Budget & Planning
A 12-Month Wedding Planning Timeline
The order things actually need to happen in, month by month - plus shorter versions if you've got six months or three.
Specific to the UK
Notice periods, venues, and traditions differ between England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland - every article says which nations it applies to.
Written by a dressmaker
Practical, opinionated advice from someone who spends her working life altering wedding dresses and fielding brides' questions.
Checked against official sources
Legal and cost details are sourced from gov.uk, National Records of Scotland, and nidirect, with a review date on every article.
Explore by section
Or search the whole site →-
Legal & Admin
Notice, certificates, and getting the paperwork right.
9 articles -
Budget & Planning
Timelines, budgets, and the countdown checklist.
12 articles -
Dress & Attire
The dress, the bridesmaids, and what actually works for UK weather.
8 articles -
Venues
Finding and booking the right space.
8 articles -
Ceremony & Traditions
Vows, readings, and the differences across the UK's nations.
6 articles -
Vendors & Suppliers
Photographers, caterers, florists, and how to vet them.
8 articles -
Food & Drink
The wedding breakfast, the cake, the toasts.
6 articles -
Hen Do & Pre-Wedding
Planning the run-up, not just the day.
4 articles -
Guests & Etiquette
Invitations, seating, and the awkward questions.
9 articles -
Regional & Seasonal
Highland, Welsh, seaside, and winter weddings.
9 articles -
Honeymoon
Where to go, when to go, and the admin that trips people up.
5 articles
Free planning tools
Plan it all in one place
A budget calculator, a checklist that works out the dates from your wedding day, a guest list with day and evening headcounts, a seating planner, a day schedule builder, invitation wording and more. Everything saves in your browser - no account needed.
A few places to start
Budget & Planning
A Realistic UK Wedding Budget Breakdown
What UK couples actually spend, where the money goes, and the categories people consistently underbudget.
Legal & Admin
England & WalesGiving Notice at the Register Office
What giving notice actually involves in England and Wales, how far in advance, and what trips people up.
Dress & Attire
Made-to-Measure vs. Off-the-Peg vs. Alterations
What each route actually costs in time and money, what happens at each fitting, and how long to allow - from someone who alters dresses for a living.
Legal & Admin
ScotlandScotland's Marriage Law and Humanist Ceremonies
Why humanist weddings are legally binding in Scotland but not in England or Wales, and how Scottish marriage law differs more broadly.
Budget & Planning
Small Weddings, Elopements, and the Register Office Minimum
The smallest legal wedding you can have in each UK nation, what it actually costs, and how micro-weddings and 'marry small, party later' work in practice.
