Wedding Planner Timeline

Are you getting married in 2023? Does the sheer amount of organisation leave you feeling panicked? Well don’t worry, we’re here to help with our guide on what needs to be done and when. Read on to find out more...

12 - 18 MONTHS TO GO

The earlier the better

Ideally, the planning for your wedding would start 12-18 months before the big day. Some people prefer to start planning with a lot more time, with others preferring to have less time. We’ll use 12 months as a jumping off point. Around this time, you should have determined a rough guest list. Once you’ve decided on the number of people you’ll be having at your wedding, you’ll have a better idea of the kind of venue you want and the likely cost per head. This will then help you to decide on your budget for the wedding.

Date and Venue

Once you’ve decided on the number of people and the budget, you can then look into booking a date and a venue. Some venues can book up well in advance, so it’s best to do this as early as possible to avoid disappointment. You can then check to see if the church or registrar is also available on that date. It’s also a good idea to register your intention to marry around this time. This can be done between 12-3 months before your wedding but it’s always a good idea to do this as soon as possible. 

Your Wedding Party

Then comes the fun. Deciding on who you want in your wedding party! A great wedding party will not only be full of the people you love the most but they can also help you with the organisation for the day. They may also be able to help you choose a colour palette and theme for your wedding and you can create a shared pinterest board to help with the brainstorming. At this point, you might consider hiring a wedding planner, who can assist you with all of your wedding planning needs.

Suppliers

Now’s the time to book suppliers. These include, but are not limited to, a photographer or videographer, a DJ or band, caterers (if this isn’t provided by your wedding venue), hair and makeup artists and a florist. It’s also never too early to think about cake!

What to wear?

It’s also the time to think about what you’ll wear on the big day! A dress? A suit? The choice is yours. We’d always recommend coming in to see us at King & Allen as soon as possible. You can take a look at all of the cloths and style options and then come back closer to the wedding for final measurements and then fittings. You’ll also want to think about your wedding party. Will they be wearing suits or dresses or something else?

10 MONTHS TO GO

Think about wellbeing

Wedding planning can be a stressful time and it’s important to prioritise your physical and mental health. Eating a balanced diet, engaging in regular exercise and doing mindfulness meditation exercises can help you feel strong enough to get through the whole process. Also remember that you’re getting married because you love your partner and you won’t get there without each other’s support. 

A Website

A wedding website is a must for keeping all of your guests updated on the timings and plans for the day. You can choose to send out your wedding invitations through the website and a lot of the sites offer the opportunity to have a unique wedding email address. On the site, you can have a list of recommended hotels near to your venue, as well as options for transport. It’s the one-stop-shop for your wedding.

Finalise the Ceremony

If you’ve met with the registrar, it’s likely they’ll send you a form where you have to outline the details of your ceremony. Although this can be sent at a later date, it’s a great idea to lock in these details at an early stage. It will make everything run that bit smoother.

Booking the Hotels

If your venue doesn’t offer accommodation as part of the package, now is the time to book nearby hotels for yourself and your wedding party. 

Guests

Time to send out the save the date cards. If you don’t want to send these out, you should send out invitations around six months before the wedding. If you’ve already set up your wedding website, you can send out the invitations from here and guests will be able to RSVP and choose their meal options etc. It removes the need for a lot of paper admin.

If you do decide to go for paper invitations, now is the perfect time to order your wedding stationery.

8 MONTHS TO GO

Decorations

You will have already given a lot of thought to your colour palette and theme for the day. Now’s the time to start putting those plans into action and ordering the necessary decorations. If you’ve decided to do wedding favours, you can start ordering in the requisite parts, so that they’re all ready to go.

Gifts

If you’re asking for wedding gifts, it’s a great idea to set up a wedding gift list. If this can be set up before you send out the formal invitations, then you can include the link to your preferred gift supplier, making it super easy for your guests to get you something you really want. There are so many options, from homewares, to travel vouchers.

Honeymooning

This is one of the parts of wedding planning that couples really enjoy. It’s a chance to have a break from the wedding admin (wedmin) and focus on sunning yourself in an exotic location, having an adventure in the mountains or whatever else you’d love to do with your future wife/husband.

6 MONTHS TO GO

Invitations

It’s time to send out your invitations. This can easily be done on your wedding website or with your personalised stationery. Even if you do decide to opt for wedding stationery, the website can serve as a source of information for all of your guests. 

Accessorise!

Time to buy the wedding rings. You might have an idea of the type of ring you’re looking for, or perhaps you’ve started another Pinterest board with lots of inspiration. You might also start considering buying any accessories you’ll need on the day. For example, a beautiful pair of cufflinks, shoes, a gorgeous tie, hair accessories or lingerie.

Suit up!

Now is the time to come in and see us at King & Allen for your suit. Although it takes us between 8-12 weeks to make a suit, we would always recommend coming in early and having your suit ready for your big day. That way, it’s hanging in your wardrobe waiting for you. Have a think about all the details you might want to include, such as the date of your wedding embroidered on the inside of your jacket, or a special lining.

8 WEEKS TO GO

Suits

We would be remiss if we didn’t mention the wedding suit again. The minimum amount of time we would need to make a suit is 5 weeks but why wait? There are so many options for you and your wedding party and you’re sure to have a great time in the process.

For those wearing a bridal dress, this is a good time for you to go to your fitting. Check with your dress supplier on when they’d suggest you come in.

Party!

It’s time to have a fabulous time with your favourite people on your hen night or stag do. Or maybe a sten do (a mixed stag and hen) or a fox party (a gender-neutral event). This is where your choice of wedding party will come into its own and they can take some of the organisation off your hands!

Detailing

Now it’s time to think about all of the finer details for the event. If you’ve purchased your decorations and wedding favour components, you can start putting these together. You might also like to finalise your table names and think about the table styling. 

Writing the seating plan can often be fraught with politics so it’s a good time to think about it now, so that it’s all sorted by the day. You can then also pass along the menu decisions and any dietary requirements of that particular table.

If you haven’t already decided, now’s the time to decide on the song for your first dance and let your DJ know.

4 WEEKS TO GO

Suppliers

Now’s the time to make the final payments to suppliers and confirm all the details. You’ll also need to inform them of what time they need to arrive or drop off items. This can include letting your photographer know where and when to turn up, what kind of shots you’d like on your day and who you want to be in your group photos. It also might involve letting your florist know where to deliver the flowers and the hair / makeup artists where they should go. 

One Week to go

Everything you need should already be in place, so now’s the time to relax and enjoy the process. You might want to think about organising a wedding day gift for your partner or organising any special surprises.

ON THE DAY