Jewish Wedding: The 12-Month Checklist

You just got engaged. The wedding is a year away, maybe a bit less. You know there are a thousand things to organize and you don't know where to start. Here's the full retro-planning calendar — month by month — so nothing gets missed.

12 months out: the foundations

• Wedding date: choose a day PERMITTED by halakha (not Shabbat, not certain days in the month of Av, not the Omer except Lag BaOmer)
• Officiating rabbi: he validates the date, ask him BEFORE fixing anything else
• Ceremony venue: synagogue (for a fully religious ceremony) or reception hall (for a more flexible option)
• Reception venue: visit at least 3-4 venues
• Total budget: set a firm ceiling and stay within 10% of it
• Witnesses: choose them and ask them (4 witnesses per tradition)

10 months out: vendors

• Kosher caterer: get 3 quotes, ask for Beth Din certification
• Photographer: pick someone who has already covered a Jewish wedding (knows how to handle the chuppah, the glass-breaking, the hora)
• Videographer: optional but the #1 regret when couples skip it
• DJ or band: must know traditional Jewish music (Hava Nagila, Yiddishe Mame, etc.)
• Florist: visit with them for the chuppah and centerpieces
• Wedding dress: start trying dresses, allow 6 months for ordering + alterations

8 months out: the save-the-date

Time to announce the date to your guests, especially those who need to travel (Israel, US, other provinces). No need for full details yet — date + city + the couple's names is enough. A Tov.events digital invitation is perfect for this: 1-click WhatsApp send, rich preview inside conversations.

6 months out: the guest list

• Compile the full list: family + friends + coworkers
• Split between 'ceremony + dinner', 'ceremony + cocktail', 'evening only'
• Ask both families for their priority guests (expect 30-40% of the final list from each side)
• Target total: 200-300 guests is the classic range for a Jewish wedding

4 months out: the official invitation

The full invitation goes out 3 months before the ceremony. It contains: times, exact venues, dress code, practical info (parking, recommended hotels), RSVP deadline. Tov.events lets you build a digital invitation in 5 minutes and share it on WhatsApp in 1 click. Automatic multilingual support (French / Hebrew / English) based on each guest.

2 months out: the religious ceremony

• Meeting with the rabbi about the content of the chuppah (texts, participants)
• Purchase of the ketubah (marriage contract)
• Preparing the 7 blessings (Sheva Brachot) — choose the 7 guests who will recite them
• For the bride: a visit to the mikveh in the days before the ceremony

1 month out: the details

• Reminder for unanswered RSVPs (Tov handles this automatically via pre-filled WhatsApp)
• Seating chart: start now, finalize 1 week before (Tov has a built-in, evolving seating tool)
• Final confirmation with every vendor
• Prepare the weekend program (if Sheva Brachot dinners are planned)

1 week out: last checks

• Final guest count → caterer
• Printed seating chart (paper + digital)
• Pick up the dress and suit
• Confirm transportation (shuttle for hotel guests if applicable)
• Brief the witnesses on their role during the chuppah

The big day: enjoy it

You've prepared everything for 12 months. On the wedding day, you shouldn't be managing anything anymore — you should just be getting married. Delegate everything to the witnesses and the wedding planner, if you have one. Enjoy every second, it goes by fast.

Follow this checklist and you’ll arrive at the big day calm. And for the invitation that ties it all together — beautiful design, live RSVP, Hebrew included, 1-click WhatsApp sharing — that’s exactly what Tov does. For free.