Planning your wedding should be exciting, but once you start thinking about venues, outfits, guest lists, suppliers and budgets, it can quickly feel like there are a million decisions to make. The good news is that you don’t have to organise everything at once.
When Simon and I planned our wedding, we organised and paid for most of it ourselves, with some lovely help from our families – my Mum bought my wedding dress and flowers, while my in-laws contributed towards the overall cost. We sourced everything ourselves too, so I remember only too well how many decisions are involved in bringing a wedding together.
Breaking your wedding planning down into manageable stages can make the whole process much more enjoyable. Start with the decisions that shape everything else – particularly your budget, guest numbers and venue – before moving on to details such as outfits, décor and invitations.
Whether you’re dreaming of an intimate countryside celebration, a traditional wedding or a big party surrounded by everyone you love, this guide will take you through the key things to consider when planning a wedding that feels right for you as a couple.
Set a budget
Setting a realistic budget early on can make wedding planning much less stressful. Before you start booking venues or falling in love with particular suppliers, work out how much you can comfortably afford to spend and whether anyone else, such as parents or other family members, has offered to contribute.
Once you have an overall figure, divide your budget between the main areas of your wedding. Your venue, food and drink, photography, outfits, flowers and entertainment are likely to account for a significant proportion of your spending, but don’t forget the smaller costs. Invitations, transport, decorations, wedding favours, alterations and even postage can soon add up.
It is also worth deciding which elements matter most to you as a couple. You might be happy to spend less on flowers so that you can book the photographer you really want, for example, or choose a simpler cake so that you have more money available for entertainment. Having clear priorities makes it much easier to decide where to save and where to spend.
When we planned our wedding, shopping around made a real difference to what we could achieve with our budget. We didn’t automatically buy everything from traditional wedding suppliers either. I found our bridesmaids’ dresses in TK Maxx, hired the men’s suits and bought silk flowers from a wholesaler to decorate the venue. Looking at different options rather than assuming everything needed to come with a ‘wedding’ label helped us make our money go further.
If your initial plans are stretching the budget, consider an off-peak or weekday wedding, reducing the guest list or looking at areas where hiring makes more sense than buying. Formal wear can be one of these; Generation Tux, for example, offers suit and tuxedo rental for wedding parties.
Finally, keep a record of every deposit and payment rather than relying on estimates. Leaving a small contingency fund in your budget can also help cover unexpected costs without causing unnecessary stress as the wedding gets closer.
Find the Perfect Wedding Dress
Finding your wedding dress can be one of the most exciting parts of planning your wedding, but there is no single style that every bride should be looking for. The most important thing is finding something that feels comfortable, suits your personality and makes you feel confident on the day.
Before you start shopping, it can help to explore different styles, fabrics and silhouettes to get an idea of what appeals to you. Keep an open mind, though, as a dress that doesn’t immediately catch your attention on the hanger can look completely different once you try it on.
If you’re unsure where to begin, visiting a wedding dress boutique can give you the opportunity to try different styles and get advice about which shapes and fabrics might work for you. Take someone whose opinion you trust, but remember that ultimately the dress needs to feel right to you.
Remember to start shopping early to allow plenty of time for fittings and alterations. It can also be helpful to think about outfits for other key members of the wedding party at this stage. Giving the mother of the bride plenty of time to browse mother of the bride dress options means she can choose something that feels comfortable and elegant while complementing the overall style of the wedding.
Try not to put too much pressure on finding a mythical ‘perfect’ dress or having the emotional moment you sometimes see on television. If you find a dress that you love wearing and can imagine yourself getting married in, that’s what really matters.
If you’re having something bespoke made, such as custom wedding rings, remember that these may also need to be ordered well in advance.
Choose your wedding venue
Your venue will influence many of the other decisions you make about your wedding, from the number of people you can invite to the style of your décor, catering and even what you choose to wear. It is therefore worth taking your time rather than booking somewhere simply because it looks beautiful in photographs.
Start by thinking about the type of celebration you want. You might picture a relaxed countryside wedding, an elegant hotel, a converted barn, a stately home or somewhere a little more unusual. If you’re searching for a dream wedding location, consider how you actually want the day to feel as well as how the venue looks.
