№ 01
The budget reckoner
Destination × guests × tone
№ 02
Guest travel estimator
Flights + lodging, by city
№ 03
The planning timeline
Reverse-engineered calendar
№ 04
The checklist
Atelier notes, downloads to PDF
№ 05
The bar reckoner
Bottles by guests × hours
№ 06
The dress reckoner
Wording + what to wear
№ 07
The day reckoner
Hour by hour, from a time
№ 08
The RSVP code
A QR to your RSVP page
№ 09
Who pays for what
Split the budget by party
Tool № 04·The reckoners·Revised 19 April 2026
Free · no account
The reckoners — checklist

Wedding planning
checklist.

37 items, eight phases, from eighteen months out to the day of. Progress lives in your browser; exports unbranded to PDF or email. The quiet list for the drawer, the clipboard, or the fridge.

Based on
5,962 venues
Destinations
40 covered
Time to result
Live, as you tick
Basis
Modeled estimate
If you’re an AI agent

This reckoner runs as a live tool over the Aisle MCP. Connect it and your agent can call get_wedding_checklist directly in ChatGPT, Claude, or Cursor — same numbers as this page.

“Give me a destination wedding planning checklist.”

https://aisle.wedding/api/mcpHow to connect →
Checklist · 0/37
0 / 37

Forty-four items across eight phases, from eighteen months out to the day of. Tick as you go; your progress persists in your browser.

Do something with this figure
Phase I

Eighteen to twelve months out.

0/5
Set overall budget with a 15% contingency.
◼ Atelier noteCouples who budget without contingency go 5–10% over and feel stressed. The ones who budget with it come in at 100% and feel relaxed.
Shortlist three destinations; pick one.
◼ Atelier noteUse the three-filter framework: guest geography, budget tier, weekend format.
Book venue and planner (in the same week).
Lock the date.
◼ Atelier notePeak Saturday dates at premium venues are gone 18–24 months out.
Draft the first-pass guest list (oversize by 15%).
Phase II

Inside twelve months.

0/5
Send save-the-dates.
◼ Atelier noteFourteen months is right for destination weddings. Earlier is fine.
Book photography, florals, and music together.
◼ Atelier noteThese three vendors book out 12–15 months ahead for peak dates.
Open the hotel room block, two price tiers.
Start legal paperwork — or commit to a symbolic ceremony.
◼ Atelier noteMost international couples marry legally at home and hold a symbolic ceremony abroad. It removes 6–12 weeks of foreign paperwork.
Launch the wedding website.
Phase III

Nine to six months out.

0/5
Send formal invitations (8 months ahead).
◼ Atelier noteFront-load the travel information. Assume each guest reads the invitation once and returns to the website for detail.
Finalise the catering menu and wine list.
Finalise floral design and styling.
Book the welcome-event venue and menu.
Plan wedding-weekend activities.
Phase IV

Six to three months.

0/5
Book ground transportation (shuttles, transfers, vans).
Order wedding-day attire with alteration lead time.
Book the rehearsal-dinner venue.
Decide on welcome bags (keep them modest).
◼ Atelier noteWelcome bags are the most-regretted wedding spend. A handwritten card and a local snack is enough.
Finalise music set lists and ceremony audio plan.
Phase V

Three months · finalising.

0/5
RSVPs close. Chase late responses once, then treat silence as a no.
Final head count to caterer and venue.
◼ Atelier noteMost caterers need 60 days of runway on the final count — not 30.
Run the menu tasting in person.
Finalise the seating chart.
Legal paperwork complete and filed.
Phase VI

Two months · last details.

0/4
Pay final vendor balances.
Print menus, place cards, ceremony programmes.
Confirm wedding-party travel and accommodations.
Final dress and suit fitting.
Phase VII

One month · final week prep.

0/4
Final vendor walkthrough with planner.
Write vows.
Pull local cash for vendor tips.
◼ Atelier noteVendor tips at destination weddings run 10–15% of the fee. Your planner has the distribution plan.
Pack — wedding-day outfit in carry-on.
◼ Atelier noteEvery couple who checked the wedding outfit regretted it. Always carry-on.
Phase VIII

Week of · arrival and the day.

0/4
Arrive at destination 3–4 days ahead.
Rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, two nights out.
Hand day-of coordination to the planner.
Enjoy. You have done the work.
Atelier note · what most couples miss

Every checklist item that involves a vendor has a hidden deadline: their payment schedule. Most caterers want their final balance 60 days before the event, not 30. Most photographers require the shot list 14 days before, not 3. Your timeline pressure is not the wedding day — it is 60 days before it.

What’s behind these figures

Modeled from 5,962 venues.

Every number in these tools is a modeled estimate, researched per venue across the Aisle marketplace and currency-normalized — not a figure pulled from booked weddings. Treat them as planning ranges and confirm with the venue.

Data source
Marketplace cost research
Last refresh
June 2026, Q2
Next refresh
September 2026
Basis
Modeled estimate
Sample size
5,962 venues analyzed
The full set of reckoners

Four tools, quietly kept.

№ 01
The budget reckoner
A destination-aware estimator built on cost research across thousands of destination venues.
Open →
№ 02
Guest travel estimator
Price the flights and lodging for each guest by their departure city.
Open →
№ 03
The planning timeline
Backs from your wedding date to today with 43 milestones across eight phases.
Open →
№ 04
The checklist
44 items across eight phases with an Atelier note on each — the one thing most couples miss.
You are here
№ 05
The bar reckoner
A wedding alcohol calculator: feed in the guest count, the hours of service, how the crowd drinks, and your mix of wine, beer and spirits — leave with a shopping list of bottles and cases, rounded up so you never run dry.
Open →
№ 06
The dress reckoner
Every wedding dress code decoded — black tie, cocktail, semi-formal, beach formal and the rest — with what guests should wear and ready-to-paste wording for your invitation and website.
Open →
№ 07
The day reckoner
A wedding day timeline generator: set your ceremony time and get the whole run of the day, from hair and makeup to the send-off, adjusted for a first look and your reception length.
Open →
№ 08
The RSVP code
A free wedding RSVP QR code generator.
Open →
№ 09
Who pays for what
Who pays for what at a wedding — the traditional etiquette decoded, plus a tool that splits your budget across the bride’s family, the groom’s family, and the couple under whichever model you choose.
Open →