The 12-Month Wedding Planning Timeline
What to book, decide, and do — month by month, from engagement to send-off. Adjusted for how the Treasure Coast actually books.
Twelve months is the sweet spot: enough time to get your first-choice vendors without a frantic sprint. Shorter engagement? Compress the first four months into one — the order matters more than the spacing.
Treasure Coast reality check: the best venues, photographers, and planners book 12–18 months out for peak season (November–April). If you're marrying in season, treat this timeline as the minimum — start the big bookings even earlier if you can.
12 months outSet the foundation
- Agree on the budget — one real number, written down
- Draft the guest list (it drives every cost downstream)
- Choose your wedding party
- Start touring venues — book the venue now; everything else follows the date
- Hire a planner if you're using one (they pay for themselves in vendor negotiations alone)
10–11 months outBook the big five
- Photographer — the best book earliest; interview at least three
- Videographer, if you want one
- Caterer or private chef (for rehearsal dinners and intimate weddings)
- Band or DJ — ask to see them perform live or watch full-length video
- Florist — bring inspiration photos, but trust their seasonal expertise
8–9 months outThe look and the details
- Order the dress (alterations take months) and suits
- Book hair and makeup artists — do trials now, not later
- Reserve rentals: tent, tables, chairs, linens, lighting, dance floor
- Book the cake baker and schedule a tasting
- Book ceremony musicians
- Start the wedding website and registry
6–7 months outLogistics
- Send save-the-dates (earlier if it's a destination wedding for guests)
- Book transportation and hotel room blocks
- Book the bartending service; plan the bar menu
- Order invitations
- Plan the honeymoon
4–5 months outTastings and trials
- Menu tasting with your caterer or chef
- Cake tasting and final design
- Hair and makeup trials
- Finalize flowers — confirm what's in season for your date
- Buy wedding bands
- Plan the rehearsal dinner (venue, guest list, menu)
2–3 months outInvitations and final counts
- Mail the invitations
- Finalize the ceremony details with your officiant
- Apply for the marriage license (Florida: no waiting period for non-residents; 3-day wait for Florida residents unless you've taken a premarital course)
- Confirm all vendor arrival times and load-in windows
- Write vows, toasts, and readings
1 month outLock it in
- Final headcount to the caterer and venue
- Seating chart
- Final venue walkthrough with your planner or key vendors
- Confirm the rain plan in writing — who decides, and when
- Pack the day-of emergency kit
1 week outThe home stretch
- Confirm final payments and tips (put cash tips in labeled envelopes now)
- Reconfirm every vendor's arrival time
- Give the photographer your must-have shot list
- Rehearsal and rehearsal dinner — then stop planning and enjoy it
The golden rule: book in order of scarcity. Venues, photographers, and planners can only do one wedding a day — they go first. Cakes, stationery, and favors can be made for many couples at once — they can wait. When in doubt, ask: "how many weddings can this vendor do on my date?"
Ready to start booking?
Browse Treasure Coast wedding vendors by category — venues first, then outward.
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