Congratulations on your engagement! It can be hard to know where to start. Check out this post to see how to map out your wedding planning journey to lead to a successful day.

But before we get started, my #1 tip is:

Hire a Wedding Planner!

Not surprising I know. A wedding planner will help you map this all out, especially if you’re planning on getting married less than a year after you start planning. Depending on the level of service you book, they will take the burden of getting many of these tasks done, or they will help you stay on track if you’re handling them yourself.

Another important tip:

Remember There are Peaks and Valleys

There are times in wedding planning where you feel like you’re drinking from a fire hose because there is so much to do. Other times, it feels like there’s nothing to do, but feels like you should be doing something. Check out the bottom of this post for ideas on what to do during those valleys so you’re still making progress.

Before You Start Planning Your Wedding

Fab Five: Guest List, Budget, Planner, Vibe, and Venue

Guest List: Talk with your future spouse and families and start writing down guests who are must haves at the wedding. This will help you figure out your estimated guest count, which you will need for the budget and venue.
Budget: Talk with your future spouse and families about how much everyone is willing to contribute for your special day. This will give you an overall budget to work with, which a planner will need to help determine how much you can spend on each vendor category.
Planner: This should be the first vendor you book so they can help you create your budget, find your dream venue and vendors, and map about the planning process.
Vibe: Think about what you want your wedding to look like. Elegant and sophisticated, or rustic and casual? You’ll need this in your head as you (or your planner) start to look at wedding venues to make sure they jive with your vision.
Venue: If you’re working with a planner, they will help you find a venue that matches your vibe, budget, and guest list. If you’re doing this on your own, start researching venues in the area(s) you’re looking at getting married in. Some great places to start are The Knot, Zola, Wedding Wire, and wedding groups on Facebook (there are some hidden gems there!). Make sure you keep on eye on cost and maximum capacity, as well as indoor/outdoor options in case of inclement weather.

You need a wedding date before you can book any other vendors.

12 Months Before Wedding Day

This is the time to focus on nailing down your most important vendors. If you’re working with a planner, they will provide you with recommendations that fit your budget, location, and wedding date. If you’re not, here are the vendors you should focus on first:

Media Team: Photographer, Videographer, Content Creator
Entertainment: DJ or Band
Specific vendor companies you want to work with (lock them in!)

Start with vendors who can only do one wedding per day - they book up the fastest.

With your photographer, you’ll want to get your engagement photos scheduled ASAP if you want to include them in your Save the Dates.

You’ll also want to start trying on wedding dresses a year out because some take several months to come in, and then you still need time for alterations.

10 Months Before Wedding Day

You already know the vibe you want for your wedding day, and you might have some ideas for colors and other design aspects. Now is the time to nail down your vision (your planner can help you with this). You should have an idea of what you want for:

Stationery: Save the dates, invitation suite, menu cards, place cards, etc.
Personal Flowers: Bouquets, boutonnieres, and corsages, etc.
Ceremony Decor: Arbor/background display (i.e., flowers and draping), aisle markers/meadows/runners, chair covers, signage, etc.
Cocktail Hour and Reception Decor: Centerpieces, linen colors and textures, table settings, chair colors (or sashes/covers), signage, cake, draping, etc.

Best thing to do is to have inspiration photos that you can show vendors so they know exactly what you’re looking for. Your planner can also help put these together so that the design is cohesive and reasonable for your budget.

This is also a great time to nail down who is in your wedding party!

8 Months Before Wedding Day

Time to book your other vendors to make sure that you have the dream vendor team for your big day. Vendors to consider are:

Caterer
Cake Artist
Florist
Hair and Makeup Artist
Live Musicians
Officiant
Rentals
Stationery Artist, Calligrapher, Custom Signage
Any other vendors you’re interested in!

Just like with your high priority vendors, your wedding planner can provide recommendations for some phenomenal vendors that work for your budget and wedding date.

Note: If most of your guests will be traveling or your wedding date is around a holiday, you will want to get your Save the Dates out ASAP.

