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The Journal

Tips & inspiration for planning your wedding

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Planning

Budget

Guests

Seating

First steps to planning your wedding

Just got engaged. Where do you start without drowning in details? Date, budget, guests: the order matters as much as the checklist.

How long does it take to plan a wedding in France?

12 to 18 months on average, but the real question is when to book the venue, invitations, and seating chart. A realistic timeline.

Wedding timeline: month-by-month calendar

From 12 months out to 1 week before: what to do at each stage. A concrete calendar, not a vague list.

Plan your wedding in 10 steps (in the right order)

Not a random checklist. Ten steps with dependencies: budget before venue, venue before invitations, RSVPs before seating chart.

Wedding in 6 months: accelerated checklist

Date in six months? Tight but doable. What to prioritize, what to simplify, and what cannot be shortened.

18 to 24 month wedding: where to start

You have time. Here is what to book early, and what to keep flexible.

7 decisions that drive everything else

Budget, date, guests, venue, format, funding, priorities: seven structural choices. Everything else follows.

Wedding checklist: 50 tasks not to forget

A full list by theme: admin, venue, guests, attire, day-of. Adapt it, do not follow it blindly.

How to split wedding tasks between partners

Without a clear split, one person carries everything. A simple model by domain, not line-by-line equality.

Excel vs wedding app: which tool to pick in 2026?

Spreadsheet or dedicated app? Both work at first. Where Excel hits limits, and when an app is worth the switch.

2026 wedding budget: how much to plan in France?

€19,293 on average per Mariages.net (1,304 couples). €215 per guest, 90 guests: how to read these numbers for your wedding.

Wedding budget: calculate cost per guest

Real budget = guest count × €150–250. A simple formula before you sign the caterer or venue.

Wedding budget split by category

Venue 15–25%, catering 30–40%, photo 8–12%: concrete benchmarks and three Fiancé templates (intimate, classic, prestige).

Wedding deposits and balances: track due dates

30% on signing, balance at D-30 or D-7: how not to miss a caterer or photographer payment.

Wedding budget: where couples overspend

Guest count, drinks, decor, last-minute vendors: the four lines that blow the budget.

Small-budget wedding: 10 tips under €10,000

Fewer guests, off-season, lunch vs dinner: ten concrete levers to hit a tight cap without losing what matters.

Open bar or consumption tab at your wedding

Open bar, capped tab, or per-bottle: calculate real cost before you sign with the caterer.

Compare wedding caterer quotes

Price per kilo, service included, tableware, staff: Fiancé's caterer comparator to read two quotes line by line.

Wedding guest list: negotiate without conflict

Must / would / if-space tiers, family rules, and guest cap: a frame to decide with both families.

Wedding RSVP: when and how to follow up

Deadline 3–4 weeks before the day, nudge 3–5 days after: timing that works when 10–20% reply late.

Manage plus-ones, children, and dietary needs

One list to count plates, kids' menus, and allergies: how not to miss anything for the caterer.

Intimate wedding vs large reception: 30 or 150 guests?

30 vs 150 guests: budget, venue, vibe, and mental load. Choose a format, do not inherit the family list.

Save-the-date, invitations, and RSVP: the timeline

Save-the-date 6–8 months out, invitations 2–3 months, RSVP 3–4 weeks before: guest communication timeline.

Track guest communications

Who got the save-the-date, invitation, menu? Simple tracking so you do not nudge the same person twice.

Online RSVP without a guest account

Your guests do not want an account. Fiancé's public page: link, reply, sync with your list.

Wedding RSVP response rate: what to expect

Roughly 20% declines, plan on 80% yes for the caterer. How to model no-shows.

Wedding seating chart: complete guide

Start at 80–90% RSVP (~D-30), tables of 8–10, PDF for caterer: seating workflow A to Z.

Seating chart: 5 placement rules

Never split couples, mix groups, seat social connectors: rules that avoid silent tables.

Private offline wedding app: why Fiancé

No ads, no data resale, no mandatory guest accounts. Local data, optional encrypted sync.

Wedding budget by region: Paris area vs rest of France

Venue, catering, photo: why weddings in the Paris region often cost 20 to 40% more, and how to adjust your cap.

Invitations when parents are divorced: wording and protocol

Who appears on the invitation, in what order, and how to avoid tension when families no longer speak.

Invitation protocol: who to invite without blowing the list

Coworkers, distant cousins, plus-ones: French etiquette rules and a must / should / nice method to decide as a couple.

Fiancé vs Mariages.net: which tool to plan your wedding?

Vendor directory vs private app: budget, RSVP, seating, ads, and data. An honest comparison of both approaches.

Fiancé vs Zankyou: wedding website or real planner?

Gift registry, guest site, directory: Zankyou's strengths. Detailed budget, seating, offline: Fiancé's.

Fiancé vs MyWed: two all-in-one apps compared

Tasks, budget, guests, couple sync: MyWed and Fiancé target the same job. Differences on privacy, seating, and pricing model.

Top 5 best wedding apps in 2026

Budget, RSVP, seating, privacy: our 2026 ranking of wedding management apps in France, with concrete criteria.

Best free wedding apps in France (2026)

Free does not mean crippled: our top wedding apps with no mandatory subscription, and what is actually included.

Top 5 privacy-friendly wedding apps

GDPR, guest accounts, data hosting: the 2026 ranking for couples who do not want their guest list exposed.

Online Tools

Use our online tools without creating an account.

Wedding Seating Chart

Create your seating chart online and export it as PDF.

Use the tool →

Budget Calculator

Estimate and allocate your wedding budget by category.

Calculate my budget →

Day-of Timeline

Build your wedding day schedule and print it.

Create my timeline →

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