Guides

Wedding planning, explained simply

Clear, practical advice for couples wherever you're marrying — from the first budget conversation to the seating plan. Each guide shows how Arch can do the heavy lifting.

Contents · 9 guides
  1. 01Setting a wedding budget and payment schedule
  2. 02Wedding planning timeline and checklist
  3. 03Managing your guest list and RSVPs
  4. 04Planning your wedding seating plan
  5. 05Wedding stationery: what you need and when
  6. 06Your wedding website
  7. 07Planning your wedding day running order
  8. 08Choose wedding suppliers
  9. 09Planning together as a couple

01

Setting a wedding budget and payment schedule

Agree one total you're both comfortable with before you book anything, then decide how it splits.

Start with a total, not a wishlist

Add up what you can save before the date, plus any family contributions you've actually confirmed. That number is your ceiling. Choose your two or three priorities — often venue, food or photography — and give them the largest share.

Keep a contingency

Set aside 10–15% for things that appear late: alterations, extra guests, delivery fees, local taxes or service charges that weren't in the first quote. Always ask suppliers whether a price includes taxes and fees.

Know how suppliers take payment

Most work in stages: a deposit to reserve the date, sometimes a midway payment, then a final balance due a few weeks before the wedding. Write every due date down as soon as you sign, so balances never arrive as a surprise.

Track planned against actual

Quotes change. Recording what you planned and what you actually paid shows early whether one area is drifting and where you can rebalance.

02

A wedding planning timeline and checklist

Most couples plan over 9–18 months. The order matters more than the exact dates.

First: date, budget, guest count, venue

These four decide everything else. A rough guest number lets you shortlist venues that fit; the venue then fixes your date.

Next: the suppliers who book up first

Photographers, caterers, bands and planners often book a year or more ahead in popular seasons. Secure them once the venue is confirmed.

Then: invitations, outfits, details

Save the dates go out once the venue is booked; invitations typically 2–3 months before. Allow time for outfit fittings and any legal paperwork your country requires.

Final weeks: confirm and hand over

Confirm numbers, timings and final balances with every supplier, and give someone you trust the running order so you aren't fielding questions on the day.

03

Managing your guest list and RSVPs

Your guest list drives your budget, venue size, catering and seating.

Group guests into households

Invite by household rather than person. It makes invitations, addresses and replies far easier to keep straight, especially for families and plus ones.

Decide all-day and evening early

If some guests join only for the evening, mark them from the start so they're counted for the right parts of the day and not seated at dinner.

Collect meals and dietary needs with the RSVP

Asking for meal choices and allergies on the reply itself saves chasing later and gives your caterer accurate numbers.

Set an RSVP deadline

Ask for replies 4–6 weeks before the wedding — usually just before your caterer needs final numbers.

04

Planning your wedding seating plan

Seating is the last big job, and it only works once your RSVPs are in.

Wait for replies

Start a rough plan early, but finalise only once most RSVPs are back. Seat only the guests who are at the meal.

Choose a table layout

Round tables encourage conversation; long tables fit more people and suit relaxed, family-style dining. Check with your venue what fits the room.

Top table or not

There's no single rule. Some couples sit with parents and the wedding party, some at a table for two, some among friends. Do what keeps everyone comfortable.

Seat for conversation, not politics

Group people who know each other or share interests, keep anyone who might clash apart, and put older guests away from speakers and nearer the exits.

05

Wedding stationery: what you need and when

Stationery runs from the first announcement to the last thank you.

Save the dates

Send 6–12 months ahead, more if guests need to travel. Only the date and place are needed.

Invitations

Send 2–3 months ahead with timings, venue, dress code and how to reply.

On the day

Seating charts, table numbers, place cards, menus and an order of the day. These depend on your final seating plan, so order them last.

Thank you cards

Send within a few months of the wedding. A list of who gave what makes this much quicker.

06

What to put on your wedding website

A wedding website answers guests' questions once, so you don't answer them fifty times.

The essentials

Date, venue, timings for the day, dress code and how to RSVP.

Travel and stay

Directions, parking, transport and nearby places to stay, especially for guests coming from abroad.

Your story and the people

A few words about you and who's in the wedding party help guests feel part of it.

Keep it private

Share the link with guests only and avoid putting it anywhere it can be found by search engines.

07

Planning your wedding day running order

A running order keeps everyone — you, suppliers and guests — moving together.

Work backwards from fixed points

Start with what can't move: the ceremony time and when the venue needs the meal served. Build everything else around them.

Leave buffers

Photos, travel between locations and getting ready always take longer than expected. Add 15–30 minutes around them.

Share the right version

Guests need the headlines. Suppliers need the detail: arrivals, set-up and handover times.

08

How to choose wedding suppliers

The right supplier fits your style, your area and your budget — in that order.

Shortlist by area and style

Look at full galleries or past work, not just highlights, and check they cover your venue's area.

Ask the same questions of everyone

What's included, how payment works, what happens if plans change, and whether prices include taxes and travel. Comparing like with like is the only fair comparison.

Get everything in writing

Confirm the date, what you're getting, the price and the payment schedule in a contract before paying a deposit.

09

Planning together as a couple

Weddings go more smoothly when the planning is shared, not handed to one person.

Split by interest

Each take the areas you care about most, and agree together on the big decisions: budget, guest list and venue.

Have one shared plan

Notes across two phones and a dozen message threads lose things. Keep budget, tasks and guests in one place you can both see.

Keep some surprises

Gifts, vows or a speech can stay private. It's fine to plan a few things on your own.

Plan all of it in one place

Budget, checklist, guests, seating, stationery and your website — shared between you both.

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