In short
Plan a Singapore wedding in the order that decisions lock each other in: the date and venue first, then the crew and the paperwork, then the traditions and the details. This checklist runs from about a year out to the morning of the wedding. If you are starting later, do the same steps in the same order, just closer together.
- 12 months or more before: budget, guest numbers, date and venue
- 9 to 12 months before: photographer and videographer, attire, emcee
- 6 months before: the earliest you can submit your ROM application online
- 3 to 6 months before: solemniser, rings, invitations and a first rundown
- 1 to 3 months before: guest list, seating, traditions and vendor confirmations
- The final two weeks: the rundown, briefings and the emergency kit
12 months or more before: the decisions everything else depends on
- Set the budget and a rough guest count together, since each shapes the other. Our budget framework helps split it.
- Choose the date. If auspicious dates matter to your families, check them early, and if you have a popular date or a peak-season weekend in mind, check venue availability early too. See choosing a wedding date in Singapore.
- Decide the shape of the day: ROM and banquet on the same day or on different days, and whether there will be a gatecrash and tea ceremony.
- Book the venue. It fixes the date, the guest capacity and much of the budget, so it comes before most other bookings. Our guide to choosing a venue covers what to look for.
9 to 12 months before: the people who make the day
- Photographer and videographer. Book once the date and venue are fixed. Decide whether you want one crew for both, and whether you want a same-day edit, since that needs a slot in the banquet programme. See our actual-day wedding photography and wedding videography.
- Attire. Decide whether you are renting or buying, and how many looks you want across the pre-wedding shoot, the ROM and the banquet.
- Pre-wedding shoot. If you want one, plan it early enough to use the photos at the banquet. See pre-wedding photoshoots.
- Emcee, and anyone else with a role on the day.
- Read contracts before paying deposits. Our vendor contract checklist and guide to payment schedules cover what to check.
About six months before: ROM and the legal side
The Registry of Marriages accepts the online marriage application up to six months before your solemnisation date and no later than 21 days before it. If you want a slot at a Registry site, it is booked when you submit the application. If you are marrying at your own venue, invite a licensed solemniser; the Registry suggests doing this three to six months ahead.
Choose your two witnesses, both above 21, and gather the identification details the application asks for. Our guide to ROM in Singapore covers each step, the fees and where you can solemnise.
3 to 6 months before: details and traditions
- Rings. Leave time for sizing and any engraving.
- Invitations. Design and print them so they can go out in good time, with RSVP details so the seating plan can follow. See guest list etiquette.
- Traditions and family roles. Agree with both families which customs you are keeping: guo da li, the betrothal gift exchange; an chuang, the bed-setting ceremony; the gatecrash and the tea ceremony. For a Malay wedding, plan the hantaran around the akad nikah, the solemnisation itself.
- Hair and makeup trial. Book a trial, and plan the morning backwards from the makeup start time. See setting your start time.
- A first draft of the rundown. Start from our rundown template and refine it as vendors confirm.
1 to 3 months before: confirm, don't choose
- Final guest list and seating plan. See building a seating chart.
- Confirm every vendor in writing: times, addresses, contacts and what each is delivering. Our guide on briefing vendors has a list.
- Transport. Wedding car and travel between homes and venues, with time for traffic.
- Gatecrash plan. The games, the red packets for the door and who is in charge of each. See our gatecrash briefing guide.
- Red packets. Decide who collects and records them on the day. See red packet etiquette.
- Same-day edit. If you have one, agree the screening slot with your emcee and the venue. See what a same-day edit needs.
The last two weeks
- Send the final rundown to your emcee, planner and every vendor, with one contact person for the day. See one rundown for everyone.
- Brief your emcee. Our emcee briefing guide lists what to cover.
- Complete your ROM declaration if you are eligible to do it online; the Registry asks for it to be signed at least 10 days before the solemnisation.
- Confirm the timings of the morning: makeup start, both homes, gatecrash, tea ceremony and travel. Our actual-day timeline shows how a day usually runs.
- Pack an emergency kit and agree a wet-weather plan for anything outdoors. See the emergency kit checklist and weather checklist.
On the day
Give the rundown, the vendor contacts and the red packet box to one trusted person who is not in the photos, so you can spend the day being married rather than managing it. If something slips, the buffers in your rundown are there to absorb it.
If you are starting later than a year out
Do the same steps in the same order, closer together: date and venue first, then the crew and the ROM application, then the details. The fixed legal step is the ROM notice: for a civil marriage the application must go in at least 21 days before the solemnisation, with extra requirements for some couples, such as two foreigners, and a separate ROMM process if you are both Muslim. Most other steps depend on availability, so book the vendors who are hardest to replace first. Our guide to planning around two full-time jobs has ideas for a compressed timeline.
If you would like one crew for photography and film across the day, see our actual-day wedding photography and wedding videography, or check your date with us.