How far in advanced should a wedding be planned?

Jenny Lynne

2016-01-15 05:31:42 UTC

1. Enjoy being engaged for a while. He has picked rung, proposed, relax a bit.

2. Have your ring appraised and insured.

3. Get a manicure.

4. Avoid posting on social media, or keep details to a minimum because this will cut down on unsolicited advice which you will get plenty of and self invited guests//just say thank you, I'll consider that and then go and do what you want to do.

5. Continue to date each other, don't get so caught up in wedding planning that you forget to do so.

6. Some suggest pre-martial counseling, marriage is a big step and communication is a big factor.

7. Rely on each other.

8. Dream about your wedding, begin to visualize what you want.

When you get ready to start planning it usually takes about a year. First, though pick the season you want.

There are three very good wedding check lists that you can print out. I prefer wedding wire, but you may wish to look at all three and make your own or I suggest getting a three ring binder, a pen/pencil holder (good for small notes and receipts) a set of A,B,C tabs, plenty of the inexpensive plastic sheet covers and good old fashioned notebook paper. You can decorate front of white binder any way you wish.

Keep this with you or if you jot down something, be sure to put in your book at appropriate place.

The three checklists are:

http://www.weddinwire.com

http://www.theknot.com --- has other checklists

http://weddings-about.com/blchecklist1htm1.htm (About.com.Weddings)

There lots of things to think about together, time of year, colors, bridal party, food; however when you start planning, the first thing is to establish your budget, any parental or other help. This determines the whole wedding. Once you have that and a first draft wedding guest list (unfortunately the big stuff comes first), book your venue, caterer, florist and photographer right then. Many of these book a year in advance.

Think about honeymoon and book in advance, then go to checklists.

I am including for your future help a few good sites.

myweddingmusic.com

weddingwire.com/wedding-songs

discjockeys,.com

dessy.com---look at Pantone weddings for colors

google and print a color wheel, colors across from color you want are accent colors

Hope this helps. Congrats and best wishes!

Messykatt

2016-01-14 16:02:14 UTC

Well, entire books have been written on this! But in general, it's more about when it makes sense for the 2 of you to marry, not when it makes sense to throw your party. A year is probably a common jumping off point, but many people go shorter or longer.

My other comment is you might be doing things backwards when you talk about "little" things to do before the bigger ones. Nothing is more important than setting a total budget. Register at a free site like weddingwire.com and take advantage of their planning lists. At this point, you may not even have a good idea how many guests you can afford.

Once you've done this, then the next thing is your venue. Don't start in on anything else until you've found the venue, signed a contract and put down a deposit. This gives you your wedding date. It also helps you set the rest of your budget on the secondary items (wedding gown, photographer, flowers, etc).

Wedding planning is fun, but people do tend to fall into the same traps. The biggest is not doing things in an order that makes sense and not budgeting for all the little stuff we tend to forget (everything from bridesmaid gifts to postage and invites). That's why the planning list helps.

Mamawidsom

2016-01-15 18:56:45 UTC

It depends on what you want. Step one is to set a budget. Step two is to figure out what kind of wedding or general location you want. Step three is getting the venu for both the wedding and reception booked. This is why it takes so much time. If you want to get married at a popular venue or at a popular time, you can't get it set up fast enough. Major hotels, wedding venues, country clubs and churches can get booked a year or two in advance, particularly if you aren't flexible on the date.

Once you have the date and the place, you are in good shape. Depending on where you select, the location may have a wedding coordinator, on-site caterer, list of DJs, cake bakeries, photographers, florists, and A/V companies. I'm sure you can find lists online. You will need to find to time meet with all these vendors, select the ones you want, and sign contracts for their services. They will tell you how far in advance you will need to make a commitment and payment.

The one other things that you need to think about is the dress. If you choose to order a fancy wedding dress, it can take several months to get in made. If you wait too long, you'll be forced to select a sample dress or something that you don't want.

anonymous

2016-01-14 17:28:48 UTC

The first thing you need to do is set an budget.

Get an idea of how many guest.

Things that need to do sooner than later.

Venue.

Reception and Ceremony.

Some weddings they could be at the same place.

If you are having two different places, the date you pick will be when both are open.

Venues could be booked up to 18 months before hand.

So how far advanced depends on where you live or where you want your reception. You could plan an wedding in a few weeks or more than an year.

Getting the venue of your choice, the sooner the better.

The later you start, your first or second or third choice maybe gone.

If you want first or second choice on Venue, DJ, Photographer, Church, etc.

Things like cake and flowers could be done closer to the wedding.

Jane

2016-01-15 06:23:27 UTC

Usually about a year in advance. It might help to look into how much things cost before budgeting out how much you will spend on each detail (though always keep in mind what a reasonable total cost would be for your wedding). We didn't want ours to cost more than $15,000 total and I expected to pay about $500 for pictures but later realized that the photographers in my area STARTED charging at $2000. We had to think about if we wanted to go with it or have a friend do the pictures and spend the money elsewhere. Keep flexibility in your budget but don't lose sight of how much you want to spend overall, things can add up very fast and there's a lot of 'stuff' that is not needed to have a nice wedding (like pew bows).

