Disclosure: Gathr is ours. The advice works with any app, or with pen and paper.
In short
Set the budget, guest count and date first, then book the venue and the vendors who sell out (photographer, caterer, officiant), send save the dates six to eight months out and invitations six to eight weeks out. The last month is for final numbers, payments and a written timeline for the day.
- Budget, headcount and date come before anything you book.
- Book what sells out first: venue, photographer, caterer.
- Invitations go out 6–8 weeks before, with an RSVP date 3–4 weeks before.
Step 1: budget, guest count and date
Every other decision hangs on these three. The budget and the number of guests decide which venues you can even look at, and the venue usually decides the date.
Write down a rough guest count before you fall for a venue. Our guide to making a wedding guest list walks through the A-list, B-list and plus-one rules.
12 months or more before
- Agree the total budget and who is contributing.
- Draft the guest list and settle on a number.
- Pick a season and a few possible dates.
- Book the venue (or venues, if you have several functions).
- Book an officiant who is authorized to marry people in your province.
- Book the photographer and, if you want one, a planner.
9 to 6 months before
- Book the caterer, DJ or band, and decor.
- Send save the dates — six to eight months out, or eight to twelve for a destination wedding.
- Start on outfits; many take months to make or alter.
- Book hotel blocks for out-of-town guests.
- Plan each function if you have more than one: mehndi, sangeet, ceremony, reception. See how to plan a sangeet.
4 months to 6 weeks before
- Order or design the invitations.
- Menu tasting and cake.
- Rings, shoes, accessories.
- Book hair and makeup, and a trial.
- Send invitations six to eight weeks before the day (about three months for a destination wedding), with an RSVP date three to four weeks before.
- Check your province’s rules for the marriage licence. Licences are issued provincially and expire after a set time, so don’t get it too early.
The last month (the 1-month-out checklist)
- Chase the RSVPs that haven’t come in, once and kindly.
- Give final numbers to the caterer and venue by their deadline.
- Make the seating plan.
- Pick up the marriage licence.
- Write a timeline for the day and send it to every vendor and the wedding party.
- Pay the final balances, or put the due dates where you’ll see them.
- Pack an emergency kit: safety pins, stain remover, painkillers, chargers.
- The day before: hand off anything left to one trusted person.
Short on time? Planning a wedding in 6 months
It can be done; you just make decisions faster. Pick the venue that has your date free rather than hunting for the perfect one, book vendors in the first month, send invitations straight away instead of save the dates, and keep the guest list tight.
Fridays, Sundays and off-season dates are easier to get at short notice.
Keep the checklist in Gathr
- Tell Gathr it’s a wedding. A one-minute setup asks for the names, the date, the place and a budget, and the wedding comes with its functions already laid out.
- Start from a wedding checklist. The Tasks tab starts with a list made for your kind of event, with due dates counted back from the day. Add your own and tick them off.
- Plan it together. Invite a co-host by link — your partner, family or planner — to see and edit the same checklist, guests, schedule and budget.
- Follow Home. Home always shows the next thing to do, and on the day what’s on now and next sits on your Lock Screen.
Gathr is free, with no ads and no charges to you or your guests. It never moves money; Finance is a record you keep.
Common questions
What should be on a wedding planning checklist?
Budget, guest list and date first; then venue, officiant, photographer, caterer and music; then save the dates, outfits, invitations, the marriage licence, final numbers, seating and a timeline for the day.
When should you send wedding invitations?
Six to eight weeks before the wedding, or about three months ahead for a destination wedding, with an RSVP date three to four weeks before the day.
When should you send save the dates?
Six to eight months before the wedding, or eight to twelve months for a destination wedding.
Is there a free wedding checklist app?
Gathr is free. Its Tasks tab starts with a checklist for your kind of event, with due dates counted back from the day, and a co-host can share it.
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