Find Design Inspo

You’re engaged! Now what? When you get into your wedding planning, in addition to finding your ultimate wedding checklist, you’ll want to define your wedding style and find inspiration pics to solidify the theme or mood you’re going for. Pinterest is such a fabulous resource for that!

Decide on Formality

Pinterest is your friend here as well. While you’re searching for design inspiration, you’ll undoubtedly get ideas for your own wedding day vision. Take note of the vibe of what you’re imagining; is it a bohemian feeling, out on a lawn or in a forest where you see guests in semi-formal attire? A relaxed beach theme? Or maybe you see yourself in an industrial warehouse with everyone in modern black tie? Defining your formality early on can really help influence other decisions later and make it easier to keep things cohesive.

Set Your Budget

We recommend defining your budget early on, this way once you have it laid out and decided upon you’ll be so much more likely to stick to it. We love Real Simple’s handy budget worksheet for this. You can also reference our Wedding Budget Checklist: How to Budget For a Wedding article. We give you tips on ways you can budget for things like your wedding dress, wedding shoes, wedding rings and other wedding festivities. 

Decide on Your Wedding Party

First thing’s first: will you have a wedding party? Some couples forego bridesmaids and groomsmen altogether, some opt to have one or two people (siblings or best friends) stand with them at their ceremony. You and your partner being on the same page early on is super important here, you don’t want your Fiancé imagining 15 people next to them while you want 1. (Although there’s no rule that says you have to have the same number!)

Choose Your Florist

Next up? Wedding Flowers. Your wedding vision can finally start coming together, break out all those inspiration pics from before! We can’t get enough of this amazing checklist by brides.com to ensure you don’t forget any detail when booking your floral arrangements.

Pick Your Caterer

Depending on the type of wedding you’re having you might be able to forego this. (IE: if your wedding is in a hotel or restaurant, they’ll have chefs on hand for you) but if your venue or location requires you to outsource your catering, it’s something you’ll want to do early on. Check out Minted’s checklist of must-know questions to ask your caterer before booking.

Choose Your Band/DJ

The last of your essential vendors — music is such a big part of any wedding day, whether it’s casual entertainment, a full on dance party, or elegant live music, it’s another one of those elements that can get booked up so fast, so you’ll want to secure your team ASAP to ensure you have a band or DJ that shares your vision for your wedding. Martha Stewart puts out a fab list of things to consider when choosing your music.

Book Additional Vendors

Because everyone’s wedding is different, everyone’s wedding planning experience will be different. Most of the vendors on this awesome checklist by Wedding Wire we cover later on in this list. But should you feel the need to book everyone early out have a look and see what suits you!

Nine/Eight Months

Book Remaining Entertainment

After a few weeks have passed, it’s good to review the vendors you’ve booked and see if you’re missed anything. Our visions sometimes change as we plan and that means our needs can change too.

Decide on Your Menu

Ah, the fun bit! Decide on the type of food you’d like to go for. You’ve probably thought about a general direction when you picked your caterer (someone wanting a taco/pizza truck or BBQ style wedding would likely go in a different direction that bride looking for a formal sit-down meal with several courses) but now it’s time to stop thinking in generalities and pick your delicious menu.

Wedding Dress Shopping Time!

Ahem. We feel we know a thing or two about this area of wedding planning. While brides choose to go dress shopping at all different times depending on their situation and what works for them, we generally recommend at least 8 months as a good rule of thumb to ensure your favourite wedding dress styles will be available to you. Don’t forget to factor in your dress fitting too- you may need 1-2 dress fitting appointments as well as a final dress fitting really close to your wedding date so make sure you factor this into your timeline. The process of making your wedding dress is unique to each designer and it is worth doing your research first about the processes of your favourite wedding dress designers so you can make sure you are working with one that fits your needs.  Every designer is different but for our handmade wedding dresses, 8 months will let you choose from all of our styles available and include time for your dress fitting. Check out our blogs on gown silhouettes and our guide to gown shopping to get you started.

Book Hotel Rooms

Such an important point on this wedding planning checklist. If you need to book hotel room blocks at a hotel for your wedding you’ll for sure want to take care of that early on. If you’ve already booked your venue and forget to block your hotel rooms until the last minute, you might end up with a long journey for your guests at the end of the evening.

Six Months

Order Your Invitations & Save the Dates

We’ve transitioned into the “6 months until wedding checklist” phase! You’ll want to start ordering your invites at this point. Find a vendor (calligrapher, online resource or DIY) that suits your needs and style.

