When to Start Wedding Planning
You said, “Yes!” and now you’re engaged! Congratulations! It’s time to celebrate your engagement and start wedding planning. But the question is, when? In short, 15 months, but it’s not that easy. Let’s talk.
When isn’t always the easiest to answer, since there are many things to consider before setting out to plan your wedding. Do you have a specific date in mind? Do you already know specific vendors you MUST book? Are you keeping the wedding local or having a destination wedding? Do you want a small elopement or a larger wedding? All of these questions will help you determine when to start planning your wedding.
Specific Date vs. Time of Year
If you have a specific date in mind, this will help determine when to start wedding planning. We recommend securing your venue and wedding planner within one or two months of your engagement, or about 15-18 months out from your desired date. You want to make sure you’ve got a location and planner locked in right away so that you don’t have to compromise that special date because someone else grabbed them: the venue and planner have already been booked.
If you’re looking at a time of year, and a specific date isn’t your top priority, start your planning about 12-15 months away from the beginning of the season you want. By planning ahead, you’ll be able to secure a venue and planner, even if you’re searching for a date during the busy season. You can be flexible on the date if a vendor you want to work with already has some limitations in availability.
Specific Vendors vs. Researching Vendors
Similar to having a specific date you have to get married, having specific vendors you want to use will mean you begin booking those vendors earlier. While the first vendors booked are usually a venue, planner, and photographer, you may know a makeup artist you LOVE and absolutely MUST book for your wedding day. If that’s the case, you’ll want to get on their calendar as soon as you know your date to make sure they are available.
If you don’t have specific vendors you need to work with, we recommend looking at venues and wedding planners about 15-18 months out from your desired wedding date. Normally, wedding planners will work with you starting 12 months before your wedding, and can get you vendor recommendations to help secure the other vendors you’re missing.
Local vs. Destination Wedding
If you’re choosing to have a destination wedding, we definitely recommend planning the big things further in advance so your guests have time to plan their travel and lodging. Select your date and location about 18 months in advance. Start looking for venues at this point so you can lock something in sooner rather than later. You should send out “save the dates” at least 12 months before your date to give guests enough time to plan their trip.
Local weddings can be planned in a shorter amount of time. The average time to plan a local wedding is about 12-15 months, pending your needs list and wants list. As we’ve covered already, some things should be booked further in advance of this so you make sure you get what you want to have the wedding day of your dreams.
Small Elopement vs. Large Wedding
If you’re looking at doing a smaller elopement with just you and a photographer, or you and 15 of your closest friends and family, you could plan your wedding fairly quickly. If you aren’t partial to any vendors, and those closest to you don’t have terribly busy schedules, it’s possible to plan an elopement wedding in 6 months.
If you’re going for a more traditional wedding with 100-150 people, or more, we always recommend having more time. Having a minimum of 12 months to plan a larger wedding like this will ensure you can find a space, secure quality vendors, and take full advantage of a wedding planner’s full service package.
While there isn’t an easy answer always to this question, around 15 months is that sweet spot to begin planning your wedding. Starting your wedding planning 15 months from your desired wedding date gives you the opportunity to select the perfect date, secure an expert wedding planner, and enjoy planning the wedding of your dreams! Click the link to schedule a consultation with us today to begin planning your dream wedding!
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