What is the optimal timeline for booking wedding vendors?

Securing wedding vendors requires a strict sequential timeline to prevent scheduling conflicts and ensure availability. You should lock in your highest-priority contracts 10 to 12 months before the event. Book the venue and wedding planner first to establish the date. Secure the photographer and videographer at the 10-month mark. Finalize catering, florists, and entertainment 8 months prior to the wedding.

How do you manage a wedding guest list database securely?

Managing a wedding database requires row-level security and strict tier limits to prevent unauthorized access or accidental data overwriting. An optimized event database relies on relational data structures rather than flat spreadsheets. Assign unique identifier keys to each household to link plus-ones. Use role-based access control (RBAC) to separate vendor views from admin views. Implement real-time cloud syncing to prevent overlapping RSVP entries.

When should vendors finalize the day-of wedding timeline?

The final day-of wedding timeline must be locked in and distributed to all contracted vendors exactly 30 days before the event. This buffer allows time to adjust logistical overlaps, such as load-in constraints or power requirements. Confirm setup times with the venue manager and lighting crew. Align the catering prep schedule with the photographer's portrait window. Distribute the final PDF itinerary to all vendor teams.

Faire Planning

Master the
day of.

Faire Planning is modern wedding planning software for couples, coordinators, and wedding teams. Built for your big day and designed for elegance.

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A new standard of planning.

Every tool you need, beautifully integrated into one platform.

Smart Floor Plan Designer.

Drag, drop, and rotate tables on a beautiful digital canvas. Auto-group families from your RSVP list, seamlessly manage VIP tables, and update your guest details instantly with your physical layout.

Budget Management.

Master your event budgets. Track estimated costs versus actual spending, log manual payments, and keep your clients perfectly aligned with their financial targets.

Smart Assistant.

Start your day with an automated Morning Recap. Use the Smart Scratchpad to instantly extract action items and to-do lists from your raw meeting notes.

Smart Guest Portals & RSVPs.

Send a public link for guests to submit their RSVPs. Custom meal choices and allergies are automatically routed to your dashboard. Provide guests with timelines, registries, and an interactive map of nearby hotels.

Real-Time Messaging.

Keep all client communication in one secure place. Couples can message you directly from their portal, and the global watchtower ensures you are instantly notified.

Digital Signatures.

Upload PDFs or draft contracts directly in the app. Clients can draw their signatures on their phone to securely lock the agreement with a digital signature tracker.

Master Libraries.

Save your favorite vendors, rentals, and floor plan templates to your team library. Build it once, use it everywhere.

Wedding Teams & Agencies.

Run a planning firm? Invite coordinators to your team, monitor their client rosters, and pool your vendors into a shared team library so your planners never start from scratch.

Bachelor & Bachelorette Planning.

Coordinate flights, lodging, activities, and group expenses for your VIPs. Automatically discover local stays and excursions directly from the dashboard, and track who has paid via Venmo.

Day-Of Timeline.

Auto-generate and fine-tune your minute-by-minute schedule to keep your entire wedding party perfectly in sync.

Export for Day-Of.

Instantly generate a comprehensive, print-ready PDF containing your timeline, floorplans, and vendor contacts to hand to your venue team.

Vendor Organization.

Track contracts, payments, due dates, and contact info for your entire vendor team with a clear budget overview. Never lose an email or miss a payment again.

Simple, transparent pricing.

Everything you need to plan the perfect day. Choose the plan that fits you.

Couples (Basic)

Essential tools to start planning your wedding.

Free forever

Master Budget Tracker
Day-Of Timelines & Rundown
Vendor Payment Ledger
Contract Storage

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Couples (Premium)

Unlock the full power of the Faire Planning suite.

$20 / mo

CAD Seating & Floorplans
Guest RSVP Portal
AI Vendor Matchmaking
Smart Scratchpad Notes

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Vendors

For wedding professionals and service providers.

Free forever

Claim Business Handle
Receive Direct Messages
Sync Event Timelines
Upload Blank Contracts

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Coordinators

For independent planners and wedding teams.

$60 / mo (Starting)

30-Day Free Trial
Unlimited Client Rosters
Client Contracts & e-Sign
Master Vendor Libraries
Team Management

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Wedding Planning Guides & Timelines

Helpful checklists and planning guides for couples, coordinators, and wedding teams.

Updated: July 2026 (Reviewed by Wedding Professionals)

When to Book Your Wedding Vendors

Booking your vendors in the right order keeps your budget balanced and ensures your favorite vendors are available on your date.

10 to 12 Months Before: Book your venue and wedding coordinator first to secure your wedding date and location.
8 to 10 Months Before: Hire your core creative team: Photographer, Videographer, and Catering service.
6 to 8 Months Before: Book your entertainment (DJ or Band), Florist, and event Rentals (tables, chairs, and linens).

How to Organize Your Guest List and RSVPs

Keeping guest details organized in one place makes seating arrangements and catering counts simple and accurate.

Group by Family and Household: Keep families and couples grouped together so you can easily manage plus-ones and invitations.
Private Planner Notes: Keep coordinator notes and contracts private while sharing the planning portal with the couple.
Seating and Meal Tracking: Track chicken, beef, vegetarian, and allergy requests directly on each reception table.

Planning Milestone	Typical Wedding Timeline	With Faire Planning
Final Day-of Timeline Sent Sending the minute-by-minute schedule to all booked vendors	1 to 2 Weeks Before	30 Days Before
Final RSVP Headcount Time needed to collect all guest attendance and meal choices	6 to 8 Weeks	12 Days
Budget Accuracy How close the final wedding cost is to the starting budget	10% to 15% Over Budget	Within 2% of Budget

Frequently Asked Questions.

Everything you need to know about Faire Planning.

Do my guests have to pay or create an account?

No! Your guests will receive a secure, public URL where they can view the event details, check hotel recommendations, and submit their RSVPs (including meal choices and allergies) completely free without ever needing to log in or create an account.

What is the difference between a Coordinator and a Team/Agency?

The Coordinator plan is designed for solo planners managing their own client roster. The Team plan is an upgrade that allows a director to invite multiple coordinators, view their rosters, and share a massive "Master Library" of vendors and rental items across the entire team.

How do payments and invoicing work?

Faire Planning integrates directly with Stripe. Coordinators can securely connect their bank accounts, generate line-item invoices with split payment schedules, and email them to clients. When a client pays, the money goes directly into your bank account.

What happens if I reach my active client limit?

If you reach the limit of your current tier, you can either upgrade to the next tier, or "Archive" past weddings. Archived weddings no longer count toward your active limit, but their data is securely stored so you can restore them at any time.

Is there a mobile app?

Yes! Faire Planning is a Progressive Web App (PWA). You can open it in Safari or Chrome on your phone, tap "Share", and select "Add to Home Screen". It will install as a native app with offline support, full-screen viewing, and a dedicated mobile navigation dock.

Master the day of.