Plan Your Honeymoon

We’ve got another fun one for your wedding planning checklist. Finalize honeymoon plans, babe! You and your fiance might have dreamed of a special destination for months or years, or it might take a little brainstorming. Think about if you want a relaxing/beach type of honeymoon or if you want to go exploring faraway. (Or somewhere a bit closer to home that’s brand new to the both of you!)

Sort Your Bridesmaid dresses

If you’re having a bridal party, the 6 month point is a great time to start thinking about their attire. Do you want coordinated outfits/dresses? Similar colours? Maybe you want them in white mini dresses, or black suits. Have the convo with your girls (and/or guys). Now that you have your dress it’s time to think about what they’ll wear to rock your wedding day. While you’re at it, hand over your gals (and guys!) this helpful list from brides.com to make sure they have everything they need for the big day!

Book Your Officiant

Or decide on if someone you know will be your officiant. Whichever way you decide to go, this is a great time to solidify who will be marrying you and your fiancé. Before you move forward, check out this handy checklist of what to ask your officiant before booking.

Send Your Save The Dates

Once they come in, send out your save the dates. Let all of your guests know to get excited for your upcoming big day!

Book Your Rehearsal Dinner Venue

Like most things on our wedding planning list, this is dependent on the style wedding your having. But if you plan to have a rehearsal dinner be sure to book in your reservation and lock in how many guests will be attending.

Choose Your Cake

Woot woot! Another purely fun element. Picking your cake should * hopefully * be stress free and extra enjoyable if there’s a tasting. Choosing a design, size and flavour means you’ll want to do this a few months before the big day. We’re loving this checklist by The Knot to go through before choosing your cake!

Do a Food Tasting

Hand in hand with your cake comes your menu tasting. If you’re getting married in a restaurant that doesn’t offer this, we recommend going there for a meal if you haven’t already and seeing what foods you’d like to be served on your big day.

Purchase Your Undergarments

A point so many brides forget about — start thinking about your undergarments before you do your fittings, as you’ll want to wear them to all of your fitting appointments. This will ensure you get a perfectly tailored gown and you’ll also be able to make absolutely sure that your undergarments work for your dress or outfit. Have a look at our secrets for choosing shape wear here if you’d like some of our best collected tips.

Begin Your Fittings

How could we compile the best wedding checklist in Australia and not tell you the answer to one of our most common questions: When should you start your fittings? We always recommend 10-15 weeks before your wedding, so plan on three months. You’ll likely have 2-5 alterations appointments depending on how much custom tailoring you need done on your gown or wedding outfit, and you’ll want a few weeks in between each appointment ideally.

Finalise Your Menu

In the previous section of our wedding planning checklist, we recommended you do a food tasting. Now it’s time to lock in your menu. You’ve already likely discussed with your team what you want on your menu, but this is the official time to decide on specifics.

Make or Order Your Favours

If you’re having favours at your wedding, you’re now just a few short weeks away. You’ll want to brainstorm with your fiancé what you’ll be giving out, and if they are custom you’ll want to be sure you have enough time to have exactly what you want made.

Decide on Your Toasts/Speeches

Firstly you’ll want to discuss with your fiancé if this fits in with the wedding you’re envisioning. If it does, make a list of who you want to give a speech and when you’d like them to give it/what order you’ll have the speeches in. If you and your fiancé are saying a few words, now is a great time to start planning what you’ll say. (Our best advice? Be genuine, be yourself!)

Two Months

Create Your Photography List

brides.com put out an awesome checklist so you can be sure to send your photographer all your must-have wedding pics you’d like them to snap on the big day.

Send Your Invitations

They’re here and ready to go! Time to send out your gorgeous invites so your guests can RSVP and you can finalise that ever-daunting guest list. (Helpful tip: don’t forget to buy postage, and if you want special postage you’ll want to have them custom made or purchased a bit in advance of your send-out timeline.)

Have Your Bachelorette

If it’s your thing, we definitely recommend checking out The Knot’s how-to for bachelorette planning. Probably a little bit of a different vibe from your wedding planning list, but hey, you deserve a break from all these details running around your head constantly. Having your bach two months before your wedding will help you ensure you have time to put aside to just focus on your girls/friends/guests who will attend, and not clash too closely to your actual wedding day.

