Wedding planning timeline: the complete month-by-month checklist

A wedding planning timeline is your calendar in reverse: you start from the wedding date and work backwards to know what to do, and above all when to do it. Here is ours, the most complete one we could write. It runs from 18 months before the wedding to the month after, and for each stage you get a checklist, the reason those tasks belong right there, and the trap most couples fall into.

Short on time? Jump straight to the 6-month express plan or the 3-month version. Just looking for a lead time? The vendor booking table and the French town hall paperwork are further down.

Contents

1. How long does it take to plan a wedding?
2. 18 to 12 months out: the foundations
3. 12 to 9 months out: the vendors who book up first
4. 9 to 6 months out: the second circle
5. 6 to 4 months out: invitations and menu
6. 4 to 2 months out: paperwork and details
7. 2 to 1 month out: pulling it together
8. 3 weeks out
9. 2 weeks out
10. Wedding week
11. The day before
12. The wedding day
13. The day after
14. The month after
15. Planning a wedding in 6 months
16. Planning a wedding in 3 months
17. How far ahead to book each vendor
18. Getting married in France: the town hall side
19. How to split your wedding budget
20. Who does what: couple, wedding party, families, planner
21. Photos in your wedding timeline
22. The whole timeline, one line per stage

How long does it take to plan a wedding?

The honest answer: 12 to 18 months if you want to choose your vendors rather than take whoever is left. But you can do it in far less, as long as you accept a few compromises.

Time you have	What it looks like
18 months or more	Full choice: the in-demand venue, a Saturday in June, the photographer you fell for.
12 months	The most common pace. Comfortable if you stay a little flexible on the date.
6 to 9 months	Very doable, especially off-season or on a Friday. You will need to decide quickly.
3 months	Possible for a simple or mid-sized wedding with an all-inclusive venue.

Four things shift that timeline far more than your motivation: the season (Saturdays from May to September go first), the guest count (the fewer venues that can host you, the earlier you need to book), the type of venue (an all-inclusive estate simplifies everything) and how flexible you are on the date.

The four decisions to make before anything else

Every vendor you contact will ask the same questions: what date, how many people, what budget, what kind of party. Answer them before you visit a single venue.

• Your total budget, and who contributes (the two of you, your families). A ceiling, not a wish.
• Your guest count, as a range: "between 80 and 110" is enough to start.
• The season, plus two or three possible dates. Holding out for one single date rules out half the venues.
• The format: civil ceremony only, civil plus religious, a celebrant-led ceremony, a one-day party or a full weekend with a brunch.

Building your own planning timeline

The checklist below is a template. To actually follow it, nothing beats a spreadsheet shared between the two of you (Google Sheets or similar), with these columns:

Task	Deadline	Who	Status	Amount	Deposit paid	Balance due
Book the photographer	12 months out	Sam	Done	€1,800	€540	2 weeks out
Send the invitations	5 months out	Alex	To do	€320	-	-

Two rules make all the difference: every task has one owner ("we’ll handle it" means nobody will), and you hold a fixed thirty-minute check-in every week, on the same day. Add a tab for guests and one for the budget, and everything lives in one place.

Wedding planning timeline, 18 to 12 months out: the foundations

This is the season of big decisions. Few tasks, but each one shapes everything that follows.

Checklist

• Tell your close family and friends about the engagement (before social media; they will appreciate it).
• Set the total budget and any family contributions.
• Draft a first guest list, as a range.
• Pick a season and two or three possible dates. Check bank holidays, school holidays, and dates that are impossible for key people (a due date, another wedding, exams).
• Decide on the format: civil only, religious, celebrant-led, one day or a weekend.
• Decide whether to hire a wedding planner, and for what (full planning or day-of coordination).
• Visit three to five venues, then book yours (contract signed, deposit paid).
• If you are marrying in France, check that the town hall can hold the civil ceremony on that date, at a time that works with the venue.
• For a religious wedding, get in touch with your parish or community.
• Book the caterer if the venue does not impose one.
• For a Saturday between May and September, book the photographer and videographer now.
• Look into wedding insurance, and read the exclusions before you sign.
• Set up your tracking spreadsheet.