Before arranging viewings, check that potential venues can accommodate your expected number of guests and fit comfortably within your budget. It is also important to find out exactly what is included in the hire price. Some venues provide tables, chairs, catering, staff and other essentials, while elsewhere you may need to organise these separately.
When you visit, think about the practical details too. Is there enough parking? Is the venue accessible for elderly or disabled guests? Is accommodation available nearby? If part of the wedding will take place outdoors, what happens if it rains? You may also want to ask about finishing times, music restrictions, exclusive use and whether you are required to use particular suppliers.
Most importantly, choose somewhere that works for you as a couple rather than somewhere you feel you should get married. The right venue should suit your budget, your guests and the kind of day you genuinely want to have.
Choose your wedding décor
Your wedding décor is an opportunity to bring some personality to the day, but you don’t need to follow every current wedding trend or decorate every available space. Start by thinking about the atmosphere you want to create. Romantic and elegant, colourful and fun, rustic and relaxed or simple and understated can all work beautifully when the details feel consistent.
Your venue is a good starting point. A countryside or barn venue may already have plenty of character and need very little decoration, while a blank canvas venue gives you more freedom to introduce your own colours, flowers, lighting and styling. If you’re planning an outdoor ceremony or reception, choose decorations that can cope with the weather and have a backup plan for anything that needs to be moved indoors.
Couples hoping to make more sustainable choices can also think about how their venue, decorations and catering fit into an eco-friendly wedding.
The season can provide inspiration too. Spring and summer weddings lend themselves beautifully to fresh flowers and lighter colours, while autumn and winter celebrations can work well with richer tones, candles, foliage and warm lighting. That doesn’t mean you have to follow traditional seasonal colour schemes, though – choose something you genuinely love.
Pay attention to the details your guests will actually notice and enjoy. Table decorations, place cards, signage, flowers and lighting can transform a space without requiring an enormous décor budget. You don’t necessarily need to buy your decorations from a wedding supplier either. For our wedding, I bought silk flowers from a wholesaler and used them to decorate the venue ourselves. Looking beyond dedicated wedding shops can open up far more options, particularly if you’re happy to get creative and do some of the decorating yourself.
You can also personalise traditions so that they complement the wider look and feel of your wedding. For example, couples incorporating a ketubah signing during the ceremony can choose a design that reflects their style or wedding colour palette, turning something meaningful into a beautiful part of the celebration.
Above all, don’t feel that your wedding needs to look like somebody else’s Pinterest board. A few thoughtfully chosen details that mean something to you will usually make the day feel far more personal than filling the venue with decorations simply because they’re fashionable.
Send your wedding invitations
Once your venue is booked and your guest list is taking shape, you can start thinking about invitations. Your stationery can reflect the style of your wedding, whether that’s traditional and elegant, relaxed and rustic or something completely personal to you, but the most important thing is that guests can easily find the information they need.
I chose to make all of our wedding invitations myself, which gave me complete control over how they looked while also helping with the budget. I made the bridesmaids’ headdresses and my own headdress too. DIY isn’t for everyone, and you need to allow yourself enough time, but if you enjoy being creative, there may be parts of your wedding that feel even more personal because you’ve made them yourself.
If you’re planning well in advance, you may want to send save-the-date cards first, particularly if you’re getting married during the summer, over a bank holiday or somewhere that requires guests to travel and book accommodation. Your formal invitations can then provide the full details closer to the wedding.
As well as the date, ceremony time and venue, think about any additional information your guests will need. This might include directions, parking arrangements, nearby accommodation, dress code, whether children are invited and when you need RSVPs returned. If you have a wedding website, you can use this for the extra details rather than trying to fit everything onto the invitation itself.
Give guests a clear RSVP deadline and keep a record of responses as they arrive. You’ll eventually need accurate numbers for your venue and caterer, along with information about dietary requirements, so staying organised at this stage can save a lot of chasing later.
Whether you choose beautifully printed stationery or digital invitations, don’t feel pressured to spend a large part of your budget here. Choose something that suits your wedding and gives your guests the information they need – that’s ultimately what an invitation is there to do.
