Wedding planning meetings: a timeline from contract to day

A good rhythm is a kick-off meeting right after signing, a few milestone meetings spread over the months (venue, suppliers, tastings, design), short check-ins in between, then a final walkthrough a few weeks before the wedding. Book the milestone meetings yourself at the start, so couples see the path ahead, and open a check-in service they can book when a question comes up. Keep the last month for detail meetings and the rehearsal.

Shorter engagements compress the same steps into fewer months; destination weddings replace some in-person meetings with video calls and one or two trips. The order stays roughly the same.

At the kick-off, agree on the dates of the big milestones and book them yourself from your calendar. On Book, use separate services such as "Kick-off meeting", "Venue visit" or "Final walkthrough", so each meeting has its own length and description. The couple receives a confirmation email for each one when you enter their email address, and your calendar syncs with Google, iPhone or Mac, next to your weddings.

Monthly or six-weekly meetings can't be generated automatically: Book repeats slots weekly on chosen weekdays. Book each milestone date individually; it's a few minutes at the kick-off, and it gives the couple a clear path.

Between milestones, questions come up: a supplier's quote, a seating dilemma, a change in the guest list. Rather than answering at any hour, open a "Check-in (current couples)" service with short video slots on set evenings, and send the link to your couples. They book when they need it, and you keep your days for supplier calls and weddings.

Ask in the description what to write in the note: the topic, and any document to look at beforehand. You receive an email for each new booking, with the note, so you can prepare.

A meeting is only useful if everyone leaves with the same understanding. After each milestone, send the couple a short summary: what was decided, what they need to do before the next step, and the date of the next meeting. Keep these summaries together, so that months later, when the florist asks what was agreed about the centrepieces, the answer takes a minute to find.

The summary is also a good place to remind the couple of the check-in link, so small questions find a slot instead of arriving late at night.

Tastings, photographer meetings and venue visits involve a third party with their own diary. Agree the time with the supplier first, then book the meeting yourself with the supplier's name and the address in the note, so the couple has everything in one confirmation. If the supplier changes the time, reschedule the booking from your list and tell the couple yourself, since Book doesn't email them when a booking changes.

Keep the last weeks light for yourself too. If you plan several weddings in the same season, avoid putting two final walkthroughs on the same day.

During the season, you may run several planning timelines in parallel. Give each couple's meetings a clear label in the note, and set aside fixed evenings for check-ins rather than scattering them. Your wedding days themselves should be blocked well in advance so no meeting ever lands on them.

Book costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited bookings and services, no commission and no contract. It doesn't take payments; keep your usual contracts and invoices.