Why now: the venue sets the date, the capacity, often the caterer, and a big chunk of the budget. Everything else flows from it. The most sought-after venues are booked one to two years ahead for summer Saturdays.

The trap: booking the venue before you know your guest count. An 80-seat venue when the list climbs to 120 is the first crisis of the wedding. The second trap is signing without reading the terms: end time, sound limiter, imposed caterer, corkage fee, accommodation, cleaning, deposit. We listed the questions to ask your wedding venue before signing.

12 to 9 months out: the vendors who book up first

The venue is booked and the date is set. Now for the vendors who can only do one wedding a day.

Checklist

• Choose and book your photographer if you haven’t already: meet them, and ask to see a full gallery from one entire wedding.
• Book a videographer, if you want one.
• Book the DJ or band.
• Book a celebrant if you are planning a non-legal, personalised ceremony.
• Choose your witnesses (and bridesmaids or groomsmen), and ask them in person.
• Send save-the-dates, especially if guests are travelling or you are marrying in peak season.
• Build your wedding website: date, venue, accommodation, directions.
• Reserve a block of rooms for guests if the venue is remote (hotel, guesthouses, holiday lets).
• Start trying on dresses if yours will be made to order.
• Define the look and feel: colours, style, a handful of reference images.
• In peak season, book the florist too.

Why now: photographers, videographers, DJs and celebrants can only work one wedding a day. Saturdays go on a first-come, first-served basis, and the best are often booked a year ahead.

The trap: choosing a photographer from their ten best Instagram shots. Ask for a full story, from getting ready to the dance floor, and check what time the package ends: many stop before the party really starts. For how much to set aside, see our guide to the wedding photography budget.

9 to 6 months out: the second circle

The must-haves are booked. Time for vendors who are easier to find, but who still fill up in season.

Checklist

• Order the dress if it is made to order (production times often run to several months).
• Start looking at suits or the second partner’s outfit.
• Book the florist if you haven’t yet.
• Book hair and makeup (the trial comes later).
• Book rentals: furniture, tableware, lighting, a marquee if anything happens outdoors.
• Sort transport: the couple’s car, a shuttle for guests if the venue is far away or people will be drinking.
• Set up your gift registry or honeymoon fund.
• Book the honeymoon, and check passport expiry dates.
• Write a wet-weather plan for anything planned outdoors (drinks reception, outdoor ceremony).
• Choose your invitation design.

Why now: florists, makeup artists and rental companies have more availability than photographers, just not in June. On the travel side, prices climb as the date gets closer.

The trap: booking honeymoon flights under your future married name. The name on the ticket has to match the passport you will show at the gate, and that is most likely your current name.

6 to 4 months out: invitations and menu

This is the answer to "what should I do 6 months before the wedding?": officially invite everyone, and choose what you will serve.

Checklist

• Send the invitations, with an RSVP deadline 6 to 8 weeks before the wedding.
• Do the tasting with your caterer, choose the menu, and collect dietary needs (vegetarian, allergies, children’s meals).
• Order or rent the suit.
• Choose your rings (engraving and resizing take several weeks).
• If you are marrying in France, ask the town hall for the marriage file and its submission deadline.
• Book a notary if you want a prenuptial agreement (a "contrat de mariage" in France).
• Tell your employers. In France, the Labour Code gives employees 4 days of leave for their own wedding; elsewhere, check your contract.
• Order the cake.
• Meet your celebrant and start shaping the ceremony.
• Write a first draft of the day’s schedule.
• Think about what guests will do between the big moments: games, a guest book, a photo activity (we gathered wedding entertainment ideas).

Why now: invitations should only go out once every practical detail is locked (venues, times, accommodation). And your caterer needs time to fine-tune the menu after the tasting.

The trap: forgetting the RSVP deadline. Without one, replies trickle in until the day before, while your caterer needs a firm number long before that.

4 to 2 months out: paperwork and details

The big bookings are done. Now come the formalities and the details that give the wedding its personality.

