The Complete Philippine Wedding Planning Checklist

You do not need to plan the whole wedding today. You only need to do the next right task at the right time.

This guide starts 12 months before the wedding. If you have less time, do not panic. Start at the top, make quick choices, and work down the list.

Start with five clear choices

Before you book anything, agree on these five points:

1. Your top budget
2. Your first guest-count limit
3. Your target date or month
4. Your city or area
5. Your shared top three priorities

These choices are your filter. If a supplier does not fit them, move on.

12 months or more before

Build the base

• Set the most you can spend.
• Make a first guest list.
• Pick two or three date choices.
• Choose civil, church, or another legal ceremony.
• Pick your wedding area.
• Decide if you need a full planner or an on-the-day coordinator.

Check the place and season

PAGASA says the country often has a rainy season from June to November and a dry season from December to May. Yet rain is not the same in every region.

If you want an outdoor wedding, ask about a real indoor backup. A tent alone may not solve wind, flood, mud, heat, or power loss.

Book the hardest items first

Popular dates can fill fast. Start with:

• Ceremony site
• Reception venue
• Caterer
• Planner or coordinator
• Photo and video team

Do not pay until you have a written list of what is included.

9 to 12 months before

• Sign the venue and key supplier deals.
• Start outfit talks and fittings.
• Choose the main look and colors.
• Ask your ninongs, ninangs, and entourage.
• Make a simple wedding website or info page if needed.
• Plan guest travel if many people will come from outside the city.
• Start a payment calendar.

Keep all files in one folder. Save contracts, receipts, menus, pegs, and messages.

6 to 9 months before

• Book hair and makeup.
• Book flowers and styling.
• Book music, host, lights, and sound.
• Choose rings.
• Plan invites.
• Plan the ceremony flow.
• Book guest rooms or a prep place.
• Check travel time from the ceremony to the party.
• Plan a prenup shoot only if you truly want one.

At this point, stop adding ideas for fun. Every new idea must earn its place.

Ask: “Will this make the day easier, warmer, or more fun?” If not, skip it.

3 to 6 months before

Finish the guest plan

• Clean the guest list.
• Get correct full names.
• Group guests by family.
• Decide if children or plus-ones are allowed.
• Send invites with a clear reply date.

Check legal and church needs

Call the Local Civil Registrar where either partner lives. Ask for the current marriage license list. Requirements can vary by city or town.

For a church wedding, ask the parish for its own list. It may include church records, interviews, seminars, banns, or other steps.

Do not apply for the marriage license too early. Under the Family Code, it is valid for 120 days from the date it is issued.

Test the guest experience

• Taste the food.
• Visit the venue at the same time of day as the wedding.
• Check heat, rain, light, traffic, parking, toilets, and stairs.
• Ask how older guests and persons with disabilities will move around.

2 to 3 months before

• Apply for the marriage license at the right time.
• Finish seminars and needed papers.
• Confirm the ceremony leader or solemnizing officer.
• Confirm at least two witnesses of legal age.
• Finish the menu.
• Finish the program.
• Do hair and makeup trials.
• Do final outfit fittings.
• Make the first seating plan.
• List all items that must reach the venue.

The Family Code calls for a 10-day public notice before the marriage license is issued. Your Local Civil Registrar can tell you the exact local steps and release date.

4 to 8 weeks before

• Follow up with guests who did not reply.
• Give the caterer a safer working count.
• Confirm supplier arrival and set-up times.
• Build the full wedding-day schedule.
• Share the schedule with all key suppliers.
• Assign one person to hold legal papers.
• Assign one person to hold cash or tip envelopes.
• Plan supplier meals.
• Confirm final balances and due dates.

Make one phone list with the couple, parents, coordinator, venue, drivers, and all key teams.

2 weeks before

• Give the final guest count.
• Lock the seating plan.
• Check every name and table.
• Confirm the rain plan.
• Confirm all rides and parking.
• Confirm room check-in and check-out.
• Pack ceremony items, rings, vows, IDs, and papers.
• Break in your wedding shoes.
• Stop making big design changes.

1 week before

• Give final files and lists to the coordinator.
• Put each item in a labeled box.
• Pay only what the contract says is due.
• Keep proof of each payment.
• Confirm the weather plan again.
• Sleep well and drink water.

Your job this week is not to fix every small thing. Your job is to stay well.

The day before

• Charge phones and power banks.
• Put rings, vows, IDs, license, and clothes in one safe place.
• Eat a full meal.
• Set one contact person for suppliers.
• Stop work at a fixed time.

No new projects. Tapos na. Trust the plan.

The 30-minute weekly meeting

Once a week, sit down together for 30 minutes.

Answer only these questions:

1. What did we finish?
2. What is due in the next 14 days?
3. What needs a choice?
4. Are we still inside the budget?
5. Who owns each next task?

This keeps wedding talk from taking over every day.

Your next move

Make one page with your budget, guest limit, date, area, and top three. Then book only what fits that page.

Simple plans are easier to finish.

References

• Supreme Court E-Library — Family Code of the Philippines, Executive Order No. 209
• Quezon City Government — How to Get a Marriage License
• PAGASA — Climate of the Philippines
• PAGASA — Onset of the 2026 Rainy Season

Legal and timing check: August 2026. Confirm current rules with your own Local Civil Registrar and ceremony venue.