One Month

Enter RSVPs Into a Spreadsheet

Your wedding timeline is dwindling fast, and that means you’re getting closer to the big day! Once you start getting your RSVPs back, enter them into a spreadsheet or list to stay organised.

Get Your Marriage License

Depending on where you are in the world, the rules and requirements are different. But a month out is a good rule of thumb to start planning to get your marriage license.

Stock Your Bar

If you’re having a wine menu, custom cocktails, or anything special in your bar, then take note and send this along to your venue/catering team/bar service. It’s time to pick what types of drinks you’ll be serving on the big day!

Make Your Final Payments

On your “wedding list of things to do” spreadsheet, be sure to keep track of what vendors you’ve paid in full and which you haven’t. In the weeks running up to the big day, be sure everyone gets paid off that requires full payments before your wedding day so you’ll have nothing to worry about in the coming days.

Confirm Times With Your Vendors

You’ve already sent over your schedule a few weeks back, but you’ll want to reconfirm times with each one of your vendors to ensure everything flows without a hitch on the big day.

The Week Of

One Last Review Of Your Day-Of Timeline

Now you’ll want to add a task list as well to your wedding list timeline. Note down things that need to be done or packed etc. based on what your day-of timeline says. Don’t forget to send to your wedding party or any other necessary people!

Pick Up Your Gown/Outfit

Depending on your timeline you may be having your final fitting around one week out from the big day. You’ll leave with your dress on the day of your final fitting, though some tailors pack it and steam it and have you leave with it at a later date. Check with your alterations specialist in the run-up to your wedding to figure out how they work their pickups. If this is your final fitting and the day you’re leaving with your dress, have a friend or family member come with you to learn all the essentials: how to bustle your dress, do up your corset or any other thing whoever is dressing you on your wedding day might need to know.

One Final Check-In With Your Vendors

The big day is coming quick! Check in with your vendors one last time to make sure all systems are a-go.

Write Cards

We couldn’t not include this on our wedding planning list because it’s one of our favourite things to do. Whether it’s to your fiancé, a parent, a sibling or a best friend (or all of the above) writing a sentimental card to give to a special person on your wedding day is sweet, beautiful and oh-so meaningful.

Set Aside Tips

There will be some vendors you’ll wan to tip on the big day. Refer to the amazing brides.com checklist of who to tip and how much so you can be confident in what you’re setting aside.

Break in Your Shoes

We recommend doing this the week of your wedding. You’ve of course already worn your shoes to your fitting appointments, but be sure to wear them around the house for a little while too. They won’t get scuffed indoors and it will help you ensure your comfort on the big day.

Send Your Final Guest List to the Necessary Vendors

There’s always stragglers when it comes to RSVPing to big events. Last minute changes happen, so be sure to send an absolutely finalised guest list the week before your wedding day to all the vendors that need the info.

The Night Before & Day Of

Pack Personal Items

Packing a small bag of personal items is essential. Check out this ultimate packing list here to make sure you have all the necessaries on hand on your wedding day.

Lay Out Items for Your Photographer to Capture

While you’re packing perfume, a pen, lipstick etc. for your personal bag, be sure to review this amazing list of tips on what to pack for your photographer to capture on the day of your wedding. Photos of your invitations, rings and everything in between are pictures you’ll want to look back on in years to come.

Eat!

And we can’t stress this enough. You need to feel totally yourself and the last thing you want is to feel faint or unwell later in the day.

Drink Water

Champagne will be flowing but water is your friend. (See reasons above.)

Other Checklists we Love that Cover Everything

If you’re the type of bride that loves to cross her T’s and dot her I’s and leave absolutely no stone unturned, we have a couple other fool proof wedding checklists we’d love to recommend you to take a look at. We know the planning process can be hectic, so looking for a tool to guide you in that becomes priceless and necessary to find one that works for you and your needs.

* We love this printable wedding checklist from Junebug weddings

* This simple and easy 6 month wedding planning checklist by Perfete is incredible

* Have a look at this insanely detailed wedding checklist PDF by Martha Stewart

* And this easy to follow wedding checklist PDF by Little Wedding Guide

Ready to jump in to your planning? When you reach the stage (in our opinion, the best stage) where you’re searching for your gown, we’d love to see you! Book an appointment at your nearest KWH boutique to find your dream gown.

Wanting more ways to help guide you in your planning? Check out our articles on the best wedding planner books and our top recommended wedding planning tools.