Checklist

• In France, submit the marriage file to the town hall within the deadline it gave you (details below).
• Chase guests who haven’t replied.
• Start the seating plan.
• Do the hair and makeup trial.
• First dress fitting with the seamstress, alterations.
• Pick music for the key moments: ceremony entrance, exit, first dance. Draw up a "do not play" list too.
• Write your vows, if your ceremony includes them.
• Prepare the on-the-day stationery: menus, place cards, seating chart, signs.
• Let your wedding party plan the hen or stag do, and tell them your limits.
• Buy accessories (shoes, veil, jewellery) and start wearing the shoes around the house.
• Schedule a planning meeting with your photographer one month out.

Why now: a French town hall needs a complete file before it can publish the banns, and some documents expire quickly. Too early and they lapse; too late and you are rushing.

The trap: ordering your French birth certificate copy six months ahead. It must be less than three months old when you submit the file (less than six months if issued abroad), so it would no longer be valid.

2 to 1 month out: pulling it together

Everything is booked. The job now is making sure every vendor has the same version of the day.

Checklist

• Give the caterer your final headcount, by the date in your contract.
• Hold the planning meeting with your photographer: schedule, portrait locations, people not to miss. Bring your wedding shot list and your list of group photos.
• Set up the guest photo activity and print its materials (see photos in your wedding timeline).
• Finalise the seating plan.
• Write the hour-by-hour schedule and send it to every vendor (our wedding day timeline template saves time).
• Appoint a day-of point person: an organised friend (or your planner) who answers vendors on your behalf.
• Attend the town hall interview if you are called in.
• Plan the speeches: who speaks, when, and for how long.
• Map out the final payments (balances, tips).
• Sort gifts for guests and for your witnesses (a few ideas for wedding party gifts).
• Put together your emergency kit (see wedding week).

Why now: vendors need precise information a month out to organise themselves. And the caterer places orders based on your number.

The trap: keeping the schedule in your head. If every vendor has a different time for the drinks reception, you will get a forty-minute gap. One version, sent to everyone.

3 weeks out

Checklist

• Final dress and suit fittings, with the actual shoes and underwear you will wear.
• Confirm each vendor in writing: arrival time, exact address, on-site contact, power needs.
• Arrange meals with the caterer for vendors who stay all evening (photographer, videographer, DJ).
• Print the on-the-day stationery.
• Sign off the playlist with your DJ.
• List who brings what (decorations, equipment, extension cables).
• Gather the ID documents the town hall wants on the day.
• Book your haircut or colour two to three weeks out, never the day before.

Why now: this is the last point where a fitting issue, a printing error or a poorly briefed vendor can be fixed without panic.

The trap: trying a new facial or a new hair colour now. A skin reaction shows up in every single photo.

2 weeks out

Checklist

• Send the final schedule to every vendor and to your day-of point person.
• Brief your witnesses on their roles: rings, speeches, the card box, announcing the photo activity on the mic.
• Prepare labelled envelopes for each vendor’s balance and tip.
• Print the final seating chart.
• Confirm shuttles and accommodation.
• Check the long-range forecast and confirm the wet-weather plan with the venue.
• Wrap the guest favours.

Why now: two weeks out, nothing should change any more. What is left is handing things over.

The trap: trying to handle everything yourself. Every task you hand off now is one more minute with your guests on the day.

Wedding week

Checklist

• Collect the dress and suit.
• Drop decorations at the venue, if it allows.
• Final call with the caterer (final numbers, dietary needs) and with the venue (access times).
• Pack one bag per part of the day: town hall (ID, rings), ceremony, evening, overnight.
• Finish the emergency kit: needle and thread, safety pins, plasters, painkillers, tissues, deodorant, phone charger, double-sided tape, spare flat shoes.
• Pack for the honeymoon.
• Put a trusted person in charge of the card box and gifts.
• Sleep, eat, go for walks. Seriously.

Why now: everything ready by Thursday buys you a calm Friday.

