Get a month-by-month checklist with exact due dates, a live countdown, catch-up dates if you are behind, and a wedding day schedule. Free and private.
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Your wedding
No date yet? Try a planning window:
Your wedding plan
Planning progress
Your timeline checklist
Wedding day schedule
Built backwards from your ceremony time. Adjust it to match your vendors.
Due dates use real calendar months and days. Your ticked tasks, guest list and settings are saved only in this browser. A shared link contains your date, names and options, but not your ticked tasks or guest list. The live countdown assumes your device is in the wedding's time zone.
Guest list, catering and budget tools
Guest list and head count
Add a guest or family
Paste many names at once
One guest per line. Optional format: Name, adults, children (for example: Sharma family, 2, 2). A line with only a name counts as one adult. New entries use the side, group and RSVP chosen above.
Disagreeing about who to invite? Read about communication problems in a relationship.
Your guests
Catering calculator
Seating calculator
Uses the same head count as the catering calculator.
Budget planner
A common starting split, not a rule. Change the percentages to match your priorities; they must add up to 100%.
What is a wedding planning timeline calculator?
A wedding planning timeline calculator turns one date, your wedding day, into a dated checklist. Instead of reading a generic "12 months to go" list and guessing where you stand, you see which tasks are due this month, which are overdue, and how many weeks and weekends you have left. If you are still waiting for the proposal, these clear signs he wants to marry you may help you read the situation before you start planning.
How this calculator builds your timeline
Each task has a recommended lead time, such as 12 months or 56 days before the wedding, and the tool counts back from your date using real calendar months. Tasks are marked essential, important or nice to have, and your answers add or remove tasks: a destination wedding adds travel and guest accommodation, pre-wedding events add their own planning, and a guest list over 200 moves the venue and catering earlier.
How many months do you need to plan a wedding?
Many planners suggest allowing about a year for a larger wedding, but there is no fixed rule. Smaller or simpler weddings can come together in a few months if the venue, guest list and key vendors are settled early. The timeline above adapts to the date you enter and tells you honestly when it is short.
The wedding planning timeline by stage
| 12+ months | Budget, guest list, venue, destination logistics. |
| 9 to 12 months | Photographer, caterer, ceremony arrangements, outfits. |
| 6 to 9 months | Music, decor, save-the-dates, honeymoon and fittings. |
| 3 to 6 months | Invitations, rings, registration, menu tasting. |
| 1 to 3 months | Send invitations, final decor and flowers plan. |
| Final month | RSVPs, seating, vendor confirmations, head count. |
| Final week | Payments, pickups, rehearsal, rest. |
How the guest list and head count are calculated
Add each guest or family as one entry with a number of adults and children. People invited is the total of all adults and children. Attending, pending and declined follow the RSVP you set. Expected attendance is confirmed guests plus a share of pending guests (80 percent by default, which you can change), so treat it as a planning estimate rather than a promise. The guest list also sets your timeline: more than 200 people moves the venue and caterer earlier.
The catering calculator multiplies your chosen head count (expected, confirmed only or everyone invited) by your price per plate, applies a child-plate percentage, adds a safety buffer and rounds plates up. The seating calculator divides the same head count by seats per table and rounds up. The budget planner starts from a common split that you can edit, and the percentages must add up to 100.
Planning a wedding in under 6 months
With a short runway, protect the essentials first: venue, caterer, ceremony arrangements, photographer, outfits and invitations. Use the Essentials filter, tick them off in order, and let the catch-up dates guide your first two weeks. Decor, music upgrades and extra events can be simplified without spoiling the day.
Wedding planning without losing each other
Money, family expectations and endless decisions can strain even a strong couple. Talk through the big topics early, and consider the relationship compatibility quiz as a conversation starter. A short weekly chat using these relationship check-in questions keeps small frustrations from growing, and if conversations keep going in circles, read about communication problems in a relationship.
After the wedding
The checklist continues after the day itself: balances, thank-you messages, photo backups and documents. It is also a good moment to set habits for married life. This guide to a healthy relationship between husband and wife, a weekly or monthly check-in routine and these tips on how to maintain a healthy relationship with your husband are good places to start.
This page gives general planning guidance, not legal advice. Marriage registration rules and documents differ by country and region, so confirm them with your local authority.
Frequently asked questions
How many months before the wedding should I start planning?
A common suggestion is around 12 months for a larger wedding, but a smaller one can be planned in less. Enter your date and the calculator shows exactly where you stand.
What should I do first when planning a wedding?
Agree on the budget, draft the guest list and book the venue, because these three decisions shape everything else.
Can I plan a wedding in 3 months?
Yes, if you focus on the essentials first. Choose a 3-month window above, use the Essentials filter and follow the catch-up dates.
What happens to tasks that are already overdue?
They move into a catch-up schedule over the next days, shown in the Catch up filter, with the most important tasks first.
Does it work for destination weddings?
Yes. Tick destination wedding to add travel, passport and guest accommodation tasks. Check visa and legal requirements for your destination yourself.
How is expected attendance calculated?
Confirmed guests plus the share of pending guests you set (80 percent by default), counted separately for adults and children. Change the percentage to match how your guests usually respond.
How many tables do I need for my guests?
Divide your head count by the seats per table and round up. The seating calculator does this using the same head count as the catering calculator.
Can I add many guests at once or export my list?
Yes. Paste one name per line, optionally with adults and children, and download the finished list as a CSV file for a spreadsheet.
Is my checklist saved, and who can see it?
Your ticked tasks, custom tasks, guest list and settings are saved only in this browser. No server receives them, and Reset clears them.
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