The answer to how many hours does it take to plan a wedding depends on many factors, but expect to spend over 300 hours on wedding planning. We will also discuss a sample wedding planning timeline to guide you on every step when planning your own wedding.
And if you have specific questions regarding wedding planning, we recommend browsing our blog for detailed guides. For example, are you curious about how to plan a last-minute wedding?
How Many Hours Needed To Plan For A Wedding?
Wedding planning takes 300 to 350 hours, depending on the schedules and priorities that the couple wants for their wedding. In general, it will take you a year to plan a traditional wedding, but it’s also possible for the planning to not take as much of your time.
For example, it’s possible to plan a wedding in under five months, so you don’t need to spend too many hours preparing for your wedding. Regardless, expect that you’ll have an easier time getting all the requirements and wedding needs if you take some time to plan the wedding.
Sample Wedding Planning Timeline
To understand how long does it take to plan a wedding much better, here is a sample timeline for a wedding plan that takes a year. Of course, you can always modify the duration of planning dedicated for each element, mainly if you’re limited with the hours you could do the planning.
12 months before the wedding
- Propose and get engaged
- Decide on the date and time of your wedding
- Plan the type of wedding you want to have
- Create a realistic wedding budget
- Have a practical guest list size according to your budget
- Accomplish all the necessary wedding paperwork and legalities
- Discuss your plans and budget with your families
- Select where you want to have the wedding ceremony and reception
- Have the marriage consultation
- Meet with your wedding officiant or ensure that whoever you choose will be ordained
- Discuss with your partner who you want for the wedding party
- Compare different wedding vendors
- Consider if you’re hiring a wedding planner
9 months before the wedding
- Visit the shops for the groom and bride’s wedding attire
- Plan the outfits for your wedding party
- Book and sign the contracts for your wedding needs and services
- Organize your guest list
- Make the accommodation and travel reservations if needed
- Create your wedding registry
- Do your wedding website
6 months before the wedding
- Do or order all your wedding stationery
- Schedule the rehearsal dinner and notify your guests who need to attend them
- Coordinate the outfits of your parents
- Discuss the prenup if needed
- Plan the wedding catering
- Do the necessary alterations and other wedding attire-related responsibilities
3 months before the wedding
- Send the wedding save-the-dates; the invitations can be sent 2 months before the wedding
- Secure all the necessary documents if it’s a destination wedding
- Discuss the rehearsal and ceremony with your officiant
- Prepare your wedding gifts for the wedding party
1 month before the wedding
- Visit the wedding venue and plan the wedding setup
- Check with your wedding vendors
- Make sure the deliveries will be on time
- Reconfirm all the reservations
- Check all the wedding paperwork and documents
- Relax and have spa appointments to prepare for the wedding week
How Long To Plan A Wedding After An Engagement
It would be best if you planned your wedding three weeks after the engagement. However, some couples also start their wedding planning as soon as possible, especially if they are limited with time according to their chosen wedding date.
As for the engagement duration, some couples take 12 months long to ensure that their finances and documents are ready for marriage. But of course, every family and couple is different, and you can even wait longer before you do wedding planning.
Are 2 Years Too Long To Plan A Wedding?
Two years are not too long to plan the wedding, but it’s more common only to spend a year on wedding planning. However, some couples get engaged early on and take more than a year to plan and manage all the requirements and necessities for the wedding and marriage.
You might also want to get engaged first, but you can’t immediately get married within the next year because of the other life responsibilities. But of course, only send your wedding invites once you’re sure you’ll have the wedding so the guests can plan their schedule well.
How Many Hours Does It Take To Set Up A Wedding?
Expect to take three to four hours to set up the place for the wedding ceremony or reception. It’s important to discuss with the venue coordinator beforehand to avoid any issues with the schedule.
And for the breakdown, ask the venue if they’ll provide the crew who’ll clean and arrange the location to return it to its previous state. You might need to hire separate staff for the wedding clean-up after the events.
Conclusion
And that’s it! You just learned how many hours does it take to plan a wedding which can be around 350 hours.
However, planning duration for weddings will depend on the type of wedding and the couple themselves. Usually, you can plan three weeks after getting engaged and it takes about a year to accomplish all the wedding needs.