Start with your budget, guest list and date, then book the venue, then the people who can only be in one place on one day: your photographer, filmmaker and officiant. Outfits, stationery and the smaller suppliers follow, and in England and Wales you must give notice of marriage at least 29 days before the ceremony.
This checklist runs from 18 months out to the day after, with the legal timings from GOV.UK, the photo and film decisions most guides leave out, and a version for multi-day Asian weddings.
The short answer: Book the venue 12 to 18 months ahead, your photographer and filmmaker straight after, and outfits around 9 to 12 months out. Give notice of marriage 3 to 6 months before, never later than 29 days. Plan the running order and family photo list 3 months out, and confirm everything with suppliers in the final fortnight.
How far in advance should you start planning a wedding?
Most couples have more time than they think. The Bridebook UK Wedding Report 2026 puts the average engagement at 23.8 months, and 68% of couples are engaged for under two years. Twelve to eighteen months is comfortable for a summer Saturday. A midweek, winter or small wedding can be planned well in six months or less.
Here is the whole checklist on one page. Each stage is explained below.
| When | The main jobs |
|---|---|
| 18+ months | Budget, guest list estimate, two or three possible dates, priorities |
| 12–18 months | Venue, photographer and filmmaker, officiant or registrar, planner |
| 9–12 months | Outfits, caterer, save-the-dates, band or DJ, guest accommodation |
| 6–9 months | Florist, hair and make-up, engagement shoot, wedding website |
| 3–6 months | Give notice of marriage, rings, running order, family photo list, cake and transport |
| 1–2 months | Invitations out and RSVPs in, final fittings, supplier calls, balances paid |
| Final week | Confirm timings, hand over jobs, pack the emergency kit, rest |
| The day after | Return hired items, back up guests’ photos, look after the certificate |
18 months or more before: budget, guest list and date
Set a budget you both believe in
Agree a total before you look at a single venue, and agree who is contributing what. According to Hitched’s January 2026 report, 61% of couples had financial help from family, and 56% spent more than they planned.
For context, the Bridebook UK Wedding Report 2026 puts the average wedding day at £20,604, with London higher at £26,986. Averages hide a wide spread: Bridebook found a quarter of couples spend £10,000 or less and a quarter spend over £26,000. Bridebook also reports that photography and film together take about 10% of the typical budget. Our guide to what photography and film cost in the UK breaks that down by hours and crew.
Keep a contingency of around 10% and do not spend it on upgrades.
Draw up a rough guest list
Guest numbers drive almost every cost. The Bridebook report gives an average of 80 guests, and 41% of receptions have fewer than 60. Write a first list in three columns: must invite, would like to invite, and evening only. A rough number decides which venues are even possible.
Choose two or three possible dates
Flexibility gives you more choice. Weigh up:
- Day of the week. In Bridebook’s data for 2025 weddings, 47% were on a Saturday, 17% on a Friday and 27% from Monday to Thursday. Weekdays are easier to book and usually cost less, and our own Monday to Thursday rates are lower too.
- Month. Bridebook lists August, May and September as the most popular months, and January, February and October as the least expensive.
- Light. In London the sun sets around 21:20 in late June and around 15:50 in mid-December. That changes your whole running order, as our month-by-month guide to golden hour shows.
- Faith and family calendars. Many traditions have dates and times that are preferred or avoided. Jewish weddings are not held on Shabbat or festivals, for example, and many Hindu families ask their priest for an auspicious date. Check with your officiant before you fall for a date.
12 to 18 months before: venue, then photographer and filmmaker
Book your venue
Couples decide fast: the Bridebook report found 79% book a venue within four weeks of first contact. Marrying overseas? Read what taking a UK photo and film team abroad involves before you commit. Before you sign, ask:
- Is it licensed for civil ceremonies (an “approved premises”), or will you marry elsewhere? Outdoor civil ceremonies are legal only within the grounds of approved premises.
- What are the rules on photography, filming, drones, confetti and candles? Ceremony rooms and places of worship have their own guidance too, as our guide to ceremony photography rules in the UK explains.
