The Ultimate Wedding Checklist: Your Complete UK Wedding Planning Guide
Planning a wedding can feel overwhelming, particularly when you're trying to remember dozens of different things at once.
This wedding checklist breaks everything down into manageable stages, from booking your venue and suppliers to organising the final details in the weeks before your wedding.
I've also included some of the things that are surprisingly easy to overlook, including wedding day timings, photography, family photographs, supplier meals, wet-weather plans and those little jobs that suddenly become very important during the final few weeks.
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Save it to your phone, print it out or keep it somewhere handy and work through it at your own pace.
You don't need to do everything at once. Start with the things that need booking first, then work your way through the checklist as your wedding gets closer
12+ Months Before Your Wedding
There's no need to have everything figured out at this stage. The important thing is to get the big decisions made and secure the suppliers who are most likely to book up first.
Set Your Wedding Budget
Work out roughly how much you have available and decide where your priorities lie.
Remember to allow for:
Venue
Catering
Wedding photographer
Videographer
Dress and suit
Florist
Entertainment
Wedding cake
Stationery
Rings
Hair and makeup
Transport
Decorations and styling
Accommodation
Honeymoon
Legal fees
Evening food and drinks
You don't necessarily need exact figures yet, but having a realistic budget will make every decision that follows much easier.
Choose Your Wedding Date
Think about school holidays, bank holidays, religious holidays, major local events and the availability of important family members.
Choose and Book Your Wedding Venue
Once you've found your venue, confirm exactly what's included.
Check:
Ceremony and reception spaces
Guest capacity
Catering arrangements
Drinks package
Access times
Supplier access
Music and entertainment restrictions
Photography restrictions
Wet-weather options
Accommodation
Parking
End time and curfew
Your venue will influence almost every other decision you make, so it's worth taking your time before committing.
Start Your Guest List
You don't need a final guest list yet, but having a realistic idea of numbers will make choosing your venue and setting your budget much easier.
Book Your Key Wedding Suppliers
Popular suppliers can get booked well in advance, particularly for summer weekends.
Consider booking:
Wedding photographer
Videographer
Florist
Band or DJ
Caterer, if not included with your venue
Hair and makeup
Wedding planner or coordinator
Planning your wedding photography?
Take a look at my Wedding Photography page to see how I approach weddings.
9–12 Months Before Your Wedding
Choose Your Wedding Dress and Outfits
Allow plenty of time for ordering, alterations and fittings.
Remember:
Shoes
Accessories
Veil
Jewellery
Bridesmaids' dresses
Groom's suit
Groomsmen's outfits
Children's outfits
Book Your Wedding Entertainment
Decide whether you want a band, DJ, live performer or something completely different.
Check whether your venue has restrictions on music, sound levels or entertainment.
Book Your Florist
Discuss your overall style, colour palette and which flowers will work with your venue.
Think about bouquets, buttonholes, ceremony flowers, table arrangements and flowers for the cake or cake table.
Send Your Save-the-Dates
Save-the-dates are particularly useful if you're inviting guests from outside Manchester, travelling from abroad or getting married during a busy period.
6–9 Months Before Your Wedding
Plan Your Wedding Ceremony
Start thinking about:
Readings
Music
Vows
Ceremony structure
Who will be involved
Religious or cultural traditions
Book Your Wedding Transport
Think about how you, your wedding party and guests will get to and from the venue.
Order Your Wedding Stationery
Depending on your plans, this could include:
Invitations
RSVP cards
Menu cards
Table plans
Place cards
Order of service
Welcome signs
Thank-you cards
Start Planning Your Wedding Photography
This is a good time to think about how you want your wedding photographs to feel, rather than simply making a huge list of photographs you want taken.
Consider:
How much time you'd like for couple portraits
Whether you want getting-ready photographs
Which family photographs are important
Whether you want a first look
Where photographs could take place if it rains
When you might want some time alone together
Whether there are important people or traditions your photographer should know about
You don't need to plan every photograph yourself. A good wedding photographer should be able to document the day naturally while making sure the important moments aren't missed.
3–6 Months Before Your Wedding
Send Your Wedding Invitations
Include everything your guests need to know:
Date
Venue
Ceremony time
Reception details
Dress code
RSVP deadline
Accommodation information
Transport information
Dietary requirements
Finalise Your Menu
Confirm dietary requirements and make sure your caterer knows about any allergies (and enjoy your tasting session if you have one!).
Choose Your Wedding Cake
Decide on the design, flavours, size and delivery arrangements.
Arrange Hair and Makeup Trials
This is the perfect time to make sure you're happy with your chosen look.
Buy Your Wedding Rings
Allow plenty of time for sizing and any engraving.
Plan Your Wedding Reception
Start putting together:
Seating plan
Table names or numbers
Speeches
First dance
Entertainment
Cake cutting
Any surprises or special performances
1–3 Months Before Your Wedding
Finalise Your Guest List
Chase outstanding RSVPs and confirm final numbers with your venue and caterer.
Create Your Table Plan
Make sure your venue has the final version in plenty of time.
Confirm All Your Wedding Suppliers
Send each supplier the information they need, including:
Venue address
Arrival time
Contact details
Timings
Parking information
Access arrangements
Finalise Your Wedding Day Timeline
This becomes particularly important as the wedding gets closer.
