Wedding planning checklist Philippines: a month-by-month timeline

A wedding planning checklist for the Philippines runs about 12 months: venue, church and principal sponsors first, then suppliers, Pre-Cana and parish documents, then the marriage license two to three months out. Invitations go out 10 to 12 weeks before the wedding with an RSVP deadline 4 to 6 weeks before. The last month is headcount, rehearsal and banns.

If you'd rather tick it off on your phone, the free Ceremo planning checklist starts from a Filipino wedding list dated back from your wedding day, and prints when you want paper.

The wedding planning timeline at a glance

Print this table or copy it into your notes. Each row is explained below.

What to do 12 to 9 months before the wedding

Pick the date, then the ceremony

Popular months book up first. In 2024 the Philippines registered 371,825 marriages, and February was the busiest month with 46,130 (PNA, reporting PSA data). June and December came next (Gulf News, citing PSA). Want one of those months? Book earlier than 12 months.

Decide church or civil now. A Catholic wedding adds a second track of parish requirements on top of the civil license, and our church wedding requirements guide lists them. Visit the parish, confirm your date and ask for their own document list and deadlines. Parishes differ.

Set the budget around the headcount

Catering is priced per head, so your guest count moves the budget more than any other line. One caterer, Kawaii Events, lists wedding packages at ₱75,000 for 80 guests and ₱95,000 for 120, with ₱600 for each extra adult, before VAT and transport (checked Sept 2026). Our wedding cost guide breaks down the rest.

Book the venues and the big suppliers

Reception venue first, then the suppliers who take one wedding a day: coordinator, photographer and videographer, caterer. The coordinator guide explains what full planning and on-the-day coordination each cover. Put every deliverable in writing, including overtime rates and when you get your photos.

Ask your ninong and ninang in person

Principal sponsors stand for you at the ceremony and sign as witnesses. Ask them face to face or by phone before anything goes out in writing. The sponsors guide covers how many to ask and what they do.

What to do 8 to 6 months before

• Name your entourage: bridesmaids, groomsmen, and the secondary sponsors for candle, veil and cord, plus the bearers and flower girls. The entourage list guide has every role.
• Start on attire. Made-to-order gowns and barong need fittings.
• Send save the dates six to eight months out, or earlier (8 to 12 months) if many guests will fly in. Our save the date guide has the timing and wording.
• Draft the guest list. Send save the dates only to people who are definitely on it. Our guest list guide covers cutting it down when both families add names.
• Book your Pre-Cana date. Sessions run on fixed schedules. RMT-CEFAM's CANA Weekend runs once a month, and popular dates fill. The Pre-Cana guide covers cost and format.
• Book the prenup photographer. Our prenup shoot guide puts the shoot itself three to five months out, so plan on those photos for the invitation and the reception AVP, not the save the date.

What to do 5 to 3 months before

Do the prenup shoot. Editing takes weeks, so shoot early enough for the invitation designer to use the photos.

Order your PSA documents. Both of you need a PSA birth certificate and a CENOMAR. PSAHelpline.ph lists ₱365 for a birth certificate and ₱420 for a CENOMAR with delivery, arriving the next day after PSA release in Metro Manila and in 3 to 8 working days in the provinces (PSAHelpline, checked Sept 2026). The release itself can take longer, so don't leave it to the last month.

Submit your parish documents. The parish will want baptismal and confirmation certificates issued for marriage purposes, your Pre-Cana certificate and its own forms. Ask your parish for its deadline, because each one sets its own.

Approve the invitation design. Printed cards take time: Event Nest puts standard production at two to four weeks after final approval, and they still need addressing and delivery. Digital invitations need no production time, but settle the wording now too. Our wedding invitation examples show printed and digital styles side by side.

When should you apply for your marriage license?

Two to three months before the wedding. Not earlier than about four.

The reason is the expiry date. A Philippine marriage license is valid "for a period of one hundred twenty days from the date of issue" anywhere in the country (Family Code, Article 20). Apply five months out and it can lapse before your wedding, and you start again. Apply too late and you are waiting on a government office in your final month.

Before the license is released, the Local Civil Registrar posts your names for 10 consecutive days (Article 17). Quezon City, for example, releases the license "on the eleventh (11th) day from the date of application" and charges ₱250 to file (Quezon City Civil Registry, checked Sept 2026).

What to bring depends on your LGU. Quezon City's list:

• Two marriage license application forms (Form 90), filled in
• Birth or baptismal certificate for each of you
• An original PSA CENOMAR for each of you
• Valid ID or community tax certificate
• One 2x2 photo each
• A family planning certificate from the City Health Department
• A marriage counseling certificate if either of you is 18 to 25

Age adds paperwork. From 18 to 20 you need your parents' written consent (Article 14). From 21 to 25 you need their advice, and without it the license waits three months (Article 15). Our marriage license guide walks through every step and fee, including foreign partners.

Church couples do the canonical interview with the priest in the same window. The banns are announced on three consecutive Sundays before the wedding.

What to do 3 months to 4 weeks before

Send invitations 10 to 12 weeks out

This is the same for printed and digital. Guests need time to plan, and replies arrive slowly. Set the RSVP deadline 4 to 6 weeks before the wedding and keep at least four weeks between the send date and the deadline.

Write the deadline as a date ("Kindly reply by January 9"), and name every invited person. For wording, see our RSVP wedding invitation samples.

Most Filipino guests will get the invitation on Messenger or Viber, and elders and sponsors often get a printed card by hand. Our digital vs printed comparison has the costs.

Book the rest and plan the seating

Florist and stylist, cake, hair and makeup trial, bridal car, host. Once replies come in, start the seating plan with families together and sponsors near the front. The seating chart guide covers head tables and round tables.

What to do in the final month

1. Chase the missing replies the day after your deadline. A private message first, then a call for titas, titos and sponsors. Our guide to getting guests to RSVP has scripts in English and Taglish.
2. Count the silent ones as not attending once your last follow-up passes.
3. Give the caterer your confirmed count plus 10 to 15 percent, the allowance Event Nest suggests for guests who come anyway. It's a rule of thumb, so ask what extra heads cost.
4. Call every supplier. Check the date, both addresses and call times against the contract.
5. Write the wedding day timeline backward from the ceremony, with buffers for hair and makeup. The reception program guide has a standard running order.
6. Run the rehearsal with the full entourage. The processional order guide settles who walks when.
7. Pack the day-of bag: license, IDs, rings, arrhae, cord and veil, plus an emergency kit with safety pins, stain remover and chargers.

What changes for a civil wedding?

The list gets shorter. There's no parish track, Pre-Cana or banns, and the license is the only legal requirement. Because the license comes out after the 10-day posting, a civil wedding can be arranged within weeks once the judge or mayor's office confirms a slot. The invitation timing still applies if you want guests to plan around it. Our civil wedding requirements checklist covers officiants and fees.

Keeping the whole checklist in one place

A notebook or a shared note is fine for the tasks. It gets harder when the checklist, the guest list and the RSVPs live in three places and both families are adding names.

Ceremo keeps them together, free. The Checklist can start from a Filipino wedding list with each task dated back from your wedding day, split jobs between you and your coordinator, and print through Hand over. Vendors, budget, seating and a Day-of screen for the wedding itself are free too.

For the invitation, each household gets its own RSVP link with every invited name on it. You paste it into Messenger or Viber, guests answer without making an account, and you're notified when a household replies. Automatic reminder emails to pending guests are Premium, a one-time ₱2,499. The free plan covers up to 50 guests.

If your notebook and spreadsheet are keeping up, stay with them. Otherwise, see how Ceremo works for weddings or try a sample invitation.