- Where do portraits and the drinks reception go if it rains?
- How is the evening room lit? Ask to see it after dark, or ask for photos of it set up at night.
- What time is the curfew, and when must suppliers be out?
- Are there approved-supplier lists, or fees for bringing in your own?
Book your photographer and filmmaker
Photographers and filmmakers work one wedding a day, so popular dates go early. Bridebook’s photography guide suggests 18 to 24 months ahead for summer Saturdays and 6 to 9 months for off-peak dates. Our article on when to book your photographer and videographer explains how that plays out in London and Kent.
This is also the moment to decide whether you want film. Bridebook reports that over 90% of couples hire a photographer but only about one in three hire a videographer. Read our guide to choosing a photographer and filmmaker, and ask to see complete weddings, not just highlights.
Contact your officiant or registrar
If you are marrying at an approved venue, the registrars who attend are booked through the local register office, separately from giving notice, and they fill up on popular dates. If you are having a religious ceremony, speak to your vicar, priest, rabbi, imam or granthi now, both about dates and about whether their ceremony will also make you legally married. Our guide to getting married legally in England and Wales sets out which ceremonies need a separate civil registration.
9 to 12 months before: outfits, caterer and the core team
- Outfits. Made-to-measure dresses, suits, lehengas and sherwanis can take months, plus fittings. Outfits made or bought overseas need extra time for shipping and alterations.
- Caterer. If your venue does not provide food, book the caterer now, and ask when they serve suppliers so it does not clash with the speeches.
- Band or DJ. Ask whether they supply a microphone for speeches, and whether your filmmaker can take an audio feed from their desk.
- Save-the-dates. Send them 8 to 12 months ahead, earlier if most guests travel far.
- Guest accommodation. Reserve a block of rooms near an out-of-town venue.
6 to 9 months before: the people around you
- Florist. Bring photos of your venue. Ask whether ceremony flowers can move to the reception.
- Hair and make-up. Book the artist, then book a trial a few months before the wedding. Ask how long each person takes, so you can build a realistic morning.
- Engagement shoot. Even an hour together with your photographer before the day makes the wedding easier in front of the camera. See our guide to engagement shoots in London.
- Wedding website. Put travel, parking, accommodation and the dress code in one place.
- Readings and music. Nothing religious is allowed in a civil ceremony, so check readings and music with the registrar.
When do you need to give notice of marriage? (3 to 6 months before)
In England and Wales, giving notice is a legal step you cannot skip. According to GOV.UK:
- You must give notice at least 29 days before the ceremony. That is 28 full days: notice given on 1 May means the earliest wedding date is 30 May.
- Notice is valid for 12 months, so the wedding must happen within a year of giving it.
- You give notice in person at your local register office, by appointment, and you must have lived in that registration district for at least 7 days. If you live in different districts, you each give notice in your own.
- Your venue is named on the notice, so book it first.
- If one of you is not a British or Irish citizen, different rules apply and the notice period can be extended to 70 days if your case is referred to the Home Office.
The fee from 6 April 2026 is £46.50 per person, or £93 for a couple, according to council fee tables such as Swindon’s marriage fees. Most Church of England and Church in Wales weddings use banns or a common licence instead, unless a partner is from outside the UK or Ireland, so ask your parish.
We suggest giving notice three to six months before the wedding. Appointments can be weeks away in busy districts, and the last month leaves no room for a missing document. The GOV.UK notice page lists exactly what to bring. Check with your register office, because local arrangements vary.
3 to 6 months before: the running order and the photo plan
Draft the running order
Fix the ceremony time first, then build the day around it and the sunset. Our sample UK wedding day timelines give clock times for 11am, 1pm and 3pm ceremonies. A few anchors from the light table:
| Wedding date | Sunset in London (around) | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 1 June | 21:10 | Golden hour portraits after dinner, around 20:15 |
| 1 September | 19:50 | Portraits during or just after the meal |
| 1 November | 16:35 | Portraits straight after the ceremony |
| 15 December | 15:50 | A ceremony around 13:00 leaves time for daylight portraits |
If your wedding is between November and February, read our guide to winter wedding light and timings. Remember that the clocks go back on 31 October 2027, which moves sunset an hour earlier overnight.
