How Early Should You Start Planning Your Wedding?

What’s your budget?

We put this question first, as it often influences the rest of your wedding planning. It also helps you to narrow down key wedding questions, such as where you want to get married and how many people you want to invite.

What wedding theme do you want?

This is an important decision as it’ll feature in every part of your wedding planning. From the venue and time of year to your style of dress, wedding favours and colour theme, now’s the time to settle on your vision so you can plan how to bring it to life.

What time of year do you want to get married?

Perhaps there’s a special date you’d like to tie the knot on. Maybe you prefer the idea of a cosy winter wedding or an outdoor summer wedding. These decisions will help you figure out exactly when you want to get married – which will also influence your wedding planning timeline.

How many people do you want to invite?

Whether you want an intimate wedding ceremony or an extravagant celebration, think about who exactly you want at your wedding. Remember, this is your day, so there’s no need to worry about inviting your mum’s cousin’s daughter if you’ve never met them. Once you know who you want to share your day with, you’ll have an idea of numbers to help you determine your location and budget.

Where do you want to get married?

This not only includes a location but also the type of wedding venue you’d like. Are you looking for a castle in the South of France? A vibrant city wedding venue? Or a unique Abbey in the heart of the countryside?

One Year To Go

Book your venue — This is a biggie, as most wedding venues book up quickly! If you’ve found your ideal wedding venue, secure it as soon as possible.

Finalise your guest list (and send save the dates) — Once you have your wedding venue, you’ll have your wedding date. You’ll also know the venue’s capacity so you can finalise your daytime and evening guests to send save the dates.

Invest in wedding insurance — Weddings are a big investment with a lot of upfront costs. We strongly recommend buying wedding insurance to protect your deposits if anything unexpected happens, a supplier drops out, or the wedding has to be delayed.

Engage with a wedding planner — If you’d rather an expert handle the overall planning of your big day, a wedding planner is a great option. They’re just as passionate about your wedding as you are. With contacts with venues and trusted suppliers, they remove all stress and create your perfect day.

Eight Months To Go

Pick your photographer/videographer — Wedding photographers, especially good ones, get snapped up. If you like a style of photography, reach out to the photographer and secure your wedding date with them. You often get a pre-wedding photoshoot included, too.

Book DJ or band — Music is an important part of any wedding. Whether you’re hoping for your favourite local band, a blissful string quartet, or a wicked DJ for the evening celebrations, book them in around this time to avoid any disappointment.

Choose your best men and bridesmaids — Your wedding party will play a big part on the day, but you can also use them to help plan parts of your wedding. So, choosing them early doors can be a huge help. It also gives them plenty of time to organise hen and stag dos.

Speak with florists — Wedding florists can be in high demand, especially during peak wedding season. Consider your wedding colours and the time of year you’re getting married, as this could influence the flowers you want. By speaking and booking your florist now, they can recommend the best floral displays for the day.

Don’t forget the dress — Of course, you can start wedding dress shopping as soon as you like; for many, this can be a tough task if they’re unsure of what style they like. But more importantly, this is one of the best parts of wedding planning — invite your bridesmaids along and have fun finding your dream dress.

Six Months To Go

Pick your wedding cake — Creating a wedding cake involves a lot of preparation for the baker. So, by securing them several months in advance, you have plenty of time to develop ideas that suit your wedding style.

Transport for the bridal party — If you’d like to incorporate vintage wedding cars or unique transport to get your guests from A to B, make sure you book them now to secure your date.

Finding accommodation — If your wedding venue doesn’t offer accommodation, start looking for and booking accommodation nearby. You can simplify things by just securing a place for yourself, but some places offer a discounted price for bulk bookings that your guests can use.

Hair and makeup — Trusting your wedding hair and makeup artist is an important part of wedding prep, and will save the bride a lot of worry on the day. Choose someone you feel confident with, who listens to your ideas considers your theme, dress style, and any concerns you may have.

Menu tasting — One of the perks of wedding planning is tasting your wedding breakfast before the big day. Most wedding venues will have a choice of meals for you to choose from. Or, if you’re hiring your own caterers and evening food vans, book them now to secure the date.

Send wedding invites — Now’s the time to let your guests know all the finer details: the wedding destination, timings, how to get there, and gift ideas. Include an RVSP to gather dietary requirements and song requests. If you’d rather, you can create a wedding website with all the relevant information (which saves on stamps, too)

Three Months To Go

Buy your wedding rings — There’s a chance your rings may need to be adjusted to fit your fingers comfortably. By choosing them a few months out, there’s plenty of time to alter them before picking them up.

Creating wedding stationery — This includes all the little details scattered throughout your wedding, such as name places, the order of service, and table names, as well as directional signs, especially if you’re planning an outdoor wedding. Basically, anything that tells your guests where to go, what to do or where to sit.

Wedding favours — Although they are not a must-have, you may like to include a personal gift to thank guests for sharing your day with you. This could be anything from a personal note or sweets to a charity donation or gift bags for kids.

One Months To Go

Chase outstanding guests — If you’re still waiting on RSVPs, be sure to confirm with guests ASAP. If they cannot make it, you can invite someone else. Also, your caterers will need an up-to-date list of any dietary restrictions.

Run through with venue — Be sure to visit your wedding closer to the date and speak with the wedding coordinator. At Missenden Abbey, we encourage our happy couples to walk through their wedding day so they feel comfortable with the itinerary and ensure everything they want is included.

Seating plan — Your venue will also map out a table plan for you based on your number of guests. Once you have this information, you can start planning where everyone will sit, along with table names and decorations.

Write your vows — Although some couples leave this to the day before, it’s a good idea to start making notes about what you want to say. There can be a lot of pressure when everyone is staring at you, but by having an idea of what you want to tell your partner, the rest will come naturally.

Brief photographer — With so much going on on the day, you can relieve stress by pre-planning which photos you want to capture before the day starts. Let your photographer know which groups of people you want pictures with and any particular spots at your wedding venue.

Final dress fitting — We recommend trying your dress on one last time, ideally with the shoes you intend to wear. This will help determine any last-minute alterations. Try your jewellery, veil, and accessories, too, so you will feel confident on the day that it’s everything you hoped it to be.

Planning a Wedding with Missenden Abbey

Our beautiful Abbey and surrounding grounds are perfect for an elegant wedding page. Visit our wedding page for more information, or be inspired by our real-life weddings. When you’re ready to start planning your wedding, our wedding coordinators are on hand to help make this the most wonderful day of your life!

Missenden Abbey Wedding Showcase – 4th to 12th January 2025 (Strictly by Appointment Only)

Join us at the Missenden Abbey Wedding Showcase and experience the charm and elegance of the perfect setting for your special day. This exclusive event offers you the chance to explore our stunning venue, designed to make your wedding truly unforgettable.

Throughout the showcase, you’ll be guided through our beautifully decorated ceremony room, dining rooms, and marquee, all dressed to perfection by our trusted supplier, Hire Heaven.

How To Book

This event is by appointment only to ensure you receive the attention and privacy you deserve. To secure your spot, please email Natasha, our Wedding Manager, to book an exclusive appointment.

What to Expect: