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How to Plan a Wedding in 6 Months

Is it possible to plan a wedding in six months? Of course it is! As long as you are focused, organised and ready to dedicate the time required to pull together the day of your dreams, it is absolutely possible to pull together the biggest event of your life in six short months. Let’s dive straight in so that you can do the same.

6 months

Book a wedding venue and set a date

Whilst many UK wedding venues book up at least a year in advance, you can still find a beautiful venue – and a great deal – at relatively short notice. It is important to be open to mid-week and Sunday dates which will be more readily available.

Why not start by taking a look at these special offers at our selected wedding venues?

Secure your wedding suppliers

Waste no time finding and contacting photographers, videographers, florists, bands and cake bakers to snap up your favourite suppliers. Whilst you’re researching suppliers that you like, make a note of two or three for each category so that you can more quickly check the availability of multiple suppliers and save disappointment. If you are fortunate enough to have two supplier options on the table, one or both suppliers may even offer a discounted rate.

 

Send save-the-dates

As soon as your wedding date is secured, it’s time to finalise the guest list and send those all-important save-the-dates. At relatively short notice, it’s likely that not everyone will be free for your wedding date. So get those digital invitations sent as soon as possible to increase the likelihood that your favourite people will be by your sides.

Note: you may wish to create a wedding website before sending your save-the-dates. This is a great way to share important details about your wedding day such as maps, dress code and venue details. Plus, you can personalise your website with fun photographs of you both.

Find the dress

Custom-made wedding dresses usually require at least six months’ notice, so if you opt for bespoke bridal attire, now is the time to decide and pay your deposit. For more affordable options without the time pressure, you could explore ready-to-wear, sample sales, non-bridal designers, or rental options.

Reserve guest accommodation

If your wedding venue requires guests to reserve rooms, do this as soon as possible to ensure they can’t be booked by third parties. You’ll want your closest family and friends to stay close by and may even be able to secure a lower price for reserving rooms in bulk.

5 months

Start planning your menu

Now is the perfect time to book food tastings and start making decisions on what you’ll want to serve your guests during the wedding breakfast. You don’t want this decision to feel rushed, so getting this booked now gives you plenty of time to ponder and think about any original touches.

Shop for wedding rings

Treat yourselves to a day out shopping for wedding rings. Grab a bite to eat, talk about all things wedding and choose rings you’ll both treasure forever. Why not start by visiting the jewellery store where your partner purchased your engagement ring?

Source wedding party attire

You’ve sorted your own wedding attire; now is the time to think about your bridesmaids and groomsmen. You could protect your time by asking your bridesmaids to pick a dress that they like in a colour of your choosing or get everyone on board with a ready-to-wear dress that you can order in good time. You could also ask groomsmen to wear their own suit in a colour of your choosing to save time and money.

4 months

Finalise ceremony details

It’s time to plan a visit to your registry office or church or meet your celebrant to iron out the details of your wedding ceremony. You may wish to ask special guests if they’d like to share readings and also choose your ceremony playlist or musician.

Start planning your honeymoon

Now is the perfect time to start thinking about the all-important honeymoon. Often cited as one of the best parts of wedding planning, thinking about where you both want to go to unwind after the wedding provides a blissful break from the millions of wedding decisions you’ve made so far.

3 months

Cake tasting

Congratulations! You’re halfway through planning a wedding in six months, so it’s time for a treat to reward yourselves. It’s time to sample lots of delicious cake flavours and choose your favourites. It’s a hard life.

Send wedding invitations

Having already designed and ordered your invitations, it’s time to post them. It’s official. The invitations have dropped.

Finalise venue styling

You will have already gathered plenty of ideas about how you’d like your wedding venue to be dressed for your day. Now is the time to finalise the look and feel of your day, ensure you know who is dressing the venue and providing your props, and make sure that your florist has been connected with your venue point of contact and/or stylist. You must ensure that your supplier team is working cohesively.

2 months

Time to party

With most of the hard work done, now is the perfect time to head off on your hen and stag parties.

Important: give notice

It’s time to make an appointment to give notice at your local register office. You must sign a legal statement at your local register office at least 29 days before your ceremony. Contact your local register office for more information.

Hair and makeup trial

Schedule a hair and makeup trial to ensure your glam squad knows exactly how you want to look and feel on your wedding day.

Final meetings with suppliers

You should have a final meeting with your florist and stylist around this time to ensure you’ve covered all the details and that everything is included in your proposal. Your photographer, band, DJ, celebrant and cake maker may also schedule final meetings to ensure that everything is covered, and you will likely have final invoices to pay at this stage.

1 month

Finalise details of the day

Your big day is approaching fast! Confirm timing and orders with all of your wedding suppliers and liaise with your venue point of contact to make sure that your wedding day timeline is finalised and communicated with all relevant parties. Ensure your wedding music playlist and song requests are confirmed, and your photographer knows which shots are most important to you.

Finalise your seating plan

With all RSVPs received, and a guest list finalised, it’s time to sign off your seating plan and get this and all relevant stationery (such as menus and place cards) printed.

Final dress fitting

You’ll be invited for a final dress fitting so your wedding dress fits like a glove. This alteration is the final step toward how your dress will look and feel on your wedding day.

Your day has arrived!

Well, you did it! You managed to plan a wedding in 6 months – now is the time to enjoy it.

If you’re recently engaged and are looking to secure a wedding venue, why not look at the latest special rates on offer at our selected wedding venues?

Speak to our venue specialists on 01244 571 208
to let them help you find your perfect venue