Add a buffer of 10 to 15 minutes between each part of the day.
Start the family photo list
Write the groups you want with names, not just roles, and choose one confident relative from each side to gather people. Eight to ten groups is a good target for most weddings. For large families, our guide to planning the family photo list shows how to keep 300 guests moving.
Decide on an unplugged ceremony
Phones held up in the aisle end up in your photographs and block your filmmaker’s view. If you want guests to put them away, decide now and put a line on your website. Our article on how to ask for an unplugged ceremony has wording for different kinds of ceremony.
Plan the speeches
Decide who speaks, in what order and when. Confirm there will be a microphone, and that speakers will stand where the light falls on their faces, not in front of a bright window. Our guide to getting speeches filmed and heard properly covers the audio side.
The rest of this stage
- Buy or order your rings and check the sizes.
- Book transport, with a realistic journey time and a margin for traffic.
- Order the cake and do the menu tasting.
- Design invitations and the order of service.
1 to 2 months before: final details
- Invitations. Send them six to eight weeks before, with an RSVP date four to six weeks out, and ask for dietary needs and access requirements at the same time.
- Final numbers and seating plan. Give the caterer and venue their numbers by the date in your contract.
- Final fittings. Wear your wedding shoes around the house to soften them.
- Supplier calls. Talk your photographer and filmmaker through the running order, the family list, the venue rules and anything that matters to you, such as a grandparent who can only stay for part of the day.
- Balances. Most suppliers ask for the balance a few weeks before. Ours is due a few weeks before the wedding too.
- Emergency kit. Put one together and decide who carries it. Our wedding day emergency kit list covers what to pack.
- Common traps. Read our list of wedding planning mistakes we see from behind the camera while there is time to fix them.
The final week
- Send the final running order to every supplier and to the people helping you, with a contact sheet of names and phone numbers.
- Choose one person who is not either of you to take supplier calls on the day.
- Hand over the rings, readings, order of service and any cash payments to the people who need them.
- Check the forecast and confirm the wet-weather plan with your venue. Our guide to a rain plan for photos and film helps.
- Steam or press outfits and lay out everything you need for the morning.
On the day
By the morning, the planning is done. We have separate guides for the day itself: wedding day tips for brides, wedding day tips for grooms, and how to plan your getting-ready photos.
The day after (and the weeks after)
- Return hired items. Suits, decorations and anything from the venue often have return deadlines.
- The marriage certificate. Since 4 May 2021, couples in England and Wales sign a marriage schedule instead of a paper register. After a religious ceremony, the schedule must be returned to the register office within 21 days, and certificates are only issued once it is registered. Order an extra copy or two if you are changing your name.
- Guests’ photos. Ask guests to add their photos to one shared album, so nothing is lost.
- Your gallery and films. With us, you see a sneak peek within days, your full gallery usually within four weeks, and your films within two to three months, depending on the season. Back everything up in two places.
Planning a multi-day Asian wedding: how the checklist changes
A Sikh, Hindu or Muslim wedding with several events is closer to planning three or four weddings at once. The order stays the same, but lead times stretch and every decision is multiplied by the number of events. Our multi-day Asian wedding timeline covers the day-by-day plan.