The trap: starting a new DIY project in the final week. Those 150 hand-lettered tags were a job for last month.

The day before

Checklist

• Set up the decorations, or brief the team doing it.
• Place the QR codes for the photo activity, or give someone that job (we tested where to put the QR code so it actually gets scanned).
• Rehearse the ceremony with the celebrant or officiant, witnesses and any children in the wedding party.
• Hand the rings to the witness who will keep them.
• Charge phones and a power bank.
• Lay out the full outfit and every accessory in one room.
• Light dinner, early night.

Why now: the rehearsal takes the edge off ceremony nerves, and setting up the day before means you don’t spend the wedding morning carrying tables.

The trap: the welcome drinks that end at 2am. You are getting married tomorrow.

The wedding day

The full hour-by-hour plan is in our article on the wedding day timeline. Here is what must not slip.

Checklist

• Eat a proper breakfast.
• Bring your ID for the civil ceremony.
• Hand your phone to the point person: vendors call them, not you.
• Take ten minutes alone together at some point in the day.
• Have a witness or the DJ announce the photo activity on the mic.
• Eat during dinner, even if everyone comes over to talk.
• Let the point person hand over balances and tips at the end of the night.

Why now: because this is the day you stop being the organiser. Everything before was for this.

The trap: a schedule with no slack. Add fifteen minutes to every transition: group photos, travel and hugs always take longer than planned.

The day after

Checklist

• The brunch, if you planned one.
• Tidy up, return rentals, do the venue walkthrough and get your deposit back.
• Collect decorations, gifts and the card box.
• Discover your guests’ photos together: it is the perfect moment for a day-after photo reveal.
• Send a first thank-you message to all your guests.
• Set the dress and suit aside for cleaning.

Why now: most venues have to be handed back the next day. And it is the day everyone still wants to relive the party.

The trap: planning nothing for the clean-up. Name a crew before the wedding, or it will be the two of you, alone, with three hundred glasses.

The month after

The wedding is over, but the checklist isn’t quite.

Checklist

• Thank-you cards: send them within one or two months, ideally with a photo from the day.
• Vendors: settle the last balances, and leave a review for those who earned it (on Google or wedding platforms). It is what keeps them in business.
• Photos: photographers usually deliver within a few weeks to a few months, depending on the contract (we cover wedding photo delivery times). Back everything up in two places, then order prints or an album.
• The dress: take it to a cleaner experienced with wedding dresses quickly (wine and grass stains set over time), then store it in a fabric garment bag, or sell it while the style is still current.
• The family record book: in France, the "livret de famille" is handed to you at the end of the town hall ceremony. File it with your important papers.
• Name change: in France, marriage does not change your name automatically. You may use your spouse’s surname, or both names in the order you choose. It is optional and your current documents stay valid. If you choose to use it, update your ID card or passport, then tell the relevant organisations (health insurance, bank, employer). Outside France, rules differ: check with your own authorities.
• Taxes (France): report your marriage on impots.gouv.fr within 60 days, through the withholding tax service. For the year of the wedding, couples normally file a joint return, with the option of filing separately.

Why now: the longer thank-yous wait, the harder they are to write. And a review written while it is fresh is far more useful to future couples.

The trap: leaving your guests’ photos scattered across fifty phones. If nobody gathers them within the week, they vanish into everyone’s camera roll.

Planning a wedding in 6 months: the express plan

Six months is enough for a beautiful wedding, as long as you make decisions in the right order, and fast. The idea: everything that normally happens between 18 and 6 months out fits into the first six weeks.

Month 1 (6 months out): lock the essentials

• Budget, guest range and format: decided in one weekend.
• Venue booked within two weeks. Be flexible: a Friday, a Sunday or a March date opens a lot of doors, often at gentler prices.
• Favour a venue that includes catering, furniture and tableware: three bookings in one.
• If marrying in France, call the town hall immediately about the date.
• Photographer booked right after (the hardest vendor to find at the last minute).
• Save-the-date sent by message as soon as the venue contract is signed.

