[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":240},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Fposts\u002F12-month-wedding-planning-timeline":3},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"description":229,"extension":230,"meta":231,"navigation":232,"path":233,"publishedOn":234,"seo":235,"status":236,"stem":237,"updatedOn":238,"__hash__":239},"posts\u002Fposts\u002F12-month-wedding-planning-timeline.md","The 12-month wedding planning timeline, from someone who lived it",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":216},"minimark",[9,13,21,26,29,48,52,69,73,90,94,111,115,129,133,147,151,165,169,180,184,195,198,205],[10,11,12],"p",{},"This is the timeline I actually used. I broke my own wedding planning into\nbuckets — not exact dates, because wedding planning doesn't run on exact\ndates — and worked through each one before moving to the next. It kept me\nfrom the two things that make planning feel chaotic: doing things out of\norder, and not knowing what \"on track\" even looks like.",[10,14,15,16,20],{},"A note before you start: none of this has to happen on this exact schedule.\nShorter engagements compress it; longer ones stretch it. What matters is the\n",[17,18,19],"em",{},"order"," — book your venue before you order invitations, set your guest list\nbefore you finalize a seating plan. Use this as a shape, not a countdown.",[22,23,25],"h2",{"id":24},"_12-months-out-the-big-decisions","12+ months out: the big decisions",[10,27,28],{},"This is where you make the choices everything else depends on.",[30,31,32,36,39,42,45],"ul",{},[33,34,35],"li",{},"Set a realistic budget, and agree with whoever's contributing on who's paying for what",[33,37,38],{},"Draft your guest list (even roughly — you'll refine it later)",[33,40,41],{},"Choose your wedding date, or a short list of dates",[33,43,44],{},"Research and book your venue",[33,46,47],{},"Start a vendor short list for your highest-priority categories (photographer and caterer usually book up first)",[22,49,51],{"id":50},"_612-months-out-lock-in-your-vendors","6–12 months out: lock in your vendors",[30,53,54,57,60,63,66],{},[33,55,56],{},"Book your photographer and videographer",[33,58,59],{},"Book your caterer, florist, and music\u002Fentertainment",[33,61,62],{},"Choose your wedding party and ask them",[33,64,65],{},"Start shopping for your dress or attire",[33,67,68],{},"Send save-the-dates, especially if you have out-of-town guests",[22,70,72],{"id":71},"_36-months-out-the-details-take-shape","3–6 months out: the details take shape",[30,74,75,78,81,84,87],{},[33,76,77],{},"Finalize your menu and cake with your caterer\u002Fbaker",[33,79,80],{},"Order invitations",[33,82,83],{},"Book hair and makeup trials",[33,85,86],{},"Reserve rentals (tables, chairs, linens) if your venue doesn't provide them",[33,88,89],{},"Start planning your seating chart layout, even before you have RSVPs",[22,91,93],{"id":92},"_13-months-out-paperwork-and-confirmations","1–3 months out: paperwork and confirmations",[30,95,96,99,102,105,108],{},[33,97,98],{},"Send invitations (give guests real time to RSVP)",[33,100,101],{},"Apply for your marriage license",[33,103,104],{},"Finalize the guest count with your caterer and venue",[33,106,107],{},"Confirm final details with every vendor — timing, arrival, contact person",[33,109,110],{},"Break in your wedding shoes",[22,112,114],{"id":113},"_24-weeks-out-tighten-everything","2–4 weeks out: tighten everything",[30,116,117,120,123,126],{},[33,118,119],{},"Finalize your seating chart based on RSVPs",[33,121,122],{},"Confirm final headcount and any special meal requests",[33,124,125],{},"Draft your day-of timeline and share it with your vendors and wedding party",[33,127,128],{},"Pick up or finalize any last alterations",[22,130,132],{"id":131},"_12-weeks-out-last-confirmations","1–2 weeks out: last confirmations",[30,134,135,138,141,144],{},[33,136,137],{},"Reconfirm arrival times and contacts with every vendor",[33,139,140],{},"Prepare final payments and tip envelopes",[33,142,143],{},"Pack for your honeymoon if you're leaving right after",[33,145,146],{},"Delegate day-of tasks to your wedding party or helpers — decide who's doing what",[22,148,150],{"id":149},"the-week-of","The week of",[30,152,153,156,159,162],{},[33,154,155],{},"Do a final walkthrough at your venue if you can",[33,157,158],{},"Confirm your rehearsal dinner details",[33,160,161],{},"Pack your day-of emergency kit",[33,163,164],{},"Get some sleep — easier said than done, but worth protecting",[22,166,168],{"id":167},"the-day-before","The day before",[30,170,171,174,177],{},[33,172,173],{},"Rehearse the ceremony",[33,175,176],{},"Drop off any items your venue or vendors need in advance",[33,178,179],{},"Do something that has nothing to do with the wedding, even for an hour",[22,181,183],{"id":182},"day-of","Day-of",[30,185,186,189,192],{},[33,187,188],{},"Hand off your timeline to someone who isn't you — a helper, a coordinator, a family member",[33,190,191],{},"Eat something",[33,193,194],{},"Let the plan you already made do the work",[196,197],"hr",{},[10,199,200,204],{},[201,202,203],"strong",{},"Why this order works:"," each bucket depends on the one before it. You\ncan't finalize a seating chart before you have a guest list. You can't\nconfirm a headcount before RSVPs are in. Planning out of order is one of the\nbiggest sources of \"wait, I have to redo this\" — and redoing things is what\nmakes twelve months feel like it wasn't enough.",[10,206,207],{},[17,208,209,210,215],{},"Be Your Planner turns this exact timeline into a real, assignable checklist\n— pre-populated, organized by these same buckets, with deadlines and an\nowner for each task. It's still in development. If you'd like to know when\nit's ready, ",[211,212,214],"a",{"href":213},"\u002F","join the waitlist",".",{"title":217,"searchDepth":218,"depth":218,"links":219},"",2,[220,221,222,223,224,225,226,227,228],{"id":24,"depth":218,"text":25},{"id":50,"depth":218,"text":51},{"id":71,"depth":218,"text":72},{"id":92,"depth":218,"text":93},{"id":113,"depth":218,"text":114},{"id":131,"depth":218,"text":132},{"id":149,"depth":218,"text":150},{"id":167,"depth":218,"text":168},{"id":182,"depth":218,"text":183},"A month-by-month wedding planning checklist, organized the way I actually organized my own wedding — not a generic list I found online.","md",{},true,"\u002Fposts\u002F12-month-wedding-planning-timeline","2026-08-02",{"title":5,"description":229},"published","posts\u002F12-month-wedding-planning-timeline",null,"b67Up-TNKjKMrvUvnoDgL-fiwHTePz_RYEuQwbXAE2g",1786075993174]