Guide · Planning
Wedding planning checklist: 12 months, step by step
Planning a wedding is a sequence of decisions with a logical order: some things simply cannot happen before others. This is the calendar we follow with our couples, condensed into four phases. If you have less time, everything compresses — but the order stays the same.
12 to 9 months: the decisions that shape everything
This phase is about structure, not details. Everything you decide here steers the rest of the process.
- Set the overall budget and who contributes what
- Draft the guest list: it determines the venue capacity you need
- Choose a target date and the style of wedding
- Book the venue: the most urgent decision in peak season
- Hire your wedding planner, if you want one: the earlier, the more it saves
9 to 6 months: the vendors who sell out
With the venue secured, lock in the professionals who book out first for peak-season Saturdays in Seville.
- Catering: with a tasting included in the proposal
- Photography and video: the good ones close dates a year out
- Music for the ceremony, cocktail and party
- Dress or suit: fittings begin around 8 months ahead
- Save the dates, especially if guests are travelling
6 to 3 months: the design takes shape
With the structure closed, the wedding starts to have a face: this is the phase of aesthetic decisions and guest experience.
- Floral design, décor and furniture
- Stationery and invitations: sent 3 to 4 months before
- Final menu after the tasting, plus allergy-friendly options
- Guest accommodation and transport, if people are travelling
- Ceremony: script, readings, music and officiant
The final 3 months: confirm, rehearse, let go
The last stretch is not for deciding — it is for refining. The more is locked a month out, the freer you will be in the final week.
- Final guest confirmations and seating plan
- Hair and make-up trials, and last wardrobe fittings
- Minute-by-minute timeline shared with every vendor
- Final payment calendar
- Rain or extreme-heat backup confirmed with the venue
FAQ
- What if we have less than 12 months?
- A wedding can be planned in 6 months — or less — by accepting fewer venue and vendor options. The order of decisions stays exactly the same.
- When should invitations go out?
- Three to four months ahead for a local wedding. For a destination wedding, send save the dates 8–10 months out and invitations around 5 months before.
- When should we hire a wedding planner?
- Ideally at the very start, before booking the venue. That way the budget is built on real figures and you avoid expensive decisions you cannot undo.
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