How To Plan A Perfect Wedding? The Ultimate Step-By-Step Guide!

So you’re engaged! Congratulations on this most exciting and important time in your life! Now it’s time to plan the wedding day of your dreams.

Wedding planning can be overwhelming, from finding the right wedding venue to buying the dream dress, booking vendors, and managing each little detail.

But if you give yourself plenty of time for arranging these details step by step with our ultimate wedding planning guide, you can throw a fabulous wedding day that your family and friends will remember for years to come. So here’s the step-by-step wedding planning guide for you!

Table of Contents

>9 to 12 Months Before:

Set Your Wedding Budget:

Start planning your wedding by figuring out how much money you have to spend on your big day, based on your own and family contributions.

Search & Gather Inspiration:

Now it’s the perfect time to collect inspiration from social media. So start browsing wedding blogs, Pinterest, Instagram to get some wedding theme inspirations.

Consider Your Guest List:

Having an estimated guest count before looking at your wedding venue is essential, as this could affect your venue choices.

Choose Date & Venue:

Most popular venues & dates get booked far in advance, so it’s an ideal time to find a venue and date for better availability.

Determine Wedding Party:

Now, it’s time to decide who will be at your wedding party. So go ahead and choose your bridesmaids, groomsmen, flower girl, maid of honor, or anyone else you want them to stand beside you on your big day.

Finalize All Vendor Bookings:

Like the venue, wedding vendors also get booked pretty far in advance. So start hiring the most important wedding vendors at least a year in advance, such as planners, photographers, videographers, florists, and DJs.

>6 to 8 Months Before:

Buy Your Wedding Dress:

Start looking for your wedding dress and accessories at least 6 to 8 months before the wedding day to get plenty of time for wedding dress alterations.

Book Hotel Rooms For Guests:

The next step is to secure hotel rooms for your out-of-town guests. Book them 6 months in advance of the big day for better availability near the venue.

Send Out The Save Dates:

Now it’s time to officially announce to everyone where and when you are going to get married.

>2 to 5 Months Before:

Think About Guest Transportation:

What your wedding party and out-of-town guests will secretly want from you is pre-arranged transportation. Think about town cars, minibusses, or limos.

Schedule The Events:

If you have already hired wedding planners, they will assist you in scheduling your events (the first dance, the cake cutting, etc.) Send your event’s timeline to all vendors once you finalize it.

Send The Wedding Invitations:

6 to 8 weeks before the wedding date is considered the best time to send invitations with RSVPs.

Finalize The Small Wedding Tasks:

Narrow down the to-do list by finalizing the little details such as the menu, dress fitting, guest list, seating chart, decorations, marriage license, and gifts. Finalize these little things 2 to 5 in advance of the wedding date.

>1 Month Before:

First of all, congratulations, you’ve made it to the last month of your wedding planning. Most of the hard work is finished now, but some details still need to be finalized. Try to complete things like:

Finalize your wedding cake
Visit the tailor for your last fitting
Get your marriage license
Reconfirm arrival time with all vendors
Give your photographer shortlist
Give the song selection to your DJ or band
Create wedding day emergency kit
Break in your shoes
Clear your work to-do list
Prepare payments
Drink plenty of water and eat healthy food
Spend some quality time together
Relax, smile, and enjoy your day!

Wishing you all the best!