Vowline Wedding starter plan Wedding Starter Plan · USD 39
18 September 2027, 90 guests, Galway
Twelve months, what has to be decided when, where the money goes and the four deadlines that cannot move.
You have a date, a rough guest count and a number. What you do not have is an order. This plan sets out what must be decided in which month, which decisions block others, where your budget actually goes at this guest count, and which four dates would genuinely damage the day if they slipped.
Twelve months is enough for 90 guests in Galway, but two decisions are already late rather than upcoming. Venue and photographer for a September Saturday in the west are typically committed 12 to 16 months out, and you are at 12.
Sequence
When each decision has to happen
Months before the date, not calendar months, so the plan survives a change of date. A bar shows the window in which that decision is normally made for a September Saturday in this region.
Bars run right to left: the right-hand end is the earliest people usually commit, the left-hand end is the latest it is comfortable. Being at the right-hand end of a bar is not a problem. Being past its left-hand end is.
Money
Where USD 34,000 goes at 90 guests
An allocation, not a quote. It is built from typical shares for a wedding of this size and region, and its job is to tell you when one supplier's price means another has to change.
Dependencies
What blocks what
| Decision | Cannot happen until | What it then unblocks | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venue confirmed | Nothing. This is the root | Catering, guest count ceiling, styling, transport | Do first |
| Guest list finalised | Venue capacity is known | Save the dates, catering quote, seating | Blocked |
| Catering booked | Venue confirmed, in-house or external known | Drinks plan, cake supplier, final costs | Blocked |
| Save the dates | Date and venue confirmed | Nothing, but it stops guests booking elsewhere | Blocked |
| Photographer | Date confirmed only | Nothing. Book independently and now | Do first |
| Celebrant | Date confirmed. Legal notice separately | Ceremony timing, and therefore the whole run sheet | Do soon |
| Outfits | Nothing | Nothing. Independent, but allow for alterations | Flexible |
| Run sheet | Ceremony time and supplier arrival times | Everybody knowing what happens | Last |
Two rows have no dependencies at all and are the most time-critical: venue and photographer. Everything marked blocked is waiting on the venue, which is why it is the only thing worth doing this month.
Fixed
The four dates that cannot move
- By Dec 2026
Venue deposit
September Saturdays in Galway are typically gone 12 months out. Every week from here reduces the choice rather than the price.
- By Mar 2027
Legal notice of intention to marry
Ireland requires at least three months notice in person to the registrar, and appointments book up. This is a legal requirement, not a supplier deadline, and missing it moves the wedding.
- By Jun 2027
Invitations out
Twelve weeks before. Later than this and you are chasing replies during the month you should be finalising numbers.
- By 4 Sep 2027
Final numbers to the caterer
Two weeks out. After this the cost is fixed whether people come or not, which is the single largest budget risk in the last month.
The registrar date is the one people discover late. Confirm the current notice requirement and book the appointment as soon as the venue is confirmed, because the two together are what make the date real.
This month
What to actually do next
- This week
Shortlist three venues and ask one question
Is 18 September 2027 available, and what is the deposit. Nothing else matters until you have three answers.
- This week
Email five photographers with the date
Photographers hold one wedding a day and book earlier than almost anyone. This is a ten minute job that gets harder every week you leave it.
- Within two weeks
Agree the guest number as a ceiling, not a wish
Ninety, not around ninety. The venue shortlist and the budget both depend on it and both get rebuilt if it moves.
- Within a month
Venue deposit paid
Once this is done, seven of the eight blocked decisions unblock at once and the next nine months become straightforward.
- After the venue
Book the registrar appointment
Same week. It is free, it is quick, and it is the only item on this plan that can make the date impossible.
- Three venues asked about the date
- Five photographers emailed
- Guest ceiling agreed at 90
- Corkage and drinks policy asked at every venue
- Registrar notice requirement checked directly
- Contingency of USD 2,600 kept in a separate account