If you’re starting off 2026 newly engaged, huge congratulations from us! It’s the most wonderful feeling, so take a moment to soak it all up – and drink all the champagne, of course. If you can’t wait to get stuck into wedding planning, we’ve got you. Here, we’ve done the hard work for you and created the ultimate how-to guide. Ladies, this is the only wedding planning timeline you need to help you get to the aisle, stress free. Ready to get started? Let’s do this…

For all the 2026 and 2027 brides

Just engaged? It’s natural to feel a little overwhelmed about what you need to do and when, so we’ve made it as easy as possible with this ‘one year to go’ countdown.

12 months to go…

Set your budget

As tempting as it is to jump headfirst into all the fun stuff like shopping for your wedding dress, you really need to work out what is affordable first. Setting out a clear budget at the very start of your wedding planning timeline is essential. Websites like Hitched have excellent free wedding budget planners, which are a dream for monitoring your spending and keeping on track with your costs.

Think about the guest list

While it’s not strictly essential to come up with a firm guest list at this early stage of planning, you need to have a rough idea of how many people you want to invite to your wedding. This will help with everything from choosing the right venue to managing your budget.  

Think about ceremony options

Are you set on a religious ceremony, or would you prefer a registrar-led ceremony instead? It’s helpful to have an idea in mind before you start the venue search. 

Book your venue

Choosing the right wedding venue is huge. It really does shape the whole vibe of your wedding day, so you want to get it right. Many venues get booked up a year (or more) in advance, particularly during peak summer wedding season, so start doing your research  online, scour social media and get those wedding venue viewings booked in ASAP. Once you’ve found your dream venue, everything else will start coming together.

Get wedding insurance

With something as big – and expensive – as the venue booked in, now is the time to get wedding insurance in place. Hopefully it’s something you’ll never need, but it’s a lifesaver when it comes to covering you for things like cancellations.

Start the dress search

Now the venue is sorted, you can start looking for your wedding dress (the very best part of planning, if you ask us!). Whether you have a style in mind or have no idea where to start, we’d recommend taking our Ellie Sanderson Find Your Dream Dress quiz. It takes minutes to complete and at the end of it we’ll be able to send you over a personalised list of designer recommendations which we think you’ll love. 

Book your wedding A-team

The best wedding suppliers get booked up in advance, so now is the time to assemble your wedding dream team. We’re talking wedding photographer, florist, entertainment and wedding planner, to name a few. After years at the heart of the wedding industry, we know what separates the good, the bad and the ‘please avoid at all costs’ suppliers. Check out our Little Black Book for the suppliers we love to recommend again and again to our Ellie Sanderson brides.

Choose your wedding party

Now for the fun bit! With the date booked in, you can start asking friends and family to be part of your wedding day. Bridesmaids, ushers, best man, best woman – however your wedding crew looks, all that matters is that you surround yourself with the people you can’t imagine the day without.  

Send save the dates

Give your guests as much notice as possible by sending out your save the dates as far in advance as 12 months. 

9 months to do

Buy your dress

At Ellie Sanderson our dress lead-times are around nine months, so now is the time to time to get your gorgeous gown ordered. It may seem like this is a long way in advance, but everything from the fabric and fastenings to the seamstresses and fittings need to be ordered, booked in, planned and scheduled. Getting such an important decision sorted way in advance of your wedding day means no last-minute panic – hooray to that!  Our gowns are handmade by Artisans, so this is slow slow fashion. It really helps focus the style of the wedding too when you know what you are going to look like.

Meet with your florist

With nine months to go, organise a meeting with your florist to talk wedding flowers. Show them a photo of your wedding dress and chat about the venue, so they can get an idea of what could work with your big day vibe. 

Book your hair stylist and make-up artist

The best wedding hair stylists and make-up artists get snapped up early, so get yours booked now. Instagram is the perfect place to go to get a feel for their work – it’s such an easy way to check that their approach aligns with your personal style. 

Arrange your transport and accommodation

How are you getting to your venue? If you plan on having the ceremony and reception all in one place you don’t need to worry about it, but if you love the idea of rocking up in a classic car for your wedding breakfast, get it booked in now. Get accommodation sorted for the night before and the night of your wedding – whether that’s at your venue or somewhere nearby.

Create a wedding website

Before you send out your invitations, set up a wedding website for your guests. This is a handy place to add details of local hotels, taxi numbers, a running order of the day and venue info, as well as a link to your gift list.

Book your honeymoon

It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it! Push the wedmin to one side for the moment while you focus on researching and booking the honeymoon. 

6 months to go

Send out your invites

With just six months to go it’s time to get your invitations sent out. Make sure you have a spreadsheet set up to keep track of replies (and dietary requirements) and don’t forget to offer an email RSVP option for the speediest of responses.

Buy your rings

Whether you plan on ordering your wedding rings from a jeweller or from an online shop, get them sorted now to make sure they arrive in plenty of time. Factor in a month for resizing, just in case. 

Sort the suits

Lead-times for suits – even made-to-measure – are far shorter than they are for wedding dresses. Six months give plenty of time to get the suits bought, ordered or hired for the groom, best man and the ushers.

