Wedding Planning Timeline - A Wedding Overview

You're engaged! Woohoo! Cue the confetti cannons and the obligatory ring selfie. Now, let's talk about the big stuff: how do you go from fiancés to walking down the aisle without losing your mind in the wedding planning process? That’s where we come in. Think of this article as your one-stop-shop, your wedding-planning BFF, your magical checklist central. We’ve got a timeline that lays out the whole process in glorious, easy-to-digest detail, plus deep dives into every topic you didn’t even know you needed to obsess over. Oh, and don’t miss the handy PDF download. Let’s get planning, shall we?

For a more detailed checklist that you can actually tick off, you can download our 18-month, 12-month or even 6-month wedding planning checklists depending on how organised you are! We know how satisfying crossing things off a checklist feels!

Where do you start with wedding planning? Take a look at our wedding planning timeline to help you figure out what to book and when! 

The Essential Details

The first steps when planning a wedding involve deciding on your guest list, your budget and your venue. But how do you even start deciding on this? We’ve broken it down for you.

Take a look at our guest list dilemma article where you can follow a simple set of questions to determine whether a person should be invited to your day or not! When you have a rough number of how many guests you think you’d like to invite, then you can think about your budget!

Your wedding budget should be split across your different suppliers and priorities. You can see our budget breakdown for some insight on how to allocate your spending. For some couples, flowers are a huge priority, whereas for others it is the dress or the food. Work out what are non-negotiables for you as a couple and then you can use our wedding budget spreadsheet to keep you on track.

When you have all this in mind you can begin the wedding venue search! Whether you’re thinking about barn wedding venues, country houses, castles or you’re searching by location, our Recommended Venues are the best place to start. Don’t forget to take along our handy list of questions to ask your wedding venue to make sure they’re the dream venue for you!

Booking Your Major Suppliers

Once you’ve booked your wedding venue, you can start booking your major wedding suppliers. This includes your wedding photographer, videographer, florist, cake maker, entertainment and more!

Again, our Recommended Supplier directory is the place to start when looking for your suppliers, but we’ve also made it easy for you with our roundups! From the Top 50 UK Wedding Photographers to browsing inspiration in our guide to wedding bouquets or the best wedding cakes we’ve featured.

Fashion & Beauty

Everyone wants to feel like a million dollars on their wedding day, which is why starting your dress and/or suit shopping as well as any beauty routines and skincare routines early on is a good decision.

Take a look at the ultimate wedding dress and suit guides to get familiar with silhouettes, necklines and more. We’ve also got you covered when it comes to groomsmen suits and bridesmaid dresses too!

Head to our wedding skincare guide for an easy-to-follow routine! We’ve got the same for haircare too! For your actual hair and makeup, you can go to our 100+ wedding hairstyles for the whole bridal party article and then make your way over to the best wedding makeup tips from the experts.

The Finer Details

Now you can start thinking about the things that will really bring your wedding day to life. This includes decor, signage, table centrepieces, your invitations and stationery, wedding music and readings, and, most importantly your vows!

Here is our complete guide to on-the-day wedding stationery as well as our top tips for everything you should include on your wedding invitations. Don’t forget about the five must-have wedding signs too!

Deciding on your first dance, last dance and wedding entrance songs has never been easier with our audience-selected playlists! Choose wedding readings from our best funny wedding readings to our most romantic wedding poems.

Complete your ceremony by deciding on how to decorate your wedding car and how to write your wedding vows as well as finding your perfect celebrant. Not forgetting the speeches for later on in the evening too!

Not forgetting your decor! Choose your table centrepieces and table names to get those personal details nailed. Don't neglect lighting either, it's so important to set the tone and ambience. 

The easiest way to manage your time and budget is to break your wedding planning down into a simple timeline!

It’s safe to say that at Rock My Wedding, we have you covered for every avenue of wedding planning. This article hardly scratches the surface of all the top planning advice, inspiration and trends we’re here to discuss with you. So, feel free to come back to this wedding planning timeline as often as you please! For a more detailed monthly breakdown head to our 18-month wedding planning checklist! If you're looking for any particular suppliers, here is some advice on finding the very best wedding suppliers in the industry. Your day can be anything you want with the talent on offer! Wedding planning should be fun. This whole process is about being you and having your day, your way!