Wedding planning basics: Planning timelines

Twelve months is common, six can work, and longer engagements simply add space at the start.

The key points

12–10 months: foundations
9–7 months: big bookings
6–4 months: style and guests
Final month: confirm and hand over

18-month plan

Book the venue and photographer, then pause until the year mark.

6-month plan

Be flexible on date or day of week and book fast.

3-month plan

Small guest list, inclusive venue, ready-to-wear outfits.

Read more about planning timelines

A wedding planner notebook open beside a watch and small rings

Planning & timelineThe 12-month wedding planning timeline (with a printable checklist)

A groomsman helping the groom with his cufflinks

For the groomThe groom’s planning and suit checklist

A wedding party in dusty blue laughing in front of barn doors

The wedding dayThe wedding-week handoff: let yourself be present

A smiling couple posing among autumn leaves

Just engagedHow long should an engagement be?

A minimal monogrammed invitation suite on soft linen

Guests & invitationsWhen to send save-the-dates and invitations (with an exact calculator)

Rows of white chairs on a lawn above the ocean for a ceremony

Venues & locationsDestination weddings: guests, legal requirements and a realistic timeline

Quick answers

When should we give vendors the final timeline?

About five to seven days before the wedding, after confirming arrival times, with the version date at the top.

The wedding dayAll questions

When should we send save-the-dates?

Six to eight months before the wedding, or eight to twelve months for a destination wedding. Use the invitation date calculator to get exact dates.

Planning & timelineAll questions

Should we hire a day-of coordinator?

If you don’t have a full planner, it is the single most useful hire. They take your timeline and run the day so you and your family don’t have to.

Vendors & contractsAll questions

How many hours before the ceremony should hair and makeup start?

For the bride plus four attendants with one hairstylist and one makeup artist, start roughly five to six hours before the ceremony. Use the timeline builder for your exact numbers.

For the brideAll questions