Wedding planning
Wedding planning checklist: what to do and when
Just got engaged and wondering where to even start? Answer three questions about your wedding and we’ll show you what to do now, what comes later and what you can skip.
And in the Wedding Planner - No Stress! app, your plan stays with you all the way to the wedding, with reminders and a checklist you share with your partner.
01How it usually goes
140 tasks, and half of them aren’t about you
You open a checklist online and there it is: a rehearsal dinner you’re not having, a reception when all you want is the courthouse. It’s not clear what to do first, especially if you’re planning without a planner. And every plan starts at “12 months before the wedding,” when yours is six months away, so it feels like you’re already late.
You don’t need a generic list. You need yours: built for your wedding and starting from where you are now.
Ours comes from tens of thousands of very different weddings planned in our app, from a courthouse wedding for two to a reception for a hundred guests. All that’s left is to tell us what yours looks like.
02Your plan
Your wedding planning checklist, step by step
Answer three questions and see what your wedding needs, starting with what to do right now. Not sure yet? Pick what’s closest.
How many guests
What kind of wedding
Pick your wedding month and we’ll show you what to do now.
A reception for 30–100 guests needs every task, just not all at once: we’ve folded away what comes later.
A bookmark is easy to forget. The app reminds you of your plan, and your partner sees the same checkmarks.
Free to try. No credit card required.
Where to start
right after the proposal6–12 months out
3–6 months out
For example: schedule fittings and alterations, confirm vendor contracts and payment timelines, coordinate shower and bachelor/bachelorette party dates.
1–2 months out
For example: apply for your marriage license, confirm who will sign your marriage license, assign day-of roles.
The final week
For example: deliver final payments or prepare vendor envelopes, pack a wedding-day emergency kit, pack an overnight bag.
The day before
For example: rehearse the ceremony with key people, confirm setup instructions with vendors and venue, pack everything for the day.
On the day
For example: take pre-ceremony photos, check you have the rings and vows, make time for private moments with your partner.
After the wedding
For example: pick up or receive your marriage certificate, make digital and physical backups of photos and videos, begin the name change process.
03Starting late?
You’re not late, even with three months to go
Most couples who plan with our app start with less than six months to go, and they all get it done. Order matters more than time.
The big things first
The venue first. Then the photographer and the band or DJ: summer Saturdays go first. Everything else fits around them.
What you can skip
- Rentals, if the venue has the basics
- Welcome bags
- An engagement party
When time or money is tight, these are the first to go.
Even a month
A month is enough: the courthouse, dinner at a restaurant that already has a menu and decor, a photographer for three or four hours and online invitations.
Starting with less than a year to go? The app shows what’s still open from earlier on, so you can catch up calmly.
04What to bring
Wedding day essentials, down to the small things
The small things turn up in the final week, when you start packing, and most checklists leave them out. Here’s the list, so you’re not scrambling the night before.
Your wedding-day bag
- IDs and rings
- Cash for tips
- Copies of contracts and vendor contacts
- Power bank and chargers
- A sewing kit, safety pins and bandages
- Stain wipes
- Painkillers
- Water and a snack for the two of you
What people remember at the last minute
- Break in your shoes and add insoles
- Get a garment bag and steam the dress the day before
- Decide who holds the rings, and get a ring box
- Set a time for getting ready
- Pack a change of clothes
- Find the right undergarments
- Write your vows
- Make copies of your documents
- Fill and label the vendor envelopes
- Pick songs for the parent dances
- Bring tissues for happy tears and flip-flops for the dance floor
The app has a ready-made “what to pack” list you can check off on your phone on the wedding day itself. There are others too: questions for the venue, the bachelorette, a rain plan.
05In the app
Your whole wedding plan in the app
Here you’ve seen where to start and what to do now. The app holds the full list, so nothing slips through between now and the wedding.
A tip for every task
For example, “Book key vendors” comes with what to look for in a portfolio and what to check before you sign.
Reminders
Once a month, the app reminds you to check your plan. Give a task a due date and it reminds you about that too.
A list that fits you
Remove what you don’t need and add your own. The list ends up matching your wedding.
Together with your partner
Your partner or your planner sees the same list on their phone. Whatever you tick, they see right away.
The whole wedding in one place
Besides the checklist, the app has your budget, guest list, seating chart and online invitations.
Free to try. No credit card required.
Wedding planning FAQ
- How do you start planning a wedding?
- With four decisions almost every couple makes first: the date, the format, a rough guest list and the budget. Everything else depends on them: the venue you need, what the reception will cost, who to book.
- How far in advance should you start planning a wedding?
- A year out is ideal, especially for popular Saturdays. But most couples who plan with our app start with less than six months to go and still get everything done. Order matters more than time: the venue first, then the photographer and entertainment, and the rest falls into place.
- What do you need for a wedding first?
- The venue, the photographer and your band or DJ. Those go first, especially for summer Saturdays. Then attire, rings and invitations.
- What should you do a month before the wedding?
- Chase RSVPs and give your caterer the final number, apply for your marriage license so it’s still valid on the day, confirm details with every vendor, do the final fittings and finish the seating chart.
- What should you do the week before the wedding?
- Pack the emergency kit, put vendor tips in labeled envelopes, hand out day-of roles, print the schedule and check the forecast so plan B is agreed in advance.
- What do you need for a courthouse wedding or a small wedding?
- Much less than for a reception: no seating chart, DJ or caterer. You’ll still need the marriage license, your outfits and rings, a photographer and a dinner with the people closest to you. Pick “Courthouse only” in the plan above and the rest drops off. Build your plan
- What should you bring to the courthouse?
- Photo IDs, whatever paperwork your county asks for, the rings and your witnesses if your state requires them. Decide in advance who holds the rings and documents while you’re taking photos.
- What do couples most often forget?
- The small things: who holds the rings, when getting ready starts, a change of clothes, broken-in shoes, a garment bag, tip envelopes for vendors. And eating on the day: ask your caterer to set a plate aside. The small things, listed
The full plan for your wedding is in the app
Get the app, check off what you’ve already done and see what’s left right away. Tips, reminders and a checklist you share with your partner are all there.
Free to try. No credit card required