💍 Wedding Countdown Planner
Enter your wedding date to see the countdown and suggested planning milestones based on how much time is left.
How the countdown and the checklist work
Both dates are taken at local midnight, and months are days divided by the average month length:
days until = round((wedding - today) / 86,400,000 ms)
months until = days until / 30.44
a milestone is ticked once its month marker is behind youThe seven markers sit at 12, 9, 6, 4, 2, 1 and 0.25 months. At 150 days out the page reads 4.9 months, so booking the venue, the photographer and the caterer and ordering invitations all show as ticked, while sending invitations at four months is still ahead. The Next milestone line only appears inside twelve months, and it names the earliest marker you have already passed - read it as the oldest item that should be in hand, not the next thing due. A date in the past returns a congratulations card instead of a countdown.
What the months left cost per month
The countdown is also a savings schedule. For a $30,000 wedding:
| Months left | Set aside monthly |
|---|---|
| 18 | $1,667 |
| 12 | $2,500 |
| 9 | $3,333 |
| 6 | $5,000 |
Six months of delay does not add half again - it triples the monthly figure. Worse, the money is not needed evenly: venue and catering deposits are typically 25 to 50% at signing, so a large share of the total is committed in the first two milestones, long before the last payments fall due.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to plan a wedding?
Twelve months is what this checklist assumes, and it is set by venue availability more than by work. Six months is workable if you will take the dates the venue still has.
When should wedding invitations go out?
Order them around six months out and post them at four, which is when that marker ticks. Save-the-dates go earlier - eight months, or nearer ten if guests are flying.
How much should we save each month for a wedding?
A $30,000 wedding costs $2,500 a month over a year and $5,000 a month over six. Weight the early months harder than the split suggests, because deposits land first.