A wedding planning timeline is a month-by-month list of what to book and decide before the day. Enter your wedding date and this one-page plan counts back 12 months, putting each step on a real date: the venue first, invitations eight weeks out, final payments in the last week.
Free, no sign-up. Change anything, then print, save as PDF or share a link.
Updated
Alex & Sam's wedding plan
December 2026 – December 2027
Plan
Book
Outfits
Guests
Day
December
Sat19DecSet the budget and guest count12 months to go
January
Sat2JanBook the venue and the date12 months to go
February
Sun21FebBook the photographer and caterer10 months to go
March
Tue23MarChoose the dress and suits9 months to go
April
Thu22AprSend save-the-dates8 months to go
June
Mon21JunBook music, flowers and the cake6 months to go
July
Wed21JulPlan the honeymoon5 months to go
August
Fri20AugOrder invitations, book hair and makeup4 months to go
October
Tue19OctSend the invitations8 weeks to go
November
Sat6NovFinal dress fitting6 weeks to go
Sat20NovRSVP deadline, plan the seating4 weeks to go
December
Sat4DecConfirm suppliers and send the day timeline2 weeks to go
Sat11DecPay final balances and pack1 week to go
Sat18DecThe wedding dayHillside Barn
title: Alex & Sam's wedding plan
type: poster
{D-364} Set the budget and guest count | 12 months to go #plan
{D-350} Book the venue and the date | 12 months to go #book
{D-300} Book the photographer and caterer | 10 months to go #book
{D-270} Choose the dress and suits | 9 months to go #outfits
{D-240} Send save-the-dates | 8 months to go #guests
{D-180} Book music, flowers and the cake | 6 months to go #book
{D-150} Plan the honeymoon | 5 months to go #plan
{D-120} Order invitations, book hair and makeup | 4 months to go #book
{D-60} Send the invitations | 8 weeks to go #guests
{D-42} Final dress fitting | 6 weeks to go #outfits
{D-28} RSVP deadline, plan the seating | 4 weeks to go #guests
{D-14} Confirm suppliers and send the day timeline | 2 weeks to go #book
{D-7} Pay final balances and pack | 1 week to go #plan
{D} The wedding day | Hillside Barn #day
At a glance
Start
12 months before
Steps
13
Book first
Venue and date
Save-the-dates
6 to 8 months before
Invitations
6 to 8 weeks before
Final numbers
About 3 weeks before
The 12-month wedding timeline
The usual order and timings. Move any step to suit your venue and suppliers: their contracts come first.
Wedding planning steps and when to do them
When
What to do
Why then
12 months to go
Set the budget and guest count
Everything else depends on them: the venue size, the catering and how much is left for the rest.
12 months to go
Book the venue and the date
Popular venues and Saturdays in summer go first, often a year or more ahead.
10 months to go
Book the photographer and caterer
Good ones take a limited number of weddings a year.
9 months to go
Choose the dress and suits
Made-to-order dresses can take 6 months or more, plus fittings.
8 months to go
Send save-the-dates
Gives guests time to book travel and time off, especially for a destination wedding.
6 months to go
Book music, flowers and the cake
Once the venue and style are set, these suppliers can quote properly.
5 months to go
Plan the honeymoon
Flights and good rooms are cheaper booked early.
4 months to go
Order invitations, book hair and makeup
Printing takes a few weeks; stylists book up for busy dates.
8 weeks to go
Send the invitations
Six to eight weeks is the usual lead time; allow more for guests who travel.
6 weeks to go
Final dress fitting
Leaves time for one more change if needed.
4 weeks to go
RSVP deadline, plan the seating
The caterer and venue need final numbers about three weeks before.
2 weeks to go
Confirm suppliers and send the day timeline
Everyone works from the same times and the same contact numbers.
1 week to go
Pay final balances and pack
Most suppliers ask for the balance a week or two before.
Turn your own to-do list into a plan
Keep your full to-do list wherever you like: notes, a spreadsheet or a planning app.
Paste it into ChatGPT or Claude with the request on the right.
The assistant picks out the main steps, dates them back from your wedding day and gives you a link.
Open the link: one page to print, pin up or send to your partner and family.
Here is our wedding to-do list. The wedding is on Saturday December 18 2027.
Pick out the 10 to 15 main steps and give me a one-page plan
with Schedule Gizmo (rules: schedulegizmo.com/llms.txt):
type: poster, one line per step with its date, the step,
"| N months to go" and a #tag (plan, book, guests, outfits).
[paste your list here]
Make it yours
Set your wedding date: every step moves with it.
Change, add or remove steps; one line each.
Each #tag gets its own color, so bookings, guests and outfits stand apart.
Print it on one page or share a link.
type: poster
2026-12-19 Set the budget and guest count | 12 months to go #plan
2027-01-02 Book the venue and the date | 12 months to go #book
2027-02-21 Book the photographer and caterer | 10 months to go #book
2027-03-23 Choose the dress and suits | 9 months to go #outfits
2027-04-22 Send save-the-dates | 8 months to go #guests
2027-06-21 Book music, flowers and the cake | 6 months to go #book
2027-07-21 Plan the honeymoon | 5 months to go #plan
…
Questions
When should we start planning a wedding?
About 12 months ahead is common, and 18 months for a popular venue or a summer Saturday. Shorter works too: the steps are the same, just closer together.
When do you send save-the-dates and invitations?
Save-the-dates about 6 to 8 months before, and invitations 6 to 8 weeks before. For a destination wedding, send both earlier.
When do you need final guest numbers?
Usually about three weeks before the day, for the caterer and the venue. Set the RSVP deadline a week before that.
Can ChatGPT or Claude make this from my own to-do list?
Yes. Paste your list with the request on this page; the assistant dates the main steps back from your wedding day and gives you a Schedule Gizmo link to open, print or share.
Is it free?
Yes. Making, printing and sharing are free with no account.
