Sample output · default answers
Wedding Planning Checklist — full sample
This is the actual structure our generator produces from the default answers. When you buy, you fill in the form and your version reflects your household — rooms, timeline, province, and everything else.
12 months out — the big decisions
- Set the overall budget ($25,000–$50,000) and agree who's contributing before booking anything
- Draft the guest list — the single biggest lever on total cost, and the number every vendor will ask for first
- Tour and book the venue — this is the one booking that locks your date, so it comes before everything else
- Set a wedding budget spreadsheet with a contingency line (10-15% of total) — almost every wedding runs over somewhere
- Research and shortlist photographers/videographers — the best ones in most Canadian cities book 12+ months out
- Note your province's marriage licence window so you don't apply too early (most expire before the ceremony if you do)
9–12 months out — lock in vendors
- Book catering (or confirm the venue's in-house catering) and schedule a tasting
- Book a DJ or live band, and a florist if flowers matter to you
- Ask your wedding party officially and share the estimated cost/time commitment upfront, not as a surprise later
- Start dress/suit shopping — formalwear often needs 4-6 months for ordering and alterations
- Choose and book your officiant — booked venues and photographers don't guarantee an available officiant on your date
- Block hotel room blocks for out-of-town guests if a meaningful share of the guest list is travelling
6–9 months out — the details
- Send save-the-dates, especially if a meaningful share of guests are travelling or it's a long weekend/holiday date
- Register for gifts — most couples do this earlier than they expect to, before shower invitations go out
- Book hair and makeup trials
- Finalize the ceremony structure and vows format with your officiant
- Confirm rental order (linens, chairs, tableware) if the venue doesn't supply them
3–6 months out — invitations & logistics
- Order and send formal invitations, 6-8 weeks before the wedding with an RSVP deadline about 3-4 weeks before that
- Finalize the menu, including a dietary-restriction count from RSVPs
- Book hair/makeup for the full day, transportation, and any rehearsal dinner venue
- Buy wedding bands if not already done — sizing and engraving both take time
- Draft a rough seating plan once most RSVPs are in
1–3 months out — the license & final counts
- Ontario's marriage licence is valid for 90 days from issue with no waiting period — apply through a municipal clerk 1–3 months before the ceremony
- Confirm your officiant has everything needed to legally register the marriage after the ceremony
- Finalize the headcount with the venue and caterer — most contracts lock this in 2-4 weeks before the date
- Finalize and print the seating chart, place cards, and any programs
- Confirm final payments and timelines with every vendor in writing
- Have the final dress/suit fitting
Final 2 weeks
- Confirm arrival times and setup windows with every vendor
- Delegate day-of tasks (who has the rings, who cues music, who handles vendor payments) so it isn't all on you and your partner
- Pack for the honeymoon if it starts right after
- Prepare a wedding-day emergency kit: stain remover, safety pins, pain reliever, extra bobby pins, tape
- Break in your wedding shoes
- Decide on the name-change question before the ceremony rush, even if the answer is "not yet"
DIY project tracker
- List every DIY project with a hard deadline, not just "before the wedding"
- Recruit help for anything assembly-heavy (centrepieces, favours, signage) — DIY solo always underestimates the time
- Buy DIY supplies with a buffer — running out mid-project close to the date is the most common DIY failure point