Month 2 (5 months out): the other vendors

• DJ, celebrant, florist, hair and makeup.
• Dress: aim for off-the-rack or designers with stock. Made-to-order is often too slow.
• Invitations sent (digital is fine).
• Witnesses chosen and asked.

Month 3 (4 months out): menu and outfits

• Tasting, menu, suit, rings.
• Notary, if you want a prenup.
• Honeymoon booked (or postponed, which is perfectly fine too).

Months 4 to 6: back on the standard timeline

From 3 months out, follow the regular plan: paperwork, seating plan, pulling it together, then the final weeks.

The trap: hunting for the perfect vendor. On an express timeline, a very good vendor who is free beats an ideal one who is booked. Set yourself a rule: three quotes per category at most, decision within 48 hours.

Planning a wedding in 3 months

Three months is tight but doable, on one condition: simplify the format. Fewer guests, one venue for ceremony and reception, a simpler meal (standing dinner, buffet, food trucks).

Weeks 1 and 2

• Budget, short guest list, simplified format.
• If marrying in France, call the town hall straight away. The file, the interview and the banns take several weeks, and some town halls are fully booked on Saturdays well in advance.
• All-inclusive venue booked.
• Photographer booked: look at weekday dates, end of season, or photographers who offer half-day packages.
• Invitations by message or digital card, with replies within two weeks.

Weeks 3 to 6

• Marriage file submitted.
• Off-the-rack or rented outfits, alterations started immediately.
• Music: an available DJ, or a well-prepared playlist and a good speaker.
• Flowers: a florist for the bouquet and a few centrepieces, no more.
• Rings (skip lengthy engravings).

Weeks 7 to 12

• Seating plan, schedule, day-of point person.
• Guest photo activity: it takes minutes to set up, exactly the kind of thing you can do late.
• Then the standard checklist from 3 weeks out.

The trap: wanting a 150-guest wedding in three months. Time can be managed; size, much less so.

How far ahead to book each vendor

These are the lead times to aim for on a peak-season Saturday (May to September). Off-season or on a weekday, you can often shorten them. They are cautious ranges drawn from vendor recommendations and wedding guides: the only real answer comes from the vendor you have your eye on, so ask early.

Vendor	Book	Good to know
Venue	12 to 18 months	Up to two years for in-demand venues on summer Saturdays.
Wedding planner	12 to 18 months	For full planning. Day-of coordination is usually booked 3 to 6 months out.
Caterer	10 to 14 months	Often imposed or recommended by the venue: check before searching.
Photographer	10 to 14 months	One wedding a day: the most in-demand go even earlier.
Videographer	9 to 12 months	Same logic as the photographer.
DJ or band	8 to 12 months	A live band is better booked around 12 months.
Celebrant	6 to 12 months	Expect several preparation meetings before the day.
Made-to-order dress	Order 8 to 10 months out	Off-the-rack: 3 to 4 months is enough, alterations included.
Suit	4 to 6 months (tailored)	Rental or off-the-rack: 2 to 3 months.
Florist	6 to 9 months	Shorter off-season.
Hair and makeup	6 to 9 months	Trial 2 to 3 months out.
Guest accommodation	6 to 9 months	Hold rooms early if the venue is remote.
Invitations	Order 5 to 7 months out	Send 4 to 6 months out. Save-the-dates: 8 to 12 months out.
Rentals, transport	3 to 6 months	Earlier for a marquee or shuttles in June.
Cake	3 to 6 months	Sometimes included by the caterer.
Rings	3 to 4 months	Engraving and resizing take several weeks.
Photo booth	3 to 6 months	Rental companies have a limited number of booths on Saturdays.
Digital disposable camera	1 to 2 months	Set up in minutes; the lead time is mostly for printing QR codes and telling guests.

For booking order, remember one simple rule: first what is unique (the venue), then whoever can only do one wedding a day (photographer, videographer, DJ, celebrant), then everything else.

