A wedding has about 100 moving parts. Catering, venue, outfits, guests, registry office, music, flowers, rings, speeches, seating plan, travel, accommodation. And that’s only the first half.

The good news: if you plan in the right order, you never have to juggle more than three or four things at once. This checklist sorts everything by month, so you always know what’s next.

12 to 10 months out: the foundation

In this phase you make the biggest decisions. They take the most time and set everything else in motion.

Pick a wedding date (or two, three preferred dates)
Agree on a rough budget, who pays for what, what’s the range
Draft a first guest list, even if it will still change
Define the wedding style and atmosphere (small and intimate? Big celebration?)
Enquire about and visit venues
Secure your registry-office date (usually only confirmable six months out)
Ask your wedding party
Possibly choose a wedding planner or a tool like Marrily

The venue is usually the biggest bottleneck. Popular places are booked 1.5 to 2 years in advance, especially Saturdays between May and September.

9 to 7 months out: core vendors

Now come the bookings that also sell out early.

Book your photographer (pick someone whose style you really love, not just someone who “also works in your region”)
Enquire with caterers and arrange a tasting
Book DJ or band
Send save-the-dates if your wedding falls in peak season
Start looking at outfits (wedding dresses usually need 3–6 months lead time for fittings and alterations)
Sketch out the honeymoon, if you’re having one

Miri suggests exactly the right tasks in the app at this stage, with deadlines that fit your wedding date.

6 to 4 months out: the details get concrete

Now everything sharpens. “We want flowers” turns into “we’re going with white peonies and eucalyptus”.

Register at the registry office (in many registries, the earliest is six months out)
Book florist
Book baker for the cake
Pick and order wedding rings (lead time often 6–8 weeks)
Design and print invitations
Book a celebrant (if it’s a civil ceremony)
Set up a wedding website or RSVP system
Enquire about a hotel room block for guests
Have the bachelor/bachelorette party planned

3 months out: invitations and programme

Send invitations
Set an RSVP deadline (roughly 4–6 weeks before the wedding)
Sketch the day-of schedule: ceremony, reception, dinner, dancing
Decide on and source guest favours
Bridal styling trial (make-up and hair)
Lock in hair and make-up for the day
Discuss tasks with your wedding party
Finalise the menu with catering
Pay first deposits to vendors

2 months out: fine-tuning

Start the seating plan once the first RSVPs come in
Prepare speeches (couple, parents, wedding party)
Send a music wishlist to DJ or band
Practise any choreographed dance
Write vows
Final outfit fitting and adjustments
Coordinate programme items with your wedding party (games, surprises)
Finalise décor
Collect allergies and meal preferences from guests

1 month out: the last weeks

Finalise seating
Confirm final guest count with catering and venue (usually mandatory 14 days before)
Print place cards, menu cards, programme booklets
Send the schedule to all vendors
Create an emergency contact list (all vendors on one page)
Pack a wedding bag (plasters, sewing kit, deodorant, tampons, painkillers, a snack)
Prepare tip envelopes for vendors
Book a last hair and manicure appointment

1 week out

Registry-office dry run (pack IDs and rings)
Pack for the honeymoon
Lay out outfits, try everything on
Organise breakfast for the wedding morning
Walk through the day-of plan with your wedding party
Breathe, sleep, eat well, drink water

The wedding day itself

Most of it shouldn’t be in your hands today
Your wedding party is the first line of contact for problems
Eat something in the morning
Enjoy the preparation and take breaks
Don’t forget IDs and rings

After the wedding

Return rentals
Review vendors and pay tips
Go through the photos and pick your favourites
Write thank-you notes (within 2–3 months)
Apply for a name change, if you’d like
Update insurance and contracts

What Marrily takes off your plate

The whole list above looks overwhelming. In Marrily it isn’t one long list, it’s five to eight tasks that are relevant right now, tuned to your wedding date. Miri sorts automatically and reminds you before anything runs late. So your head stays free for the anticipation.

Wedding planning: the checklist for every month up to the "I do"