Some couples have an indefinite amount of time to plan a wedding. Other couples need to figure out how to plan a wedding in 6 months or less. If you’re in the latter camp, then I’ve got you covered! Whether life circumstances necessitate it or you just want to have the wedding party as soon as possible, it’s totally doable. I’m a professional wedding planner who has planned some beautiful weddings in just a few months. I firmly believe it’s possible for you to do it yourself. I’ll set you up with a list of the most important steps when planning a wedding in 6 months or less. Then, you can tailor it to your personal needs. Everyone’s wedding looks a little different, so I focused on the main elements that make up an excellent event.
Planning a Wedding in 6 Months: 6 Months Prior
Book a venue– Booking a wedding venue is the most important element to lock down as soon as possible. Since the booking will be closer to the wedding date, you’ll have to be flexible on the day and time. There may be more morning or Sunday slots available. The wedding venue may also have certain elements included with the rental, such as catering, event staff, and audio equipment. This helps a lot when you’re planning a wedding in 6 months or less!
Confirm wedding party– Next, confirm who will be a part of your wedding party early on. This will give you an idea of the general ceremony layout. It’s good to do this early do you can start planning bachelorette and bachelor parties! Even though it’s a tighter timeline, there’s still some room for fun.
Guest List– Settle on a wedding guest list to determine numbers for your vendors.
Vision board– Although decor decisions won’t come until later, you can start searching for wedding inspiration. It could be good to decide on a general color palette earlier to decide what outfits the wedding party needs to wear. When planning a wedding in 6 months, the gap between vision and reality is pretty small!
Send out save the dates– Once you have a venue booked, you’ll want to send out save the dates early on. This way your guests can make sure to keep their calendars clear.
Choose a dress– Since wedding dresses are expensive to make, they usually have to place an order for your size. You’ll want to decide on a dress early on to prevent any dramas with delayed shipments or alterations. Planning a wedding in 6 months requires extra precautions around shipping times.
Book a photographer– Good wedding photographers can book years in advance. But you will be able to find someone who understands your vision as long as you start the search soon after your engagement.
Schedule tastings– This is also a good time to schedule tastings since it might take a while until you find a caterer and wedding baker that you like. You can also ask friends for recommendations to speed along the process.
Find a stationer– You’ll want to find your wedding stationery early on, since it takes time to custom print invitations. For a faster turnaround you can always print them out yourself using a Canva template!
Planning a Wedding in 6 months: 5 Months Prior
Notify wedding party about wardrobe– Let your wedding party what dresses and accessories they will need to purchase. Or provide them with a color to shop for.
Book a florist– Florists often have a great sampling of their work online, which will make the decision process a bit speedier. This early on, you will just need to provide general numbers, floor plan, bouquet visions, and any large installations that you might be interested in.
Book catering– Finalize a wedding caterer, but also make sure to have your top three choices in case there is a cancellation later down the line.
Book hair/makeup– This is another area where I think it helps to ask for friends’ recommendations. You need to be able to communicate well with your wedding beauty team. This ensures that you will feel your best on your wedding day.
Book entertainment– When planning a wedding in 6 months or less, you’ll also want to prioritize booking entertainment that will vibe well with your event. Ask them what equipment and power needs they have so you can prepare ahead of time.
Book rentals– Depending on what your venue includes with the rental, you also might need to reserve additional linens, furniture, lightings, dance floor, and decor. Doing this as early as possible ensures that you find the items to match your wedding vision.
4 Months
Send wedding invitations-You won’t want to wait til the last minute to send out wedding invitations, since there are are always a few that get returned to sender. Doing this four months before the date leaves plenty of time to edit the contact list.
Dress/suit alterations-The four month mark is closer to the size you will be on the wedding day and the tailor can work on the major alterations. However, when planning a wedding in 6 months, keep in mind that you may not have quite as many fittings as the more traditional timeline.
Finalize menu– Finalizing the wedding menu can be done at a later date, but it’s also an easy task to check off the list early. That way the catering company will have plenty of time to prepare.
Shop for decor– You can start shopping for wedding decor four months before the wedding. It might take a while to find the elements you need, plus you’ll need to factor in any shipping time. By now you will already have a vision, so you just need start assembling all the pieces.
Bach parties?– Just because you’re going to plan a wedding in 6 months, it doesn’t mean that you won’t have time for some fun with your besties! Don’t forget to set aside some time to make fun memories with you wedding party.
3 Months
Finalize decor and buy all supplies– Three months in you should be finishing up the wedding decor purchases. This gives you time to hone in on all the smaller details that sometimes get overlooked when planning a wedding in 6 months.
Wedding favors– Think about what you might want to give to your guests as a wedding favor. Make sure it’s something thoughtful. If you’re ordering custom wedding favors, now would be a good time to order.
Send songs to DJ– By now you probably have a decent list of songs that you’d like the DJ to play. Send them in advance so they can properly incorporate the songs into a bangin’ set. Of course, you can always send more later as you think of them!
2 Months
Walk through with vendors– Scheduling a walk through the venue with your vendors is extremely important. Don’t forget this step! Everyone needs to get a lay of the land to transport equipment as seamlessly as possible on the wedding day.
Shot list for photographer– Send your photographer as list of shots you’re hoping to get on the wedding day. This will help both of you create a realistic timeline for the day.
Schedule self care appointments– Things start to get stressful in the final two months of planning a wedding. I recommend going in for a nice massage, facial treatment, and other things that might need to be done in advance. For example, tanning sometimes needs a few weeks to mellow out.
Create a mockup of layout– Now that you have a final guest count and decor decided, you can create mockups. Take photos of a sample table setting to ensure your vision is properly executed by any helpers. Lots of apps can also help you create customizable event floor plans.
Buy liquor– If you’ll be providing the liquor for the event, now is a good time to stock up. You might not find everything you need at one location. Shop around for the best deals.
Break in your shoes– This is a crucial step! Give your shoes enough time to soften up so you’re not dancing with injured toes. Wear them around the house so they don’t get dirty.
1 Month
Trial run of hair and makeup– A beauty trial run is important so that there aren’t any surprises on the big day. Both you and your beauty team want to make sure everything is on point. You can even schedule a ladies night for after the beauty trial so you can get more opinions and see how it looks in photos!
Final alterations– The final alterations will happen in the last month before the wedding. Make sure you try it on with the same shoes you’ll be wearing. Also, take a video to check from every angle.
Draft a day-of game plan– Create a game plan for the flow of your wedding weekend. I suggest leaving some wiggle room between appointments and vendors drop-offs to account for potential delays.
Assemble emergency kit– Create a bag that has everything you might need in case of a wedding day emergency. Having this handy will definitely relieve some stress.
Confirm details with vendors– It’s always a good idea to fully confirm everything with your vendors a few weeks before the wedding day. They can also update you on any changes in their inventory or policies.
Finalize seating chart– By now you should have a finalized guest count and floor plan. You’ll be able to find the best seating arrangement for your guests.
Confirm honeymoon details– Create a folder of all the documents and information you’ll need for the honeymoon. Arrange for transportation, dog sitting, etc. so that nothing disturbs you on your honeymoon.
Marriage license– This might seem obvious, but sometimes people forget to sign the actual marriage license! Make sure you have the document ready and have assigned witnesses.
How to plan a wedding in 6 months or less
If you have even less time than 6 months, condense the tasks from a couple months into one. It’ll be a little trickier. But you can do it as long as you keep moving forward! For more helpful DIY wedding tips, visit my blog. If you like a consultation session to start you out on the right track, don’t hesitate to reach out!
