Wedding Checklist: A Printable Guide for Scotland
Planning a wedding in Scotland? This wedding checklist covers every job in order, including the legal steps. Download the printable PDF and tick each job off as you go.
Scotland has its own rules. You need no marriage licence, but you do need to give notice to your registrar. The checklist puts that step in the right place.
Want the thinking behind each stage? Read the wedding planning timeline. This page is the short version to print.
12 months or more to go
- ☐ Talk about the kind of day you both want, big or small
- ☐ Agree a rough budget and who is contributing
- ☐ Pick a date or a season
- ☐ Draft a guest list, even a rough one
- ☐ Choose your ceremony type: civil, celebrant-led, religious or elopement
- ☐ Visit and book your venue
- ☐ Book your photographer and celebrant
9 to 12 months to go
- ☐ Book your caterer, if the venue does not include one
- ☐ Book your videographer, music and any key suppliers
- ☐ Check where your guests will stay, and book a block of rooms if needed
- ☐ Start looking at outfits
- ☐ Book an engagement shoot if you want one
6 to 9 months to go
- ☐ Send save-the-dates
- ☐ Order your outfits and book fittings
- ☐ Plan your honeymoon
- ☐ Start a wedding email folder to keep quotes and contracts in one place
3 to 6 months to go
- ☐ Send invitations and ask for dietary needs
- ☐ Choose your menu, cake and flowers
- ☐ Book hair, make-up and transport
- ☐ Meet your celebrant and plan your ceremony words
- ☐ Write a first draft of your day timeline
- ☐ Share your must-have moments with your photographer
Legal steps in Scotland (3 months to 29 days before)
- ☐ Collect your birth certificates, photo ID and any divorce or civil partnership papers
- ☐ Submit your M10 marriage notice to your local registrar
- ☐ Do this no earlier than three months and no later than 29 days before the day
- ☐ Choose two witnesses aged 16 or over
- ☐ Collect your marriage schedule from the registrar once your notice is processed
- ☐ Give the schedule to your celebrant or registrar, and make sure it is signed and returned after the ceremony
1 to 2 months to go
- ☐ Chase any RSVPs still missing
- ☐ Confirm final numbers with your venue and caterer
- ☐ Plan your seating
- ☐ Finalise your timeline and send it to every supplier
- ☐ Write your vows, if you are writing your own
- ☐ Do a final fitting
The final week
- ☐ Pack for the wedding night and honeymoon
- ☐ Pack a small emergency kit with plasters, safety pins and tissues
- ☐ Hand rings, schedule and spare copies of the timeline to a trusted person
- ☐ Confirm arrival times with every supplier
- ☐ Pass on any family group photo list to your photographer
- ☐ Get a good night of sleep
After the day
- ☐ Sign and return any final paperwork
- ☐ Send thank-you messages to guests and suppliers
- ☐ Check the registrar has received your signed marriage schedule
- ☐ Update your name on documents, if you are changing it
- ☐ Look through your photos and order a printed album
Wedding checklist FAQs
When should I start my wedding checklist?
Start as soon as you are engaged. Twelve months out is a calm place to begin, but many Scottish couples plan in six to nine months.
Do I need a marriage licence in Scotland?
No. You give notice to your local registrar using the M10 form, and they issue a marriage schedule once it is processed.
How early can I give notice of marriage in Scotland?
No earlier than three months, and no later than 29 days, before your wedding day.
Can I get a printable version of this checklist?
Yes. Download the printable PDF and tick each job off by hand.
Not booked a photographer yet? See what a wedding photographer costs or find your venue with the wedding venues in Scotland finder.