Most wedding planning checklists try to do too much. They list everything any couple has ever cared about, which means by the time you finish reading you've already spent thirty minutes you didn't have and you're somehow more stressed than when you started. This one strips it back to what genuinely needs to happen, in roughly the order to do it — so you can spend the rest of your engagement actually enjoying it.
It's written for modern Australian weddings (75–180 guests, hybrid venue and home-cooked moments, plenty of guests travelling) but the structure works for any size. Treat it as scaffolding: skip what doesn't apply, slow down on what does.
Twelve steps from engagement to the morning of
- 1
12+ months out — set the foundations
Set a realistic budget (with a 15% buffer), agree the rough guest count, and pick a season rather than a date. Most venue dates flow from this. If guests will travel, send save-the-dates the moment the date is locked.
Tip — Locking the venue locks the date — don't try to do them in the opposite order.
- 2
10–12 months out — book the major vendors
Photographer, videographer and celebrant are the three vendors with the longest lead times in Australia. Book them while you still have choice. Start dress and suit shopping in this window too.
- 3
9 months out — choose your wedding party
Have the conversations explicitly rather than assuming. Be clear about expectations (financial, time, travel) so no one is caught off-guard six months in.
- 4
6 months out — design and send the formal invitation
By six months out, the design, wording and RSVP system should be ready. Set up your invitation in Availi with the personalised guest links, dietary fields and plus-one allowances configured per guest. Send to anyone you already have addresses for, even if a few stragglers come later.
Tip — Send earlier than this if guests are travelling internationally or taking annual leave.
- 5
5–6 months out — book the supporting vendors
Caterer, florist, DJ or band, hair and makeup, transport. These vendors typically work to a two-to-six-month lead time and the best ones book out fast in popular months.
- 6
4 months out — accommodation and travel
Block-book hotel rooms for out-of-town guests, sort group transport if needed, and add the accommodation details to the invitation as an expandable section. With Availi, you can target this information only to the guests who need it.
- 7
3 months out — write the words
Vows, ceremony script, speeches. Pick rings if you haven't. Finalise the menu, the seating plan and the run-of-day timeline. Lock everything that's expensive to change later.
- 8
2 months out — final dress fittings and finishes
Dress and suit final fittings. Print signage, place cards and order any wedding-day stationery. Confirm vendor arrival times in writing.
- 9
1 month out — chase the final RSVPs
By a month out you want firm numbers. Availi sends automatic reminders to anyone yet to RSVP; chase the last few personally. Give final headcount to the caterer ten days before the day.
- 10
2 weeks out — run the rehearsal
Walk the ceremony, distribute the run sheet to the wedding party, and brief your MC. Pack the overnight bag now rather than the day before.
- 11
The week of — delegate
Confirm vendor arrival times one final time. Hand the day-of timeline to a wedding-party member who isn't you. Eat properly and sleep more than you think you need to.
- 12
The morning of — be present
Charge your phone, eat breakfast, drink water, leave time for the unexpected. The work is done; today you're a guest at your own wedding.
The non-negotiables vs the nice-to-haves
If you do nothing else from this checklist, do the things in the left column. They directly affect how the day actually runs. The right column is the polish — beautiful, but optional, and easy to cut when the budget or the calendar gets tight.
Non-negotiable
- Ceremony venue, celebrant and the legal paperwork
- Reception venue and catering
- Photographer (the only thing you take home from the day)
- Personalised digital invitations with reliable RSVPs
- A day-of run sheet your wedding party can follow
Nice-to-have
- Videographer (highly recommended but not strictly needed)
- Live music vs DJ vs Spotify playlist — they can all work
- Custom florals (a great florist beats expensive flowers)
- Wedding favours (rarely missed if skipped)
- Photo booth, bespoke signage, late-night snacks
How to use Availi alongside this checklist
- Save-the-date: send six months out (twelve for destination) with the date, city and ‘formal invitation to follow' line.
- Personalised guest links: each guest sees their own name, plus-one allowance and any travel notes — replaces the entire ‘who can bring who' conversation.
- RSVPs: live dashboard with confirmed, maybe, declined and pending; automatic gentle reminders.
- Dietary requirements: a structured field on the RSVP form, exportable for the caterer.
- Plus-ones: configure per guest at the event level, override individually where needed.
- Registry: built-in block beneath the invitation; gracious one-line link rather than a list of items.
- Day-of details: timeline, accommodation, parking and dress code all expandable from the same link.
- Photo album: post-day shared album that guests can upload to from their phones.
One link replaces ten emails
Your guests open one Availi link from the moment they receive the save-the-date through to the morning after the wedding. Everything they need — timeline, accommodation, RSVP, dietaries, registry, photo album — lives there. You stop sending follow-up emails almost entirely.