Wedding Planning Timeline: 12 Months Out to the Big Day
In brief: A luxury London wedding needs roughly twelve months from booking to "I do." This is the timeline we actually work to, month by month, from first venue viewing to the morning after.
12 Months Out
Venue booked and date confirmed. Planner engaged. A first-draft guest list and headline budget agreed, even if both will move. This is the stage that sets the ceiling on everything else, because venue and date availability drive every decision that follows.
9 To 10 Months Out
Photographer and videographer booked, since the best ones fill their calendar furthest out. Catering confirmed if the venue is not in-house. Band or DJ secured. First conversations with a florist to shape the look before other decisions lock it in.
6 Months Out
Save the dates go out if they have not already. Menu tasting booked. Wedding party attire decided. Invitations designed, ready to send at the three-month mark. This is also when the timeline for the day itself starts taking real shape.
3 Months Out
Invitations sent. Final headcount pushed as hard as it can be, because every other number depends on it. Seating plan drafted. Final confirmations go out to every supplier with the date, time and site contact.
6 Weeks Out
Final numbers locked with the venue and caterer. Run sheet drafted minute by minute. Table plan finalised. This is the point where changes get expensive, so it is the last real window to catch anything that is still loose.
1 Week Out
Final venue walkthrough. Every supplier reconfirmed directly, not assumed. The full-day timeline distributed to everyone involved, so nobody is finding out the plan on the morning itself.
On The Day
A planner on site from the first delivery to the last guest leaving, running the timeline so you do not have to think about it. This is the entire point of the twelve months before it: so the day itself needs no decisions from you at all.
Why Timelines Slip
Three causes account for most delays: guest list creep after the "final" number is set, indecision on suppliers that eats into booking windows, and venue availability that closes off options nobody realised were time-sensitive. All three are avoidable with a plan that starts early enough.
What JustSeventy Brings
Founded in 2011, JustSeventy has delivered over £15 million in events across fifteen years. We build this timeline for every client from the first meeting, so nothing gets left to the last six weeks by accident.
For everything a planner actually handles across that timeline, see our guide to hiring a luxury wedding planner in London.
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Laurie Weitzkorn, Director