Engagement is a very exciting time in any relationship. Once you have gotten engaged, this means that you will need to start planning the wedding. If you are like some couples, then there’s a chance that you may want to just get the wedding over with already so that you can begin your life. Before you automatically rush the wedding planning, however, it’s a good idea to consider how much time it will realistically take in order to plan the wedding. Here, we will take a much closer look at some of the things that you will need to take into consideration before deciding how much time you will allow yourself to plan the wedding.
Wedding Dress
Majority of the time, the thing that takes the longest to plan ahead for is the wedding dress. Ideally, your wedding dress should be ready three to four months after you have decided which one you want. However, this can vary according to where you decide to purchase your wedding dress from. For bridal shops that are more well-known or in demand, you may want to consider planning even earlier. It’s a good idea to give yourself at least five to six months for a wedding dress. In order to find out how much time you should allow yourself for sure, the best thing that you can do is get in touch with the bridal shop and ask them how long your wedding dress will take after it has been ordered.
Church and Venue
The first and most important step to planning a wedding is booking a church and a wedding venue at which your wedding will be held at. Keep in mind that there are many things that you won’t be able to do until you book a church and wedding venue, such as send out wedding invitations or make definite arrangements with your florist. Depending on the venue that you plan to hold your wedding at, time can be very important. This is especially true if the church and/or wedding venue that you would like to book are very well-known or in demand. It’s a good idea for you to get in contact with these places as soon as you have decided when you would like to get married. At least six months notice is recommended, but you may want to give even a year’s notice to venues that are very well-known.
Wedding Invitations
One of the things that you may be wondering is how far in advance you should send out your wedding invitations. Although most people think that you should set invitations out far in advance, this is not necessarily true. The main reason is because you will want the wedding invitations to be fresh on your guest’s minds. Not only will they not forget about letting you know if they’ll make it to the wedding by your RSVP date, but it will also help ensure that they’ll remember to make any adjustments in their schedule or reservations to stay in town if they are traveling from out of state. Since they may need to make special plans, you’ll want to make sure that you send the invitations out far enough in advance. Sending the wedding invitations out five to six months in advance is ideal. Also, be sure to allow yourself enough time to come up with a guest list derived from both you and your fiancé.
Bridal Party
Another thing that will need to be taken into consideration is the bridal party. You should give the people that you would like to have included in the wedding as much notice as you possibly can. This will give them enough time to let you know if they will be able to do it or allow them to make adjustment to their schedules, if necessary. After you’ve figured out who will be in your bridal party, you must allow yourself the time to look for (and actually get) bridesmaid dresses. Once you have calculated how much money they will spend on their bridesmaids dresses, shoes and anything else, it’s important to let your bridesmaids know, as this will allow them time to save money. Keep in mind that anyone else included in the wedding, such as groomsmen, flower girls and ring barrers should also be notified as soon as possible. Between four to six months is an adequate amount of time when it comes to this type of planning, but keep in mind that the more time, the merrier.
Wedding Planner
Many people decide to hire a wedding planner, as planning a wedding by yourself can be very stressful – especially if you don’t know what you’re doing. If you are planning on hiring a wedding planner, it’s important to remember that you can’t give a wedding planner last notice. How long in advance should you let a wedding planner know that you plan to use his or her services? It mainly depends on the specific wedding planner. Some will easily agree to planning your wedding within six months. On the other hand, there are many wedding planners who want at least a year’s notice. You may need to find out in advance or search for another wedding planner who will be willing to work with your wedding arrangements. No matter what the case is, never wait until the last minute! If you don’t plan on using a wedding planner, it’s important to make sure that you stay ahead of things yourself. Don’t contact your florist or caterer a month before the wedding. Between four to six months notice is recommended, but for places that are more in demand, you may want to even give further notice.
Extravagance or Simplicity
One of the most important things that you’ll need to take into consideration when trying to decide how far in advance you should plan your wedding is how extravagant or simple you want your wedding to be. If you are
thinking about a very luxurious, elegant wedding, then there’s a good chance that more planning will be required than the amount of planning that may go into a very nice, simple wedding. Not only will you need to consider the final cost of your wedding, but you will also need to consider what “extras” will be included in a more extravagant wedding. For example, will your florist need to work extra hard for your wedding or do you only require a few basic arrangements? Although something like this may seem very basic, you will need to consider it – along with any other services that you may be interested in – thoroughly.
Overall, there are many factors that may determine how long you should take to plan your wedding. However, it is safe to say that about six months is an adequate time for a simple, lovely wedding. A year or more is typically recommended to those who require a more extravagant, luxurious wedding. Ultimately, it should be determined by how much time you and your fiancé feel is required. Since a wedding is a very important day, rushing it may not be the best idea. On the other hand, there’s no need for you to feel as though you need to spend forever and a day planning your wedding.