Mr. Shawn

2016-01-15 04:58:47 UTC

Figure out how many people you want to invite. That will dictate how much you can spend and where you can have the wedding. I think a year or slightly more is good enough for planning but it also depends on the month. If you want to get married int he warm weather, venues may be booked already so it depends on how badly you want a certain place. If you want a really popular venue you may have to submit a deposit more than a year in advance to secure your date.

Jenn

2016-01-15 05:43:58 UTC

The absolute most important thing to get out of the way first is your wedding budget. You need to know how much you can feasibly spend on each part of the wedding before you start planning, or you will wind up in a bad way. Worry about the "little things" after the big things are set.

Lydia

2016-01-15 02:59:32 UTC

Congrats! Usually a couple sees how far away an officiant and venue can be booked, then you go from there. In some cities, it could be a year. And you need to talk budget right away, because that determines everything else. Good luck.

Cat Lover

2016-01-15 08:35:00 UTC

You have gotten some very good suggestions! There are many places to get advice and many books have been written about wedding planning. So I'm just going to mention a few things that you DON'T need to have for a perfect wedding. You mentioned that you might like to know some cheaper ideas so here goes!

You don't need to spend $$$$ on a wedding dress. My daughter got married 28 years ago, so prices are a lot different, but the idea is the same. We have 2 bridal stores in our city, so she went to one and found her perfect dress in the marked down area! She was getting married outside, and didn't want a big puffy dress. She is very tall and wanted a tea length dress. A regular long one was tea length on her! The cost was $200.

I happened to spot three bridesmaids dresses in periwinkle blue that were also in the marked down area. They had been hemmed before they had hung a little while to allow for stretching, so two of them had uneven hems. Very easy to correct, and could be done by anyone who sews. Cost of each dress was $50. Her three attendants were all slim, so only one dress had to be taken in just a little. For only $350, all of the dresses were taken care of. So look at the stores that have discontinued styles. You just might find the dress of your dreams. And no one would ever know that it was last year's model.

About food---a buffet is usually a lot cheaper than a sit down dinner. Many people prefer a buffet, because they can choose just what they want to eat and leave out the rest. Plus the food is hotter than what is usually served at a plated dinner.

Many restaurants cater for weddings, and don't charge as much as the advertised wedding caterers. Once you know about how many people you are going to invite, call some of the restaurants in your city and see if they do weddings. Some large supermarkets do this, too.

And speaking of the guests. If you want to really keep the list reasonable, you do not need to invite every person you have ever met since first grade! Start making a list of the ones who are most important in your life now. You and he should be able to invite about the same amount of people, but if one of you have a bigger family than the other, that is okay. The list doesn't have to be equal. Your parent's might want to invite a few people, but just remember that this is YOUR wedding, not your parents'. Your mom can't invite her bridge club, and your dad can't invite his golfing buddies. And your Aunt Mary can't invite anyone. So if that starts, just tell them that you have a limit as to how many people you can invite, and your list has been made. Don't let anyone invite themselves either.

I'll say this right now---don't discuss your plans with your co-workers or too many friends. And never around anyone you don't plan to invite. That is rude.

If you want to really keep the cost down, here are some things you do NOT have to have. You don't NEED a DJ, or liquor or serve a meal. If you want to keep it a lot more inexpensive, get married about 2pm, and serve finger sandwiches, cake, coffee and punch.

You also don't need an expensive place to have the reception. If you are getting married in a church, the basement may be available for receptions. There would be no dancing or liquor, but those things are not necessary if you are on a really strict budget.

Another possibility is having the reception in a club, like the Eagles, Elks, American Legion or VFW, etc. Many will furnish the food, and some will allow a caterer to bring food in. Many times they will furnish a keg as part of the price if you want, and your guests can buy liquor from their bar if you request that. I have been to many weddings where we paid for our own drinks. I don't like beer or wine, so if I wanted more than punch, I was glad I could buy something else. It all depends on what is done in the area where you live.

Just remember that wherever you have the reception, you really should have punch and coffee for people who do not drink liquor or wine or beer.

If you want to go really inexpensive, see if you have a friend or relative who could have your whole wedding in their back yard. Of course, this presents some possible problems because you can't depend on it being a good day weather wise. And you must rent some tables and chairs, but that isn't a huge expense. The yard must be in shade, and you must rent a port-a-potty. No one should be allowed to go into the host's house. This is obviously only for a very casual wedding. And a small guest list.

A public park is another possibility. There are shelters there and rest rooms, so it is only for a very casual reception, too.

These are just some suggestions for you to think about. You may not like any of them! But you wanted ideas, so between all the posts here, you should be able to now go ahead and start planning. Good luck.!

Oh, one more thing! If pictures are very important to you, remember that you get what you pay for. A friend with a camera is not going to give you the photos you expect. A wedding is one of the hardest things to shoot. If you want perfect pictures, you are going to pay big bucks for a professional photographer. Just be sure to read the contract carefully before you sign. Don't make the final payment till you get the finished photos that are promised. And on time. Get references before you sign with anyone.