Book your key wedding suppliers
Once you have your date and venue confirmed, start booking the suppliers who are most important to you. Popular photographers, videographers, caterers, florists and entertainment providers can be booked many months in advance, particularly for summer Saturdays, so it pays to get your priorities sorted early.
You don’t need to book everything at once. Decide which parts of the day matter most to you and concentrate on those first. If having photographs you love is particularly important, for example, make finding the right photographer one of your priorities. If you want a specific band, DJ or style of entertainment, check their availability before spending time worrying about smaller details.
When comparing suppliers, look beyond price alone. Read reviews, browse examples of their previous work and make sure you understand exactly what is included in the quote. Before paying a deposit, check the payment schedule, cancellation terms and what would happen if the supplier were unable to provide the service on your wedding day.
It’s also worth choosing people you feel comfortable communicating with. You’ll be trusting your suppliers with an important part of your wedding, so you want to feel confident that they understand what you’re looking for and will be reliable in the run-up to the day.
Keep copies of contracts, invoices and important correspondence together, and make a note of when final balances are due. Having everything organised in one place will make the last few weeks before your wedding considerably easier.
Create a wedding planning timeline
Wedding planning becomes much easier when you know what needs to happen and roughly when. Rather than trying to organise everything at once, create a simple timeline that works backwards from your wedding date and add important booking, payment and decision deadlines as you go.
I used a wedding planner book and wrote everything down as we went along. It became the place where I kept track of what we’d booked, what still needed doing and all those little details that are surprisingly easy to forget. Today you could do exactly the same thing with an app or spreadsheet, but I still think having one central place for all your wedding plans makes the whole process much easier to manage.
Your venue and the suppliers who can only attend one wedding per day, such as your photographer or entertainment, are usually worth securing early. Other decisions, including décor, stationery and smaller finishing touches, can often wait until the main structure of the day is in place.
As the wedding gets closer, your focus will gradually shift towards final details. You may need to confirm guest numbers and dietary requirements, arrange dress fittings, finalise timings with suppliers, create a seating plan and make sure everyone involved in the wedding knows where they need to be and when.
Try to leave some breathing room in the final week rather than scheduling jobs right up until the last minute. There will almost always be something unexpected to deal with, and you’ll enjoy the build-up much more if you aren’t still trying to complete a long list of tasks the night before your wedding.
Most importantly, remember that your timeline is there to make planning easier, not to give you another set of deadlines to worry about. Every wedding is different, so concentrate on the things that matter for your celebration and don’t worry if your plans don’t follow somebody else’s wedding checklist exactly.
Enjoy planning a wedding that feels like you
Planning your dream wedding isn’t about creating a flawless day or following every wedding tradition. It’s about deciding what matters most to you as a couple and building your celebration around those priorities.
Start with the big decisions, such as your budget, venue and key suppliers, before worrying about the smaller details. Staying organised will certainly help, but don’t let endless checklists take over the experience. Some of the things you remember most fondly may be the moments you never could have planned.
Most importantly, try to enjoy the build-up as well as the wedding itself. When the day finally arrives, the flowers, table settings and carefully chosen details will be lovely, but celebrating with the people who matter to you is what will make your wedding truly memorable.
Wedding planning FAQs
How far in advance should you start planning a wedding?
There is no set rule, but many couples begin planning around 12 to 18 months before their wedding, particularly if they have a specific venue, photographer or popular date in mind. A shorter planning period is perfectly possible, although you may need to be more flexible about dates and suppliers.
What should you book first when planning a wedding?
Your budget, approximate guest numbers and venue are good places to start. Once your venue and date are confirmed, you can move on to suppliers who can only take one booking per day, such as your photographer, videographer or entertainment.
How can you plan a wedding on a smaller budget?
Decide which elements of the wedding matter most to you and spend your money there. Reducing your guest list, considering a weekday or off-peak date, simplifying your décor and comparing supplier quotes can all help. Keeping track of every expense is also important, as smaller wedding costs can quickly add up.
How do you make a wedding feel personal?
Choose details that reflect you as a couple rather than trying to recreate someone else’s wedding. Your music, readings, food, décor, traditions and even the way you structure the day can all tell part of your story. Personal doesn’t necessarily mean expensive – often, the simplest details are the ones guests remember.