I’m Kayla. I got engaged. My brain turned to confetti. I needed a list—fast. So I tried three real wedding list checklists over six months: The Knot checklist, Zola’s checklist, and a Notion template I built out. I used all three for actual tasks. Real dates. Real mess. Real wins.
You know what? A good checklist didn’t just keep me on track. It kept me calm. It kept me moving.
My Wedding Setup At a Glance
- We planned a backyard summer wedding for 115 people.
- We pushed our date once, by two weeks. Long story. Cousin’s exam.
- We added cultural pieces: a money dance and a small tea ceremony. And yes—wrangling heartfelt vows became its own rabbit hole; the no-fluff breakdown that saved me lives here: a real first-person review with vow examples.
- Budget was tight, so lots of DIY. Hello, paper fans and thrifted vases.
Now, here’s how each checklist actually worked for me.
The Knot Checklist: The GPS That Sometimes Sells You Stuff
I used The Knot app for three months. (Side note: if you want to see the backbone of that system, The Knot’s free and very detailed wedding checklist lives online and mirrors the app almost task for task.) It felt like a GPS for planning. I set our date, and it loaded tasks with due windows. Boom.
Real things I checked off:
- “Book the venue” (I marked it done on 3/15)
- “Order invitations” (proof approved on 4/2)
- “Schedule hair and makeup trial” (set for 5/10)
- Custom item: “Ask Aunt Jo for quilt backdrop” (done on 4/28)
What I liked:
- The reminders nudged me without yelling. A tiny ping: “Hey, tasting soon?”
- I could drag tasks to new months when life got weird.
- The “day-of” list was clean. It helped me stage tip envelopes and vendor contacts.
What bugged me:
- It pushed vendor listings a lot. Helpful once. Annoying by week four.
- Some tasks felt generic. It didn’t remind me to get a beach noise permit for our backyard band. That bit me.
One hiccup: the app froze once when I added 14 custom DIY tasks at midnight. It recovered, but I panicked. I saved a PDF after that. Old-school, but safe.
Verdict: Great for folks who want structure. Just be ready to add your local stuff.
Zola Checklist: Softer, Shareable, Very “We Got You”
I moved to Zola’s checklist when we changed our date. (FYI: you can skim the exact same tasks in Zola’s browser-based wedding checklist if you like to see everything at a glance before signing up.) I needed everything to shift. Zola did that in one go, and I almost cried. It was so nice.
Real tasks I ran through it:
- “75 days out: finalize song list” (we cut two slow songs; we are not sleepy people)
- “Confirm wheelchair seating” (for Grandma Rose—two extra feet for her walker)
- “Order biodegradable confetti” (picked the white rice paper kind)
- “Confirm plug load for DJ” (our extension cord saga could be a movie)
What I liked:
- Sharing was easy. I added my fiancé and my mom. They could check things off. My mom marked “Buy bubble wands for kids” before I even asked.
- Date shift worked like magic. Everything rolled forward two weeks, and my stress just… dropped.
- Categories helped me focus. One week was “Attire,” the next was “Food.”
What I missed:
- It didn’t catch local rules. Our town needed a tent stake permit. I learned that from a grumpy neighbor.
- A few tasks were very U.S.-centric. I had to edit the marriage license steps to fit our county.
Verdict: If you want kind reminders and easy sharing, this is the one. It held my hand without squeezing too tight.
Notion Template: The Tinker Toy That Became My Brain
I’m a nerd for systems. So I built a Notion board from a starter wedding template. It took a Saturday and a large iced coffee. Then it clicked.
How I set it up:
- A Kanban board: To Plan, In Progress, Blocked, Booked, Done.
- Tags for Money, Legal, Decor, Family, Music, Food, Photo.
- A linked budget page with due dates and paid/not paid toggles.
Real tasks I tracked:
- “DIY paper fans for outdoor heat” (cut, tie ribbon, test one in sun)
- “City noise notice flyers” (print 20; drop on neighbor porches)
- “Tea ceremony tea set pickup” (Aunt May’s house by 6/5)
- “Money dance setup” (safety pins, small pouch, who collects the bills?)
What I loved:
- Total control. I made a “Blocked” column and parked “Order cake” there until we picked a lactose-free option for my brother.
- Attachments! I added our floor plan, vendor quotes, and the DJ “no-play” list.
- Views. One click showed me only things due this week. Bless.
What was tough:
- Setup time. It took me a bit to get it right.
- My mom wouldn’t use it. She loves paper. So I exported PDFs for her binder.
Verdict: If you like to tinker and want a system that fits your brain, Notion sings. If you hate setup, it’s a slog.
Real Timeline Bits That Actually Happened
Here’s a slice of my actual list with dates. Nothing fancy—just what worked.
- 10 months out: Pick a vibe (we chose “colorful backyard garden”)
- 8 months: Book venue + tent + restroom trailer (signed on 11/3)
- 6 months: Menu tasting (picked the lemon chicken and veggie paella)
- 4 months: Send save-the-dates (mailed on 2/1 with cute stamps)
- 3 months: Finalize rentals (10 round tables, 2 long farm tables, 120 chairs)
- 7 weeks: Dress fitting #2 + suit tailoring
- 5 weeks: Submit music must-plays + do-not-plays
- 3 weeks: Final headcount to caterer (115)
- 10 days: Pick up rings + steam dress
- 2 days: Prep tip envelopes with labeled cash
- Day-of: Pack a “fix-it” bag (safety pins, fashion tape, Advil, blotting sheets, mints)
A tiny note: I made a “Wiggle Week” row on every checklist. It saved me when the cake topper arrived a bit crooked and I had to reorder.
Little Add-Ons I’m Glad I Put On The List
- Heat plan: sunscreen basket, paper fans, iced water with lemon, shade times
- Accessibility: level path from gate to seating; reserved end seats
- Cultural notes: tea ceremony cups packed; money dance pins and small bills ready
- Quiet hour: neighbor notice flyers with my number (they ended up dancing over the fence—sweetest thing)
If you’re still polishing your ceremony wording, practicing out loud helps—this candid test-drive of real vows was gold for us: I tried, tweaked, and read these wedding vows out loud.
To keep the spark alive during those late-night planning marathons, I’d shoot my fiancé a cheeky text that made us both grin; for fresh, confidence-boosting inspiration, visit this step-by-step guide to sexting messages—it’s packed with etiquette tips and real examples so your flirty notes land perfectly every time.
Planning also meant carving out one totally off-duty evening before the big day; if you’re based in Central Florida and want an inclusive, excitement-filled option for unwinding, you could explore professional companionship from a trans escort in Lakeland—the site offers detailed profiles and secure booking so you can arrange a respectful, memorable night without adding extra stress to your schedule.
These weren’t in any default list. I added them, and it mattered.
So… Which Checklist Won?
- The Knot: 4/5. Strong structure. A bit salesy.
- Zola: 4.5/5. Great for sharing and shifting dates. Missed local rules.
- Notion: 4.5/5. Custom dream. Setup tax.
If you’re looking for even more planning inspiration (especially for New England nuptials), there's a concise rundown over at VtVows that pairs nicely with whichever checklist you choose.
My real setup? I used Zola for shared family tasks, Notion for my master brain, and a tiny sticky note on my phone for quick “don’t forget” items like “Return 3 vases by 4/12.”
Would I do it the same way again