Planning a successful wedding can be a long and complicated process. Even the most simple weddings require plenty of forward planning whether that’s organising vendors, who to invite or simply budgeting.
There are a number of factors you need to consider when planning a wedding. We’ve broken down the main components of your big day and where to begin with each one.
Setting a wedding date
This one depends on many factors. You may be tempted to plan your wedding for a few weeks or months time, but it’s best to plan at least a year in advance if you want to avoid a stressful time. A minimum of 12 months gives you the flexibility to shop around for venues, vendors, outfits and rings. If you plan on having your friends and family there, they will appreciate the advance notice.
Most couples tend to plan a date between 12 and 24 months time, giving them plenty of time to plan, budget and relax.
Set a budget
Weddings can be expensive. Even a small wedding could set you back around £3000. It’s important to categorise the things you want from the nice to haves. Get in touch with a few vendors for some quotes and to discuss ideas. Once you have an idea on how much each element will cost, organise them line by line in a spreadsheet.
Book early
Booking early to avoid disappointment. Once you have a date (or rough date), book your venue. You can then start to organise all the other elements around a date and location.
Say yes to the dress
One important item to think about is your dress. Some bespoke dresses can take months with additional time required for alterations. It’s recommended to order your wedding dress between 8 and 10 months before your wedding day. Even if you’re buying something “off the peg”, you’ll still need to allocate time for alterations.
Suit’s can be turned around slightly quicker, so we recommend 6-8 months in advance.
Rings
Wedding rings can often take between 2-8 weeks to make. That doesn’t take into consideration any size alternations that might need to be made. Make sure that you organise your rings at least 6 months in advance so that you have plenty of wiggle room.
Photographers, cake and the rest
There’s no real time limit on booking these. Just remember that the sooner you secure a vendor, they’re more like to be able to facilitate your request.
Invites
It’s best to inform your guests of your wedding date as soon as possible. This can be done in the form of a “save the date”. This isn’t a formal invitation in itself but it lets your guests block out the time in their calendar well in advance.
When the time comes to sending an invite, we recommend using an online invite management tool such as Crafted Invite. Invites should be sent around 4-6 months before the wedding. Too early and you risk guests forgetting to respond. Too late and they may have made other plans. If you need guests to book accommodation we recommend going early as hotel rooms can be more expensive in the lead up to a specific date. If your wedding falls on the date of a bank holiday or a local event, informing your guests of accommodation options sooner is a must.
If you want to use an online wedding invitation manager, it’s never too early to start compiling your guest list.
Get organised
For everything that’s booked, place it into a spreadsheet and dates to your calendar for payment reminders. As your wedding approaches you’ll find the number of outgoings will rise. It’s important to make sure that you have the funds ready for when each vendor or service needs to be paid.
To make life easier, consider setting up a shared online calendar so that both you and your partner have eyes on important milestones.
Summary
Planning your wedding can feel stressful and overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. By giving yourself ample time, you can break tasks into smaller, manageable steps. Staying organised is essential—start early with a detailed checklist and a realistic budget to make the process smoother and more enjoyable.
Want more inspiration? Check out more articles like this on our planning guides.
Images provided by https://unsplash.com/@digitalsofia.
