rest before the wedding.
  9. Plan your evening receptionThe food, the music and when evening guests arrive. Many couples serve a late snack.
  10. Do a menu tastingSettle the wedding breakfast menu and any dietary needs.
  11. 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

  1. Order your veil and accessoriesBritten makes veils to order, so the safe date depends on your wedding date and where you live.
  2. First dress fittingBring the shoes and underwear you plan to wear.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Send your invitationsUsually eight to twelve weeks before. Give an RSVP date about four weeks before the wedding.
  6. Do a hair and make-up trial
  7. 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.
  8. Send your evening invitationsFor guests who join you for the evening reception.
  9. 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.
  10. Write your speeches and vowsVows are optional. Aim for something short enough to say without notes.
  11. Send your photographer a family photo listNames and groupings, plus anyone who needs a hand getting to the photographs.
  12. Hen and stag dosLeave a gap before the wedding so there is time to recover.

The last month

  1. Add your rings to your home insuranceOften a small addition to your contents cover. Keep the receipt or valuation.
  2. RSVP deadlineFollow up with anyone who has not replied.
  3. Collect dietary needs and food choices
  4. Share the order of the day with your suppliers and wedding party
  5. Pack the emergency kitTwo to three weeks before, so it also covers the rehearsal. Give it to someone dependable to hold on the day.
  6. Final dress fitting
  7. Give your venue and caterer the final numbersDaytime guests, evening guests and dietary needs.
  8. Make your table planStart with the people who need to sit together, then fill in the rest.
  9. 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.
  10. Pay final balancesCheck each contract for what is due and when.
  11. 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

  1. 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.
  2. Pack for your honeymoon
  3. Check the things nobody can replaceThe rings, vows, shoes and chargers. Check they are packed the night before.
  4. Run through the ceremonyOptional. Walk through where everyone stands and when. It usually takes under an hour.
  5. Give gifts to your wedding party and parents

On the day

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

After the wedding

  1. Return hired outfits and anything borrowed
  2. Have your outfits cleaned and flowers preserved, if you likeDo it soon, before stains set.
  3. Order copies of your marriage certificateYou will need an official copy to change your name or details with some organisations.
  4. Start your thank-you cardsWrite a few each day. Mention the gift and something specific about it.
  5. Leave reviews for your suppliersA few honest lines help other couples, and your suppliers.
  6. Change your name, if you are taking a new oneOpen the name change tool. It puts the steps in order around your honeymoon.
  7. Back up and share your photographsKeep two copies in different places, and send family the ones they will love.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. Finish your thank-you cardsWithin three months is a good aim.
  11. Plan something for your first anniversaryDinner, a weekend away, or simply looking back through the photographs.