Time Is Of The Essence - How Far In Advance Should You Plan A Wedding?

Is it possible that a bride should begin planning her wedding a year in advance? Yes!

Most bridal experts say that a year’s advance is almost too short. Surely, that can’t be true? But, it is! If you have ever planned a wedding, you know that nothing goes according to plan from the beginning up until the time the guests have gone home. No matter how long you have, something will go wrong – so accept that fact up front.

A year in advance, the first thing you need to do is book the wedding venue. Whether it is a church, wedding hall, or a chapel in Las Vegas, the sooner you do this, the more flexibility you will have with both the day and time of the wedding. Many popular wedding venues book up well over one year in advance. And, if you are looking for a wedding in June (or God forbid, Valentine’s Day!), forget about it!

If you are going to hire a wedding coordinator or planner, do this immediately. They can help you find a venue and may have a little more pull than you do with regards to price and timing. They may cost you a little more, but they do provide savings and a lot of help along the way.

Once you have the date and location, the fun begins. It’s time to determine who will be in the bridal party and start working on buying the dresses. This alone, can take months!

Depending on how many people you are inviting, your reception may be an adventure in itself. Reception halls, restaurants, or caterers also book up months in advance, so you need to get on top of that as soon as possible, too!

As you can see, even a year in advance will seem too short a time to plan. You have yet to hire a photographer, a caterer, a priest/pastor/rabbi, a florist, musicians, a cake, transportation, lodging, or the honeymoon.

The truth is, every woman begins planning her wedding the day her man asks her to marry him. Hopefully, he had the foresight to give her a year’s notice!