6 Months Before Wedding Day

Time to focus on your guests! Here are some things you’ll want to work on at this point:

Hotel Blocks: Block off some rooms for your out of town guests to stay in. This also includes finding a place for you, your future spouse, and the wedding party to stay the night before and after the wedding.
Transportation: Figure out how you, the wedding party, family, and guests are getting to the wedding venue. This could be a shuttle from the hotel to the venue, personal transportation, ride share vouchers, etc.
Rehearsal Dinner: Decide who you want at the rehearsal dinner so you know the approximate guest count, then find a space close to the wedding venue and/or hotel blocks, making it easier for guests.
Save the Dates: Send out save the dates (1 per household!) so that guests can hold the date on their calendar.

4 Months Before Wedding Day

You’re almost there! Here are a few things to take care of during this time:

Dress Alterations: You’ll want plenty of time, especially if there are major changes.
Hair and Makeup Trial: Play around with some ideas that will look good with your dress.
Menu Finalization: Choose your menu for the wedding day and complete your cake tasting.
Wedding Party Outfits: Check in with your wedding party to see how they’re doing with ordering their outfits.

2 Months Before Wedding Day

It’s getting so close! Get everything done that you can so that you’re not rushing during the last month:

Invitation Suites: Send out invitations (1 per household!) so that guests can start RSVP’ing.
Groom and Groomsmen Suits: Have the guys order what they’re going to wear if they haven’t already.
Buy/Order Everything: If you’re getting anything made by someone else, now is the time to get those purchased (everything except a seating chart or things that depend on final guest count).
Wedding Bands: Order your wedding rings so they have plenty of time to come in and get resized if needed.
Special Dances and Toasts: Decide which special dances you want to do and who you want to give toasts at the rehearsal dinner and/or wedding - just make sure to tell them ahead of time!
Finalize Your Timeline: Create a day of timeline (your planner will do this for you, or there are many timeline generators online) so that everyone knows what’s happening on the day, especially your vendors.

1 Month Before Wedding Day

The finish line is ahead! Time to buckle down and get the rest sorted out so that you can have a stress-free wedding week - well, as stress-free as possible:

Final Guest Count: Follow up with all of your guests to get a final headcount, then give the numbers to catering, venue, rentals, and anyone else who needs it.
Seating Chart: Make or order your seating chart now that you know everyone who will be in attendance.
Vendor Check-Ins: Check in with all of your vendors to make sure that everything is all set. This includes your officiant in order to confirm the ceremony script prior to the rehearsal and wedding day.

Other Wedding Planning Tasks

Remember those valleys I was talking about earlier? Here are other things you can work on when you don’t know what else to do:

ABC License: Your venue, caterer, or bartender might require this.
Accessories: Buy accessories for you and your future spouse.
Alcohol: If you’re providing your own alcohol, make a plan of what and how much you need to buy, then purchase it.
DIY: If you’re doing anything yourself (signage, centerpieces, etc.), get a head start on these projects because they tend to take longer than you would expect. The exception is anything that requires fresh flowers - you should wait until as close as possible to the wedding day for these projects so they don’t die.
Guest Addresses: Collect the mailing addresses of all of your guests - this needs to be done before you send out Save the Dates.
Marriage License: Research the requirements for obtaining a marriage license where you’re getting married. Apply for the marriage license during the timeframe suggested by the county.
Plan Out the Ceremony: Decide what you want the officiant to say during the ceremony and if you want anything special - prayers, readings, songs, unity ceremony, etc. You should also decide who you want in (and the order of) the processional and recessional, and where you want everyone to sit/stand.
Set and Shot Lists: Plan out what music you want (or don’t want) to hear and specific photos you want the photographer to take, especially your family photo groupings.
Schedule Ceremony Rehearsal: Work with the venue on scheduling the ceremony rehearsal for the day before the wedding, then let everyone who needs to be at the rehearsal know the details.
Vows: Write your vows when you’re in a good headspace.
Wedding Day Gifts: Buy gifts for your future spouse, wedding party, and family members.
Wedding Website: Create your wedding website and add in your guests (if you’re doing online RSVPs), FAQs, wedding party, schedule, travel, registry, and another other information you’d like to add.

That was a lot! Having a wedding planner removes the stress of making sure everything gets done in a timely manner.

Vendor Credits

In Bloom Photography (Photos 1-2)

Aureola Spectrum Photography (Photos 3-4)

Whitt Photography and Film (Photos 5-7)

Ricky Crystal Photo (Photos 8-9)