Think about:
Getting ready
Ceremony
Drinks reception
Family photographs
Couple portraits
Wedding breakfast
Speeches
First dance
Evening reception
Leave some breathing room.
A wedding day that runs perfectly to the minute is rare, and building in a little flexibility can make the whole day feel much more relaxed.
2–4 Weeks Before Your Wedding
Confirm the Final Details With Your Photographer
Make sure they know about anything particularly important to you.
For example:
Important family members
Special traditions
Surprise moments
Important details or decorations
Any venue restrictions
Anything that has changed since you booked
Prepare Your Wedding Emergency Kit
Useful things to have include:
Safety pins
Plasters
Tissues
Painkillers
Mints
Sewing kit
Stain remover
Hair grips
Deodorant
Phone charger
Makeup for touch-ups
Final Dress and Suit Fittings
Make sure everything fits and is ready to go.
Confirm Final Guest Numbers
Send these to your venue and caterer.
The Week Before Your Wedding
Confirm the Final Timeline
Make sure everyone who needs to know has a copy.
Delegate Jobs
Don't try to manage everything yourself on the wedding day.
Give trusted people responsibility for things such as:
Supplier questions
Gifts
Cards
Decorations
Transport
Emergency kit
Family photographs
Prepare Everything You Need for the Morning
Put together your accessories, shoes, jewellery, invitations, perfume and anything else you want photographed.
Get Some Sleep
Seriously.
The remaining jobs can wait.
The Day Before Your Wedding
Make Sure the Rings Are Ready
Give them to whoever is responsible for them during the ceremony.
Prepare Your Outfits
Have everything together rather than searching for individual items on the morning.
Give Your Photographer Any Last-Minute Information
But don't feel that you need to micromanage the photography.
You've hired them because they're the professional.
Enjoy the Evening
At this point, there is very little you can realistically change.
Your Wedding Day Checklist
Before the Ceremony
☐ Eat something
☐ Drink plenty of water
☐ Have your dress and accessories ready
☐ Give your photographer access to the preparations
☐ Keep important details together for photographs
☐ Make sure the rings are with the right person
☐ Allow plenty of time for getting ready
☐ Take a moment to breathe
During the Day
☐ Enjoy your ceremony
☐ Spend time with your guests
☐ Allow time for family photographs if wanted
☐ Take some time alone together
☐ Eat your dinner
☐ Listen to the speeches
☐ Dance
☐ Have fun
Most Importantly
Don't spend your wedding day worrying about whether you're doing everything right.
You're not producing a photoshoot.
You're getting married.
Things Couples Often Forget When Planning a Wedding
There are plenty of things that don't necessarily appear on the standard wedding planning checklist.
Allow More Time Than You Think for Getting Ready
Hair and makeup almost always take longer than expected, particularly with larger bridal parties.
Building in a little extra time means you're much less likely to start the ceremony feeling rushed.
Tell Your Photographer About Important People
Your photographer can't necessarily know that Great Aunt Susan hasn't seen your dad for 20 years.
If there's somebody particularly important to you, mention them.
Don't Create an Enormous Photography Shot List
A short list of essential family photographs is useful.
A list of 75 specific photographs can actually make your photographer's job harder and take you away from enjoying the day.
Plan for Rain
Especially if you're getting married in Manchester or anywhere else in the North West.
Rain doesn't have to ruin your photographs. A good photographer should have plenty of ideas for making things work whatever the weather.
Leave Some Gaps in the Schedule
Those little gaps can become some of the best parts of the day.
A few minutes together away from everyone else can be worth far more than squeezing another activity into the timeline.
Wedding Photography Checklist
If you've booked your photographer, there are a few things worth thinking about before the wedding.
Before the Wedding
☐ Tell your photographer about important people
☐ Share the venue details
☐ Discuss your timings
☐ Mention any special traditions
☐ Discuss family photographs
☐ Consider where couple portraits could take place
☐ Have a wet-weather option
☐ Give them the final timeline
On the Day
☐ Let your photographer do their job
☐ Don't worry about looking at the camera
☐ Spend time with your guests
☐ Take a few minutes together away from everyone
☐ Enjoy yourselves
Your Wedding Checklist Doesn't Need to Be Perfect
There will probably be things that don't go according to plan.
Someone will be late.
The weather might change.
The speeches might run over.
Something will inevitably get forgotten.
And that's OK.
The photographs you'll treasure aren't necessarily going to be the perfectly scheduled moments. They might be your dad laughing during the speeches, your best friend crying during the ceremony, your grandmother dancing, or the two of you disappearing for five minutes together while everyone else is on the dance floor.
The important thing is that you're there to experience it.
And that's exactly what your photographs should help you remember.
Looking for a Wedding Photographer?
If you're planning a wedding in Manchester, Cheshire or across the North West, I'd love to hear what you're planning.
I photograph weddings in a relaxed, documentary style, capturing the atmosphere, people and moments that make your day yours, without turning the whole thing into a photoshoot.
Still looking for a venue?
Have a look through some of my North-West venue guides:
Fairmont Cheshire - The Mere (formerly Mere Golf Club & Spa)