| When | Extra jobs for a multi-day wedding |
|---|---|
| 18+ months | Agree with both families which events you are hosting, who pays for each, and rough numbers per event. Ask your priest, granthi or imam about dates. |
| 12–18 months | Book venues for each event, often a gurdwara, mandir or mosque plus a banqueting hall. Book photo and film for every event you want covered. |
| 9–12 months | Order outfits for each event, allowing for overseas making, shipping and alterations. Book the dhol, decor, mandap or stage, and caterers per event. |
| 6–9 months | Book hair and make-up for each day, including family members. Plan any baraat route with the venue. |
| 3–6 months | Give notice for the civil ceremony if your religious ceremony will not be legally binding. Write one running order per event and a combined schedule. |
| 1–2 months | Write a family photo list for each side, for each event. Share one document with every supplier, with addresses and contacts for every event. |
A few things we would add from experience:
- The legal ceremony. A Hindu ceremony in a hotel or banqueting hall is not legally binding on its own, and a nikah held outside a mosque registered for marriages usually is not either. Some gurdwaras and mandirs are registered for marriages; many are not. Many couples hold a civil ceremony days or weeks before. Our guide to legal weddings in England explains the options, and your officiant can tell you how their own building is registered.
- Outfit changes take time. Allow at least 30 to 45 minutes between events for changes, and longer if jewellery and a dupatta need pinning again.
- Light after dark. Mehndi and sangeet nights are usually indoors and late, so the room’s lighting matters more than at any daytime event. Our guide to photographing mehndi and sangeet nights explains what to ask the venue.
- Price it by event. We price multi-day weddings event by event, so you can choose which parts are covered. Our article on photo and film costs for a multi-day Asian wedding shows how to decide.
For background on the ceremonies themselves, see our older guides to Sikh wedding ceremony traditions and the Hindu wedding ceremony, and our list of Asian wedding venues.
From behind the camera
From where we stand, the weddings that run most smoothly are not the ones with the biggest budgets. They are the ones where three small documents were finished a month before: a running order with clock times and buffers, a family photo list with names, and a contact sheet with one person in charge on the day. Those three pages let a photographer and a filmmaker be in the right place before something happens, rather than chasing it.
The other thing we notice is light. Couples spend months on flowers, then schedule dinner across the only hour of soft evening light, or hold the speeches in front of a floor-to-ceiling window. A two-minute check of the sunset time costs nothing, and when we look at a running order it is usually the first thing we adjust. For film, sound is the other half: a microphone that works and a DJ who has spoken to your filmmaker make the difference between speeches you can hear in ten years and speeches you can only see.
Frequently asked questions
How far in advance should you start planning a wedding in the UK?
Twelve to eighteen months is comfortable for a summer Saturday, because venues, photographers and filmmakers book up first. The Bridebook UK Wedding Report 2026 puts the average engagement at 23.8 months, so most couples have the time. A smaller, midweek or winter wedding can be planned well in six months or less.
What should you book first for a wedding?
Set your budget and rough guest numbers, then book the date and venue together, because they shape every other decision. Next come the suppliers who can only be in one place on one day: your photographer and filmmaker, your officiant or registrar, a planner if you want one, and a caterer if the venue does not provide food.
When do you need to give notice of marriage in England?
Notice must be given at least 29 days before the ceremony, which is 28 full days, and it is valid for 12 months. You give it in person at your local register office, by appointment, after living in that district for at least 7 days. You need to know your venue first, because it is named on the notice.
How much does it cost to give notice of marriage?
From 6 April 2026 the statutory fee is £46.50 per person, so £93 for a couple, according to council fee tables. If your notice is referred to the Home Office, the fee is £63 per person. Fees change each April, so check with your local register office when you book the appointment.
What is the average cost of a wedding in the UK?
The Bridebook UK Wedding Report 2026 puts the average wedding day at £20,604, not counting the honeymoon or engagement ring. Hitched’s January 2026 figure is £21,990. The two surveys use different samples, so treat them as a rough guide: a quarter of couples spend £10,000 or less, according to Bridebook.
Keep reading
- 21 wedding planning mistakes we see: the problems that show up in photos and film, and how to avoid each one.
- Getting married legally in England and Wales: notice, ceremonies and which religious weddings need a civil registration.
- Wedding day timeline UK: sample schedules with clock times to build your running order on.
Once you have a date and a venue, the next step is your photographer and filmmaker. Get a price for your date, or tell us about your plans and we will check we are free.