Organise bridesmaids’ dresses

With a colour scheme or wedding theme in mind, now’s a good time to buy or hire your bridesmaids’ dresses. 

Buy your accessories

Accessories bring your entire big day look together, so don’t leave these until the last minute. Click here to book a styling appointment at Ellie Sanderson to try on our exclusive range of hair accessories and handmade veils. 

3 months to go

First wedding dress fitting

Typically your first wedding dress fitting will be 10-12 weeks before your big day. This will be your first chance to try on your made-to-measure wedding dress at Ellie Sanderson. Try and come with the underwear you plan on wearing for your wedding and as little make-up as possible (getting a foundation stain out of a white dress is not fun!).

Choose ceremony readings and music

Personalise your ceremony with readings and music that show off your unique couple style. Typically, registrars will require you to submit your choices at least six weeks before the wedding. If you’re planning a church ceremony, speak directly to your officiant about what types of readings and music are allowed.

Give notice                   

Legally you must give notice of your wedding at least 29 days before the ceremony. Book an appointment at your local registrar’s office to complete the paperwork. For Church of England or Wales weddings, make sure you organise to have your banns read.

2 months to go

Chase up RSVPs

There will always be the odd straggler who thought they’d already replied. With two months to go, chase up any outstanding RSVPs and pass the final guest list numbers to your venue.

Finalise the seating plan

It’s time. Crack open a bottle of wine and get that seating plan sorted. Choosing from mixed tables to friends together can be taxing, so leave plenty of time to focus on this.

Book a hair and make-up trial 

Always book in a trial before your big day, to make sure you’re happy with the finished look. Take any hair accessories you plan on wearing and borrow a veil if you’re still waiting for your made-to-order design from Ellie Sanderson. ( Ellie will lend a veil if you have bought one with her – just ask the team)

1 month to go

Break in your wedding shoes

Get used to your wedding heels by wearing these around the house as much as possible. Big day blisters are not the one.

Buy the thank you gifts

Tick off your final to-do list and buy those thank you gifts for close friends and family who’ve really helped you out through the planning and on the day.

Talk to your photographer

Chat with your wedding photographer about your must-have shots, whether these are group shots or particular locations at the venue you love. Make sure they have the running order of the day and the address for getting ready shots if you’re having them taken.

Check in with suppliers

Do a quick call round all of your wedding suppliers to check they have all the details and everything else they need for the day. Keep a list of these numbers and pass on to a responsible usher who will be the point of contact on the day.

Already engaged and raring to go – what to do and when

To all our Ellie Sanderson brides-to-be who have already bought their wedding dress (and can’t stop thinking about it), this is your essential countdown on fittings and bridal prep.

6 months to go

Your styling appointment

With six months to go until your big day, now’s the time to decide on those all-important accessories. Book a styling appointment at Ellie Sanderson, where our bridal stylists will talk you through all your accessory options. We also have a gorgeous range of made-to-order veils to try on (trust us when we say you’re going to adore them). 

Buy your shoes

You’re going to need your wedding shoes for your dress fitting (or at the very least shoes with an identical height heel), so best get shoe shopping now. Think about what works with your dress style, what you’re going to feel comfortable in and what will work for your venue (some historic venues don’t allow stiletto heels for example).  

3 months to go

Buy your wedding underwear

It’s really helpful to have the underwear you plan on wearing for your wedding ready at your dress fitting. We’ll break it to you now – the right wedding underwear may not be quite as glamorous or sexy as you’ve been imagining. Instead, it’s all about the practicalities, helping to create the smoothest silhouette under your gown. Ellie is our resident wedding underwear expert – click here to read her guide on the best big day pants, shapewear and bras to buy, depending on your dress style. 

First fitting

We’ll book you in for your first dress fitting around 10-12 weeks before your wedding. You’ll have two fittings in total, with the second about a month later. Remember to bring your wedding shoes and underwear if you can.

2 months to go

Have a wedding hair trial

A hair trial is so important, to make sure whatever style you have in mind works with your overall big day look and your chosen hair accessories. Take the accessories you bought during your styling appointment along to the hair trial (if you have them), and borrow a veil if you’re still waiting for your made-to-order design to arrive at Ellie Sanderson.

Less than a month to go

Pick up your dress

Finally, it’s time! We will organise a collection appointment when your dress is ready to go home. We recommend you bring along whoever is going to help you get dressed on the day (perhaps Mum or one of your bridesmaids) so we can talk them through the process. It’s not as simple as zipping up a dress, so it’s important to have them there if possible. Once we’ve carefully prepared and wrapped your gown in a special wedding dress bag, the final countdown to your big day begins.

Searching for the right wedding dress shop

If you’re at the very start of your wedding planning journey, we’d love to welcome you to our Ellie Sanderson Beaconsfield or Kiddington studios to help you find your dream wedding dress. We stock collections by some of the world’s best bridal designers, including Suzanne Neville, Mila Nova, Jesus Peiro and Kyha Bride, and our experienced stylists will be there to guide you through the gowns during your appointment. Click here to start your wedding dress journey today.