Your Essential Wedding Planning Checklist

Wedding planning checklist 

Planning the wedding of the year can be overwhelming, so breaking what needs to be done into manageable segments and creating a comprehensive list will help you to visualise exactly what needs doing and when. 

Whether you’re planning a small, intimate wedding or an extravagant celebration, there’s plenty to think about. Here are our top tips to ensure your wedding day goes without a hitch.

Decide on a budget 

Before you begin planning for the wedding, it pays to set (and stick to) a budget. Work out how much you can put towards the wedding and factor in any contributions. 

Next, you’ll need to decide how much you want to allocate to each aspect of the wedding. The wedding venue will usually be the most costly part and this can be affected hugely by the time of year, the day of the week and how many guests you’ll be inviting. 

Once you’ve set budgets for the big things, you can work out how much you’ll have left for the smaller details like wedding favours, invitations and flowers.

Work out your goals 

From choosing the venue and finding the perfect photographer to finalising the menu and picking out the rings, it helps to break your wedding planning checklist up into short, medium and long-term goals.

This can be a great time to set personal goals too. Despite our best intentions, wedding planning can become stressful so it can be worth scheduling some pamper sessions, date nights or working with a personal trainer to stay fit, healthy and focussed in the run-up to the big day.

Set clear dates 

Whether you have six months or a couple of years to plan your wedding, setting dates for all aspects of the big day is essential.

Creating a six or 12-month plan is a great place to start. You can download handy wedding planning checklist templates with pointers to help you know what to do and when, or design your own. From practical spreadsheets to post-it notes and creative hand-written charts, choose the format that works best for you. 

Setting reminders on your phone and placing notes somewhere visible, like on the fridge or kitchen wall ensures you won’t miss a thing. 

Write everything down 

It doesn’t matter how small it might seem, writing things down as soon as you think of them will help to make sure you don’t forget to add anything to your wedding checklist. 

From checking your passports are in-date to organising a pet sitter, there are many aspects to organising a wedding and the most practical ones can be easily overlooked.

Create a countdown

Include a countdown in your wedding planning checklist which you can start as early or late as you like. A countdown the month before the wedding might include last-minute dress fittings, make-up and hair trials, final flower and cake check-ins and organising gifts for the wedding party.  

A well-structured list will help you feel less stressed, more organised and as prepared as you can be for your wedding day.

Enlist the help of a wedding coordinator

A great wedding coordinator can make all the difference when it comes to organising your dream wedding. With years of experience, they’ll help ease the stress of wedding planning and be there to help you through all the stages of your wedding preparation.

Don’t be afraid to delegate too. Friends and family will be more than happy to help out where they can and be involved in your day. Whether it’s sourcing wedding favours or finding the best band in town, be sure to use all the help that you can get.