Wedding Planning Checklist & Budget

When I was planning my own wedding at 23, I quickly realised just how overwhelming the wedding world can feel. One minute you’re excited and newly engaged… and the next you’re suddenly expected to understand budgets, chair covers, stationery timelines and somehow choose between 46 different shades of “blush pink” (which I genuinely didn’t know existed until then 😂).

We didn’t have the biggest budget, and honestly, we didn’t want to spend our life savings on one day either. But at the same time, I still wanted our wedding to feel beautiful, personal and special. I remember spending hours scrolling through Pinterest, Instagram and wedding blogs feeling like every wedding needed to be absolutely perfect — and incredibly expensive. Now, as a Yorkshire wedding photographer, I see so many couples feeling exactly the same way. So I wanted to put together the kind of wedding planning checklist I wish I’d had when I was planning my own wedding — something realistic, helpful and hopefully a little less overwhelming. This isn’t about having the “perfect” wedding day.

It’s about creating a day that feels like you, staying realistic with your budget and actually enjoying the process along the way

Before you jump to the FREE Checklist...

I just want to say something that I really wish someone had told me when I was planning my own wedding…

You do not need to do everything. There will probably be things on this checklist that don’t matter to you at all, and I’m sure there’ll also be things missing that are really important to your own wedding day — and that’s completely fine.

One of the biggest things I learned while planning my own wedding was just how quickly everything can start to feel overwhelming. One minute you’re excited and looking at wedding venues, and the next you suddenly have spreadsheets open, screenshots saved everywhere and about twenty tabs comparing wedding suppliers, colour palettes and budgets! I actually got to the point where I had to ask my maid of honour to help me organise my brain because I felt like there were so many decisions to make all at once. The thing that helped us most was focusing on priorities first.

I’d really recommend sitting down together and choosing the top 3 things that matter most to you both.

Maybe that’s:

• beautiful wedding photography

• amazing food

• live music

• a relaxed atmosphere (Wedding Venue)

• having all your favourite people there

Whatever those priorities are for you, start there first. Once those are sorted, move onto the next 3 things, and then the next. Looking at wedding planning as one enormous list can feel incredibly overwhelming very quickly, especially when you’re trying to stay realistic with your budget too. When you break things down into smaller priorities, everything suddenly feels much more manageable. It’s also one of the best ways to spend your budget intentionally, rather than getting swept up in things that don’t actually matter that much to you in the long run. And honestly? After photographing so many weddings, I can promise you this: Guests remember how your wedding felt far more than whether every tiny detail matched perfectly.

Start simple. Start with your top 3.

Most importantly — try to enjoy the process along the way!

Download my FREE Checklist Here

I hope this list helps you on your way to having the wedding of your dreams (and marrying the spouse of your dreams!)

Below is a snippet of my next blog - Things couples usually forget!

Click here if you want to read more