Getting married in France: the town hall side

This section is for couples marrying in France, where only the civil ceremony is legally binding. It is performed by the mayor or a deputy at the town hall (the "mairie"), and it must take place before any religious ceremony. The rules below come from the official French government guidance on service-public.gouv.fr (updated September 2026); each town hall then has its own way of working, so ask your questions early. Marrying elsewhere? Check the rules of the country where the legal ceremony will happen.

Which town can you marry in?

One with which at least one of you has a lasting connection: where one of you lives or is resident, or where one of your parents lives or is resident. The ceremony takes place at the town hall, or in a municipal building chosen by the mayor, such as the local village hall.

The marriage file

You collect it at the town hall or download it from the town’s website. The most common documents:

• ID for each of you;
• proof of address or residence;
• a full copy or extract of your birth certificate, less than 3 months old if issued in France (less than 6 months if issued abroad);
• details of your witnesses (name, date and place of birth, occupation, address) and a copy of their ID;
• the notary’s certificate if you signed a prenuptial agreement.

French law requires at least 2 and at most 4 witnesses, all adults, related to you or not. If one of you is a foreign national or was born abroad, the town hall may ask for extra documents (certificate of custom, certificate of no impediment, sworn translations, apostille or legalisation depending on the country): allow more time.

Good to know: the pre-marriage medical certificate has not been required since 2008. If an old guide asks for one, it is out of date.

The interview

The registrar meets the two of you together, and may also ask to see you separately. The interview is compulsory: it checks that the conditions for marriage are met.

Publishing the banns

Once the file is approved, the town hall publishes the banns for 10 days, at the town hall where you marry and at the town hall of each partner’s home. The wedding cannot take place before the 10th day after publication, and must take place within the following year. An exemption can be requested from the public prosecutor, but only for a serious reason.

When to submit the file

The law sets no submission deadline: each town hall runs its own calendar. In practice, many want a complete file one to two months before the date, sometimes more in summer. Do two things:

• As soon as the venue is booked, call the town hall to hold the date and time, and ask for its submission deadline.
• About 3 to 4 months out, order your birth certificates (they must be under 3 months old when submitted), then file within the deadline.

Prenups, religious and celebrant-led ceremonies

• Prenuptial agreement: signed at a notary’s office before the wedding. Without one, French couples are married under the default regime of community of property limited to assets acquired during the marriage. Book at least two to three months ahead to discuss it.
• Religious wedding: it takes place after the civil ceremony, often the same day. For a Catholic wedding, French dioceses recommend contacting the parish about a year ahead, to allow for marriage preparation.
• Celebrant-led ceremony: it has no legal value in France. The town hall ceremony remains compulsory, possibly a few days earlier with a small group.

How to split your wedding budget

Estimates of the average cost of a wedding in France often land around €15,000 to €20,000, but real budgets vary enormously, from a few thousand euros to far more. Rather than a figure, work with proportions. Here are the ranges most wedding guides agree on:

Category	Share of budget	On €15,000
Venue	20 to 30%	€3,000 to €4,500
Catering, drinks and service	20 to 30%	€3,000 to €4,500
Photo and video	8 to 12%	€1,200 to €1,800
Outfits and beauty	5 to 10%	€750 to €1,500
Flowers and decor	5 to 10%	€750 to €1,500
Music and entertainment	5 to 10%	€750 to €1,500
Rings	2 to 5%	€300 to €750
Stationery (save-the-dates, invitations, menus)	1 to 3%	€150 to €450
Transport and accommodation	1 to 3%	€150 to €450
Contingency	5 to 10%	€750 to €1,500

These ranges don’t add up to 100%: they are benchmarks to adjust to your priorities. Venue and catering together account for close to half the budget at most weddings, which is why the guest count is your biggest lever for saving money. The contingency line is not optional: there is always a last-minute extra.

For the photo side, we break down typical prices and where you can save without regret in our guide to the wedding photography budget.

The payment schedule

The budget isn’t spent in one go. Most vendors ask for a deposit at booking (often 20 to 50%), then the balance shortly before or just after the wedding. Log every due date in your spreadsheet: it saves you from five balances landing in the same week.

