By the time most couples think about handing their wedding over, they’ve done a lot of work. The venue is booked, the vendors are chosen, and the big decisions have been made, often over months of evenings and weekends. It’s a real achievement, and it usually comes with a mix of feelings. There’s relief at the idea of someone else taking it from here, but also a quiet hesitation about letting go of something you’ve held so closely for so long. Most of that hesitation comes do

A few weeks after getting engaged, most couples start to feel a quiet pressure to get things moving. Friends ask about dates, venues come up in conversation, and someone usually mentions a wedding planner. With it comes a question that doesn’t have an obvious answer. Is it too early to bring someone in? Should we book the venue first? Or is a planner something people only look for once it all starts to feel like too much? Most of the advice online gives you a number of months

Most couples who ask this question are not really asking about order. They are asking whether they are already behind. The honest answer is that there is no universal order, and most of the lists you will find online are ordered by whoever wrote them. A stationer's list has stationery in a sensible place. A photographer's list has photography near the top. A supplier directory lists thirty vendors because it has thirty categories to fill. What follows is the way we think abou