Planning tools
Your wedding checklist.
63 things to do, in seven stages, from twelve months out to the week of. Tick them off as you go. Your progress saves in this browser, and you can email yourself a copy at any time.
0 of 63 done
Decide who is contributing and what each side is covering before anyone books anything.
Engagement, dholki, mehndi, nikah, baraat or reception, and walima.
Check them against Ramadan, both Eids and any dates your family prefers to avoid.
Ask both families for numbers now. Guest count shapes the venue and the budget.
Separate halls, one hall with a partition, or separate events. Settle it before you visit venues.
Ideally before the venue, so the venue suits the plan.
Peak-season Saturdays tend to go first.
Usually the baraat or reception and the walima.
Ask whether they are registered to perform marriages in Ontario, so your nikah can also be your legal marriage.
A masjid, at home, or at the venue before the baraat or walima.
Ask now if you would like women photographers and videographers for the ladies' side.
Gather inspiration for each event and settle on a colour palette.
Custom bridal wear, especially from overseas, can take several months.
Bridal artists fill peak Saturdays early.
Overseas guests need time for visas, flights and leave from work.
Ask about guest henna for the mehndi at the same time.
Home, a backyard tent or a hall. Pick colours that work with the outfits.
How many, where, and who is hosting each one.
For segregated events, plan separate audio for each side.
Include comfortable transport for elders.
Sherwanis and coordinated family outfits need time for fittings.
One card for every event, or separate cards for each family's events.
For segregated events, note who will be on the men's side and who will be on the women's side.
Include whether it is given at the nikah or deferred, so it can be written into the nikah contract.
Your imam will tell you who can serve.
Stages, florals, entrances and any floor wrapping.
Partitions, entrances, washrooms, and where the bride and groom will sit.
The dhol, the timing, who walks with the groom, and what the hall allows.
Ask whether your venue requires licensed security.
Apply at a municipal office with government ID for both of you. A licence is only valid for a set period, so time it around the nikah date.
Who prepares the nikah contract, what ID to bring, and who signs.
Many guests will attend some events and not others.
Arrivals, entrances, speeches, dinner and the rukhsati.
Mention any guests who prefer not to be photographed.
If so, add a line to the invitation and plan a sign for the entrance.
Send song choices to your DJ early.
A day or two before the event where you want the colour at its deepest.
Who greets guests, who looks after elders, who keeps the gifts safe.
Use a separate chart for each side where needed.
Leave enough time for hair, makeup and getting-ready photos.
Safety pins, a small sewing kit, tissues, phone chargers and something to eat.
Keep it on as long as you comfortably can.
Give them to whoever is managing each venue.
Keep each outfit with its jewellery and shoes.
Keep a copy
Email me this checklist as a PDF
We'll send you the full list with your ticks, so you can share it with your family or keep it on your phone.
A note on timing
Closer than twelve months?
Start at the top anyway and move through the early stages quickly. Most of them still apply, and your venue and your imam are the two to settle first.
Rather hand the list to someone?
One coordinator runs every item on it, with every vendor managed on your behalf. You simply arrive.