Who does what: couple, wedding party, families, planner

A well-organised wedding is above all a well-shared one. Here is a split that works; adapt it to your people.

Who	What they own
The couple	The decisions: budget, guest list, vendor choices, contracts, legal paperwork, vows. The things you can’t delegate.
Witnesses and wedding party	Hen and stag dos, support in the final weeks, keeping the rings, speeches, signing the register, announcing activities on the mic, minding the card box.
Families	Their side of the guest list, welcoming guests, help with set-up and clean-up, sometimes a financial contribution.
Day-of point person	An organised friend (or your planner): the only contact for vendors on the day, keeper of the schedule.
Wedding planner	Depending on the package: everything from A to Z, one part only (vendor search, styling), or day-of coordination.

On "who pays for what", tradition had the bride’s family cover the reception. Today most couples fund the bulk themselves, and families contribute if they wish. What matters is talking about it openly when you set the budget, not when the invoice arrives.

Do you need a wedding planner? If you are short on time, marrying far from home, or hosting a large crowd, it is a real question. We explain what a wedding planner does and the different packages.

Photos in your wedding timeline

Photos are one of the few things still around the day after. So they belong at several points in your timeline, not just when you book the photographer.

12 months out: book the photographer

They are among the first vendors to book after the venue, for a simple reason: one wedding a day. Check three things before signing: a full gallery, what time the package ends, and the delivery time written into the contract.

1 month out: the shot list and group photos

Bring two lists to your planning meeting: the moments and details you don’t want missed (your wedding shot list), and the group photos you want, with names. Also appoint someone who knows both families to round people up: your photographer has no idea who Uncle Gerard is.

1 to 2 months out: plan the guest photo activity

Your photographer covers the official moments. The giggles at the back table, grandma on the dance floor at midnight: your guests see those better than anyone. There are several ways to capture them: a photo booth, cardboard disposable cameras on the tables, a shared album where everyone uploads their photos afterwards, or a disposable camera on every guest’s phone. We compare them in our wedding photo activity comparison.

If you go for the digital disposable camera, now is the time to set it up. With Time to Flash, for example:

• Create your event: the number of shots per guest (between 3 and 15) and when the album is revealed (the next day by default). It is free for up to 5 guests, enough to test it with your wedding party, then a one-off payment based on guest count (€29.99 for up to 100), no subscription.
• Print the QR codes: from your dashboard, or with the free QR code poster generator, with your names and date.
• Tell your guests: one line on the wedding website or invitation, two sentences in the best man’s or maid of honour’s speech. We wrote a guest brief you can copy and paste.

The difference from a regular shared album: it isn’t a gallery where people drop their photos the next day, it is a game during the party. Each guest gets a limited number of shots, nobody sees the photos before the reveal, and the album opens for everyone at once.

On the day: place the QR codes

The day before or that morning, someone places the QR codes where guests have time to scan them: on the tables, at the bar, at the entrance, even in the toilets. All our tests are in where to put the QR code. Also check the phone signal when you visit the venue: if it is weak, read our fixes for venues with no signal.

The day after: the reveal

Over brunch or first thing in the morning, the guests’ album opens for everyone at the same time. How to turn it into a real moment is in the day-after photo reveal. Photos stay available for 6 months: download them within the month, along with the photographer’s, and keep the best for your thank-you cards.

The whole timeline, one line per stage

• 18 to 12 months: budget, guests, date, venue.
• 12 to 9 months: photographer, videographer, DJ, celebrant, wedding party, save-the-dates.
• 9 to 6 months: dress, florist, beauty, transport, honeymoon.
• 6 to 4 months: invitations, menu, suit, rings, notary.
• 4 to 2 months: legal paperwork, seating plan, trials, music.
• 2 to 1 month: final headcount, photographer meeting, photo activity, schedule.
• 3 weeks to the day before: confirm, hand over, delegate, sleep.
• Afterwards: reveal, thank-yous, reviews, photos, paperwork.

And if you remember only one thing: book what is unique first, put everything in writing, and hand the wedding day to someone other than yourself. The rest follows.