Guides to plan your wedding
Concrete pointers, written from what we see every day in the app: how much each category weighs, what order to tackle things in, and what almost everyone forgets.
Checklist
- Wedding planning checklist, month by monthA wedding planning checklist that counts back from your date: 12, 9, 6, and 3 months out, wedding week, and after. Print it or let the app date it for you.
- 6-month wedding planning checklist: what to do and what to drop6-month wedding planning checklist: how to plan a wedding in 6 months, with a month-by-month table, what to decide first, and what to let go of.
- One month before the wedding: your week-by-week checklistOne month before wedding checklist, week by week: vendors, RSVPs, marriage license, seating chart, wedding week, and the day before.
- How to plan a wedding while working full timePlanning a wedding while working full time: give each topic one owner, handle vendors around office hours, delegate, and keep one shared plan.
- Overwhelmed by wedding planning? A one-hour resetToo much to do? Dump every task, sort by date and what blocks what, keep the next three, and share the rest. A one-hour reset checklist.
Comparisons
- Wedding planning spreadsheet: what it does well, and where an app helpsA wedding planning spreadsheet handles budgets and lists well. The tabs to build, where it breaks (RSVPs, seating, edits), and when an app is worth it.
- How to build a Notion wedding planner templateBuild a Notion wedding planner template: the databases, properties, and relations that work, and where Notion gets hard (RSVPs, seating, budget math).
- Zola alternative: what to compare before you switchLooking for a Zola alternative? A plain comparison dated October 2026: what Zola includes, what costs extra, and what MyWedding Planner does differently.
- The Knot app alternative: what changes if you plan elsewhereLooking for an alternative to The Knot app? A dated comparison of what it includes, how it’s funded, and what MyWedding Planner does differently.
Guests and RSVPs
- A list and B list for wedding guests: how to do it kindlyWho goes on a wedding A list and B list, how to time two waves of invitations, the risks, and the alternatives. Includes a schedule table.
- How to collect meal choices for your weddingAsk for meal choices with the RSVP, one per guest, with a clear list of entrées and one allergy field. Exact wording for cards and your website.
- Dietary restrictions at a wedding: how to ask, track, and hand off to your catererAsk once on the RSVP, track allergies apart from preferences, and give your caterer counts by table. Wording and a tracking sheet included.
- Final headcount for your wedding caterer: how to get a number you can signHow to arrive at a final guest count you can sign: what it includes, how to close missing RSVPs, and what to check in your catering contract.
- What to do when guests don’t RSVPList who hasn’t answered, send one friendly nudge, then ask directly. Copy-ready texts, a follow-up schedule, and how to decide on the last holdouts.
- What percentage of wedding guests RSVP no?No reliable universal percentage exists. Estimate your own decline rate group by group, then replace the guess with real replies. Worksheet included.
- How to make a wedding guest list, step by stepMake your wedding guest list in the right order: a target number, households, one set of rules, then names. Includes a column table you can use today.
- Who is invited to the rehearsal dinner: a guest list by circleWho to invite to the rehearsal dinner, circle by circle: the wedding party, family, officiant, then out-of-town guests, with a table you can adapt.
- When should wedding RSVPs be due? Work backward from your catererPick a wedding RSVP deadline by working backward from your caterer’s headcount date, with a back-planning table and the etiquette rule of thumb.
- Wedding RSVP wording you can copy tonightCopy-and-paste wedding RSVP wording for cards and online RSVPs: formal, casual, meal choice, adults only, plus-ones, and the reply-by date.
- Wedding welcome party: who to invite, and who to leave outWho to invite to a wedding welcome party: everyone, out-of-town guests, or the inner circle. A decision table and wording tips.
Seating chart
- Assigned seating vs open seating: which one fits your weddingOpen seating, assigned tables or assigned seats? A decision table by guest count, meal service and family situation, plus what to print for each.
- Escort cards vs place cards: which ones you need and how many to printEscort cards tell guests which table, place cards tell them which seat. A table to decide what you need, how many to print, and when to print them.
- Kids table at a wedding: who sits there, where it goes, and who watches itKids table or not? A decision by age band, where to put it in the room, who watches it, and how to get the kids' meals and allergies to the caterer.
- Long tables vs round tables at a wedding: how to chooseRound or long tables for your reception? A criterion-by-criterion table, how a mixed layout works, and what to ask your venue first.
- How to give your caterer a seating chart with meal choicesWhat to send your caterer: a row per guest with table, entrée, and allergies, meal counts per table, and a checklist for late changes.
- Seating divorced parents at a wedding: a situation-by-situation guideWhere to seat divorced parents at the ceremony and reception, situation by situation, plus the one talk to have with each parent before you draw the chart.
- Seating wedding guests who don't know anyone: a matching methodSeat guests who only know one of you: match each to a shared link, build a connector table, and use soft preferences over hard rules.
- How to build a seating chart for 50 guestsHow many tables 50 guests need: 7 of 8, 5 of 10, or 5 long tables. Rounds vs. long tables and who sits where in a small room.
- How to lay out a wedding reception floor planLay out your reception room in the right order: fixed elements, traffic lanes, then tables. A 12-step checklist and what to ask the venue.
- How to build a wedding seating chart for 150 guestsHow many tables 150 guests need: 15 at 10 per table, 19 at 8, 13 at 12. A table-count chart and the order to seat everyone, step by step.
- Where to seat plus-ones at a wedding, type by typeA plus-one sits with the guest who brought them. See which table suits each type, and how to keep pairs together when you rearrange.
Planning it yourselves
- Micro wedding checklist: what stays, what shrinks, what you can skipA micro wedding checklist sorted by what you still need, what shrinks, and what couples skip at a small size, with a timeline you can adjust.
- How to plan a wedding without a wedding plannerPlanning your own wedding? See what a planner does, split into 12 jobs, and who can own each one: you, a friend, a vendor, or a day-of coordinator.
The wedding day
- Wedding timeline for a 4:00 PM ceremony: a sample day, built backwardA sample wedding day timeline for a 4:00 PM ceremony, with and without a first look, plus buffers, sunset portraits, and who needs which part.
- Wedding timeline for a 5:00 PM ceremony: two sample days, one for each sunsetA sample timeline for a 5:00 PM wedding ceremony in two versions, early sunset and late sunset, with hair and makeup, portraits, dinner, and send-off.