Is 9 months enought time to plan a wedding?

[kathio22]

I really would love a fall wedding, and waiting until Oct. 2005 is too long for me!! Think I can pull it off for Oct. 2004?

 

[sumi]

Of course! My husband and I literally planned our wedding in two days. Of course, ours was very small (see my answer in your other thread).

 

[aliciamt7]

You can DEFINITELY pull it off by Oct 2004, I know people who are just starting planning for this summer's weddings! This first thing you have to do is look at reception halls and a place to get married (church, the hall, etc...) and book those first. I read your other post and since you want a small wedding you can probably do a Sunday brunch or afternoon wedding, which may be more in your budget. In my experience, when we went to look at places, we ran into a problem with needing to guarantee a certain amount to people (we're in central NJ) for certain nights, and many places we wouldn't be able to meet the requirements. If you are expecting about 50 guests, either a smaller reception site or an off day may be good options for you!

Once you book your date and place, then start looking for your photographer and/or videographer, band or DJ, and your dress. Depending on your dress that you like, it should take 4-6 months to come in, if not sooner, so going soon to start looking at them is key. All in all, though, nine months is PLENTY of time if you start soon. My wedding is 11 mths away and I feel that I'm doing NOTHING because there's not much to do right now! I think that I have TOO much time! The main things to book are the ceremony site and the reception hall to get a date that you like. After that, things will fall into place!

Good luck!

Alicia

 

[aliciamt7]

BTW, I've noticed that prices in the tri-state area are hugely inflated in comparison to most of the US! We have to keep our guest list down a bit as well since we are paying for this wedding ourselves too! Good luck, and the best thing to do is try not to stress! Wedding planning should be fun (kind of), so take a deep breath and go for it!

Alicia

 

[glitterata]

The trick to keeping the costs down is to never utter the word "wedding" when you're booking anything. Say it's an anniversary party, or a christening, or a birthday. When people hear the word "wedding," they automatically double the price of everything.

 

[Mara]

9 months! Of course!

Book all your big stuff now and buy your dress. The venue, finding and booking the vendors, and ordering the wedding dress is what really takes the longest.

 

[heart prongs]

Yes, if you don't spend the bulk of your time on 'The Knot' and Pricescope! which is what seems to take precedence over writing out addresses, ordering BM dresses, finding a cake, etc. for me anyway!!! kl

 

[Nicrez]

Kathio, another thread you had was regarding sticking to budget, I think a fall wedding will absolutely help you out there, as the popular months are Summer months and now August and September (as it's not squelching hot out). Also to keep in mind that if you can safely book a quiet, small catering hall with the most advanced notice you can muster, that may help, as well as booking on a day like a Thursday or a Sunday...? Weekdays of course ARE cheaper, but that depends on if your guests can make it them, I suppose...

Also, for speed, create a spreadsheet to compare photographers and video guys, caterers, etc. My friend did that and spend four days calling everyone under the sun, then with what she entered for each person in that spreadsheet, she could tell who would be best for her, and who wouldn't. Organization makes decisions faster and sometimes more accurate.

Know what you want way ahead of calling anyone, and know your limits, or budget and detail. If you have friends who could help out for invitiation creating or envelope writing, placecard writing, dress shopping, etc., get as many people to help and see if they can each get a responsibility to help out in. Organize yourself into weeks and months of goals of things to have done. I suggest have everything planned and booked by May, dresses bought and ready to be fixed by May, and then other items to be checked and verifiedin July, to give you some time to fix and replace, if necessary...

It's tough, but if you are easy going, organized, and accept that no matter how much time you have NOTHING will be 100% perfect, then you'll have a beautiful wedding that shouldn't kill your bank account! Good luck!!!

 

[aljdewey]

Hi, Kathio: Sure, it's possible to plan in that amount of time. My friend Theresa got engaged in March and married that same year in September with 130-person wedding. That was a bit of a challenge becaue she was booking the same types of venues everyone else was.




You, I understand, are having a smaller affair, is that right? 50 people? A few suggestions that will help you plan and do well.




1. DEFINITELY look at booking a Sunday wedding. Less competition for the venues, and there is often a pricing break. More of the vendors will be available on Sundays, too. You won't be competing with the larger wedding dollars of other Saturday weddings.




2. Consider different venues. Being a small group means you don't HAVE to be limited to a reception hall. It really depends on where you are in the country. My FI and I live on the east coast, and we're having our reception (30 people) aboard a schooner. Things like this are easier to book on shorter notice, so be creative.




3. We got engaged in November, and we are marrying in July, so yes, it can be done. The big things to get done right away are these: Book the ceremony location, the reception location, the caterer, the photographer, and get a dress picked out and ordered. These are the biggies, and once they are done, everything else is small stuff.




I didn't know how long it takes to get a dress; I didn't plan to begin dress shopping until about now. THANK GOD I didn't wait until now - I wouldn't get my dress on time. I began dress shopping in January just because a friend and I were looking for a way to kill a cold winter day.....I found one pretty quickly and ordered it Feb 7....and it's due to deliver May 7, leaving me 2 months for alterations.




Good luck.