02:41 PM:Are we starting our wedding planning too late?
My answer is that I’ll work with you no matter when we start planning and you’ll have a lovely wedding. The closeness of the wedding date and the large number of things to get done puts me in high gear. The challenge can be quite interesting.
Is here some sort of ideal schedule of advance planning? When to do each of the hundreds of elements that make a wedding? Yes! Then we really have a wonderful array of options.
With holiday weekends, there are actually fewer than 52 available weekends, and a few essential parts of the wedding need to be established as much as 1.5 years in advance. For the best venues, best photographer and best videographer, give yourself (at least) a year’s notice, especially if you’re planning a wedding in one of the busy months: June, September or October.
Ideally, these steps would be done 12 – 18 months before the wedding:
Announce your engagement to friends and family and if you choose to, place an announcement in the newspaper
Decide the date and time of the wedding
Choose a style for your wedding – formal, informal, or casual
Set a budget
Decide on the number of guests
Meet with your clergy member or other officiant
Meet with family members to discuss plans and the division of expenses
Choose your ceremony and reception locations
Determine legal requirements for your marriage license
Interview and book caterer, florist, photographer, videographer, and musicians.
I can help you with all of this. I’ve seen almost all of the venues, and have caterers, musicians, photographers, videographers, and florists at every price point at the tip of my fingers. Because I do repeat business with these wedding professionals, I can often arrange lower prices.
Coming up in the next blog I’ll share the planning that happens 9 to 12 months before the wedding. First up on that list, choosing your wedding gown!
