Event Planning Checklist and Timeline: Six Months to the Day After

The venue is booked and the date is set. Everything else is a cloud of things you'll sort out later.

Then later arrives all at once, three weeks before the event, with a caterer who needed final numbers yesterday.

A timeline turns that cloud into dated steps. Here's one you can adapt for a wedding, a company party, a launch or a big birthday.

Start with the fixed points

Before you write a checklist, write down the dates you can't move:

The event date and time.
Deposit and final payment dates from the venue and each supplier.
Final numbers deadlines, usually for catering and seating.
Any permit, licence or insurance deadlines the venue asks for.

Everything else in the timeline works backwards from these. A checklist without dates is a wish list, and wish lists get done in the last week.

The timeline

Bigger events need more lead time, smaller ones less. Treat these as a default and stretch or squeeze them.

Six months or more before

Set the budget, with a buffer of around 10% for surprises.
Agree the guest count range and the style of event.
Book the venue and any supplier who books up early: photographers, bands, popular caterers.
Note every deposit and its due date the moment you sign.

Three to four months before

Book the remaining suppliers: florist, rentals, transport, entertainment.
Send save-the-dates if guests need to travel.
Plan the run of the day in rough blocks.
Order anything with a long lead time, like printed signs, custom favours or outfits.

Six to eight weeks before

Send invitations with a clear RSVP date.
Confirm the menu and any dietary needs.
Book a site visit to walk the venue with the timeline in hand.
Check the contract for the final numbers date and the final payment date.

Two to three weeks before

Chase missing RSVPs a few days after the deadline.
Send final numbers to the caterer and venue.
Confirm every supplier in writing: arrival time, load-in point, contact on the day.
Make the seating plan and the detailed run sheet.

The week of the event

Reconfirm every supplier by phone or message, especially early arrivals.
Share the run sheet with everyone who has a role.
Check the weather and the plan B for anything outdoors.
Pack the emergency kit (more on that below).

The day before

Confirm delivery windows one last time.
Charge phones, print the run sheet, pack the car.
Go to bed early. You'll be on your feet for twelve hours tomorrow.

The day after

Return rentals on time to avoid fees.
Pay any final balances and tips.
Send thank-you notes to suppliers who did well, while it's fresh.
Write down what you'd change next time.

The emergency kit

Every experienced planner has a box that comes to every event. A starting list:

Safety pins, sewing kit, double-sided tape
Phone chargers and a power bank
Scissors, cable ties and gaffer tape
Painkillers, plasters and tissues
A printed run sheet and supplier contact list
Pens, a lighter and spare batteries

Keep it as a list you can tick off, and add to it every time you think "I wish I'd brought..." on the day.

Running more than one event at once

The timeline above is manageable for one event. With three or four running in parallel, the risk is mixing them up: confirming the wrong florist, or missing a final numbers date because it sat in another event's email thread.

Two habits help:

One list per event. Never a shared "events" to-do list. Each event gets its own checklist and its own set of dated reminders.
Name every reminder with the event. "Confirm cake, Carter 40th" instead of "confirm cake".

Suppliers often send quotes and confirmations as images or PDFs. Taking a screenshot and turning it into a task straight away stops them getting buried. There's more on that in our post on turning screenshots into a to-do list.

How to run this with Mindie

Mindie lives in WhatsApp, which is often where suppliers and clients are already talking to you. You set reminders by text, voice note or screenshot, and it messages you on time.

Turn the fixed points into reminders the day you sign:

"Remind me before 15 March that the Carter 40th final numbers are due"
"Remind me on 1 April at 10am to pay the band's balance for the Carter 40th"

The first one is a deadline heads-up: Mindie warns you ahead of the due date, so it doesn't land on you the morning of. Send a screenshot of a supplier quote and it reads the dates and amounts, then checks them with you before setting anything.

Keep one list per event:

"Add to Carter 40th list: balloon arch, cake stand, spare extension lead"

Ask "what's on the Carter 40th list?" during the site visit. If you use Google Calendar or Outlook, it can add the event and key supplier visits there too. For the payments you can't afford to miss, turn on nag mode so it keeps nudging until you reply "done".

Mindie doesn't message suppliers or clients for you. It reminds you to confirm, and you send the message yourself. See how other planners use it on the Mindie for event planners page.

Reminders worth setting

Client follow-up reminder: A nudge to check back with a client after a proposal or tasting.
Supplier payment reminder: A heads-up before each deposit and balance is due, with the amount.
Meeting reminder: A reminder before site visits and client meetings, with the address and notes.
Invoice follow-up reminder: A reminder to chase your own invoice if the client's payment hasn't landed.

FAQ

How far in advance should you start planning an event?

Six months or more for weddings and large events, three to four months for mid-sized parties and corporate events, and four to six weeks for small gatherings. Start with the venue, since its date drives everything else.

What should be on an event planning checklist?

The budget, guest list, venue, suppliers, invitations and RSVPs, menu and dietary needs, seating, run sheet, payments, an emergency kit and a wrap-up list for the day after. Each item should have a date, not just a tick box.

When should you send final numbers to a caterer?

Most caterers ask for final numbers one to two weeks before the event. Check your contract for the exact date, and set your RSVP deadline a week or so earlier so you have time to chase missing replies.