Planning Your Wedding: A Practical Guide
Work out your key planning milestones
Start by confirming your venue and wedding date, as most of your other plans will depend on these. Once they are secured, book your registrar or celebrant and identify the suppliers who matter most to you, such as your photographer, videographer, band or wedding planner.
Prioritise suppliers who need to attend in person and can only work at one wedding each day, as popular professionals can be booked well in advance. Other decisions, such as decorations, outfits and smaller details, can usually wait until these essential bookings are in place.
It is also helpful to ask your venue when it will need final guest numbers, menu choices, accommodation details and payments. Add these deadlines to a calendar or planning checklist so you know what needs to be done and when.
Book your registrar or celebrant
Once your venue and wedding date are confirmed, arrange your ceremony as soon as possible. Registrars and popular celebrants can become booked up, particularly for Saturdays and during the busiest wedding months.
If you are having a civil ceremony, you will need to book the registrar who covers the area in which your venue is located—not the area where you live. Your venue should be able to tell you who to contact. When it is time to attend your in person notice meeting you can do this at your local office.
A celebrant can create and conduct a much more personal ceremony, but you will also need to complete the legal part of your marriage separately. Make sure you understand exactly what is required before making your arrangements as a celebrant cannot legally marry you in England which differs to other countries and even to other parts of the UK.
You can find detailed advice in our guide to booking your registrar for your wedding in Cornwall when you live elsewhere here
We are expecting some big changes soon with the legal ceremony element of weddings so here our guide to these changes here
Send your save-the-dates
Send your save-the-dates as soon as your venue and wedding date are confirmed. You do not need to include all the details at this stage, but it is helpful to let guests know when they can expect to receive the formal invitation or further information.
Sending them early is particularly important if guests need to travel, arrange accommodation, request time off work or organise childcare, as it gives everyone plenty of time to plan.
Finalise your guest list
Once your venue, registrar or celebrant and priority suppliers are booked, you can begin finalising your guest list.
Deciding who to invite is not always easy, so give yourselves plenty of time and try not to feel obliged to include someone simply because you think you should. Most people understand that every wedding has limits on numbers and budget.
Check the minimum and maximum guest numbers set by your venue. Remember that the number of people you invite will have a significant effect on your overall costs, particularly catering and drinks, so keep your budget in mind as you make your decisions.
Send Your Wedding Invitations
Once your venue, ceremony and guest list are confirmed, you can send your formal invitations. Aim to send them around six to nine months before the wedding, or earlier if guests will need to arrange travel or accommodation.
Your invitations should include:
- Your names
- The wedding date
- The venue and ceremony time
- The time guests should arrive
- The RSVP deadline and how to respond
- Whether the invitation is for the whole day or the evening only
- Details of any additional celebrations
- Accommodation and transport information
- What you would like for wedding gifts
- Your wedding website, if you have one
Ask guests to confirm any dietary requirements when they RSVP. It is also helpful to make it clear exactly who is invited, particularly whether children or additional guests are included.
Paper invitations can be lovely keepsakes, but digital invitations are often quicker, less expensive and easier to manage. Whichever option you choose, keep a clear record of replies and follow up promptly with anyone who misses the deadline.
Your venue and caterer will need final guest numbers by a set date, so make sure your RSVP deadline leaves enough time to gather any missing responses.
You can create a wedding website, but it is not essential. It can be a useful place to share practical details such as timings, directions, accommodation and transport, particularly if you have lots of guests travelling. However, contacting your guests directly can feel more personal and gives them an opportunity to ask questions. You can also include the essential information with your invitations or send updates by email or message. Choose whichever approach feels right for you and your guests.
How much time should you set aside for wedding planning?
The amount of time you will need depends on the type of wedding you are planning and how much support your venue provides. For a DIY wedding, it is sensible to set aside a few hours each week, with more time needed at certain stages, such as when initially booking suppliers and during the final weeks before the wedding.
Treat the planning like a project: keep track of deadlines, stay proactive and record your decisions in a spreadsheet or wedding-planning checklist.
Choosing an all-inclusive venue can significantly reduce the time and work involved because many of the arrangements are managed for you. You will still need to make decisions and provide information, but you should not need to spend every week actively planning.
At The Green, we provide couples with key dates and checklists and arrange regular planning meetings to guide them through each stage.
