where do i start when planning a wedding?

Question

I am planning to get married in2-3 years time i dont know if its too early to start booking things yet or if i should wait and how easy is it to save money for the big day?

Please help, i dont know where to start! Any ideas?

and anyone that has been wondering.... yes i have got a partner and yes he has proposed.

Answer 1

In the UK, if you want a saturday in summer, you have to book really early. I've just booked my reception for august 2008 and we got the last saturday they had that summer (we had to stick to the school summer holidays because my fiance's job). Other venues we looked at were the same or even more full. So if you want a popular (i.e good) venue, then its never too early. Also churches will get booked up too.

If you want to get married off-season (i.e. winter - not December or valentines day though) or on a weekday, then you can safely leave it much later.

The other things you need to book early are photographer, cars and sometimes flowers, if these things are important to you.

And by the way, if you want to spend a long time planning, that's your perogative. I'm enjoying planning mine, its like a big family project that everyone is pleased to be part of. So don't listen to people who tell you that wanting to take time over the planing is wrong or self-indulgent. That is their opinion. It is not mine, and it doesn't haveto be yours.

Answer 2

Hi Jadey. Such a simple question - such a complex answer!

In a nutshell - yes, start planning asap and yes, it is possible to save cash but you need to know what you want and keep a tight reign on any budget.

Many magazines and websites will advise that you can wait till a year before the big day to start, but trust me, they are lying! Unless you really want something low key and are happy to hold the event mid-week, then things tend to get booked up very, very quickly. Get yourself searching the net asap and don't miss out!

An earlier response mentioned Confetti, and this is a good site although they tend to be a bit pushy of their own goods and this does get tedious - instead I prefer Weddingsday. Weddingsday is a new, free, online resource for that has just been launched and I have found it to be one of the best out there - I have recommended it to quite a number of people and they all rave about it. Rather than writing from a biased perspective, they tell it like it is and have thousands of pages of advice, ideas and information, as well as a whole host of other freebies such as an online directory and planning tools. As someone who got married a few years ago I only wish it was available then. It is, in my opinion, the best place to start and has more info that I can be bothered to type at five to midnight! I have attached a link to the specific page on the site and this should be the best place for someone like yourself to start.

Best of luck for the big day - it will arrive sooner than you think.

Answer 3

You have plenty of time...most venues are just starting to book for '08, so if you're looking past that, you're far too early.

The first thing you want to do (and is the most important) is to sit down with your fiance and both sets of parents and figure out a budget and who is paying for what...if it is just you and your finace, then you both have to make some serious decisions as to how much money you are willing to spend on everything. AND, no matter what, stick to the budget!!!!! As a wedding planner, I can't tell you how many couples I have come across who haven't stuck to their budget and big problems came up.

After the budget is done, then you can get to the fun stuff!! The ceremony and reception locations should be next, though, as they fill rather quickly sometimes (depending on where you're looking at). Then interview and select your caterer, baker, florist, entertainment and photographer. Make sure you are up front with them about your budget...if they hesitate and pressure you into paying more than you are comfortable with...don't use them!!

If you are unsure about anything or are hesitating about details and/or larger issues...hire a wedding planner!!! Most of the time brides think they don't need a planner and before they know it the details aren't done and it is too late to hire someone. If you hire ahead of time, then there will be no question of who will be doing what.

Answer 4

Start with booking your venue! Good places are often booked up literally years in advance. Almost everything else can be left til nearer the time, but if you don't have the venue, you really are stuck. Saving money is never particularly easy, but you could try opening an account especially for your wedding and make a standing order every month. Go for an account with a book rather than a cashcard as if you actually have to go into the bank to withdraw money, you're less likely to be tempted than if you have a cash card.

Answer 5

Well, you are starting early which is a great thing! You first need to decide how big the wedding is going to be... how many people, what are you going to feed the people, and other things like that. Then, start getting your family's addresses, you have to make sure to get everyone invited. Depending where you are from, you might need to start booking places but around here, we just needed to book things like 1 year to 6 months to book stuff. Good Luck! Oh, and if a friend's mom offers to make the cake cheap... DON'T do it, it will just be a big mess and you don't need that on your big day.

Don't use a wedding planner, that is so impersonal!

Answer 6

If I were you I'd a last start looking at wedding venues and check with them how many months in advanced you'd have to book with them in order to get the date that you want. Then you can start looking around at bridal shops so that you can get idea of dresses etc. And start thinking about wedding invitations etc. The sooner you start the easier it will be and then at least you know that you won't be rushing around as you get closer to the date of the wedding.

If you start looking now and putting deposits down on things and start paying for things now and spreading the cost, it will be better for you.

Also it would be worth some of the wedding forums to get ideas from other future brides I did this and that's how I made a few more friends as we swapped ideas etc. Confetti has a good forum, but there are loads out there

Answer 7

Why would you start planning three years out? Are you sure you want to put self and significant other through all that much stress? A friend of mine spent a whole year recently planning a wedding; I guess she had the coolest fiance ever because he didn't mind all the nonsense. It creates a lot of mother-daughter strain; I personally would never, ever put a man through all the ridiculous, materialistic drama and inevitable mother-daughter arguments and silly freakouts about juvenile issues of "how do I look in this dress?!" of a big, expensive white wedding. So many brides get so stressed out that it's like "You aren't enjoying this and nobody else is enjoying dealing with you in the planning phase; *why* are you doing this thing you don't enjoy? Because your mom expects it? Or what??" Certainly don't start planning more than a year out; it begins to look as if you care way too much about this anxious public display. When it's the relationship that's important, not impressing your mom, showing off, or holding your relationship up anxiously for public approval or whatever. I mean, if you love someone enough to marry them why wait three years.

Answer 8

Many of the above answers are very good... but it's better to make your reservations with everything important earlier rather than later. Good venues, photographers, videographers, bands etc, all accept bookings years in advance. The better the vendor, the harder to get your date. Booking early will typically save you a LOT of money too. http://www.hodgkinsphotography.com

Answer 9

Congratulations on your engagement!!

Start with your religious institution! What all those other respondents seem to have forgotten is that the wedding is the gateway to the MARRIAGE. Work with your church/temple and your fiance to set the date and plan for the marriage. THEN start looking for a reception hall, photographer, etc. Remember that just because you've put down a deposit doesn't mean you have to go through with it if it starts to feel wrong. (There's a difference between "wrong" and "cold feet")

Answer 10

I booked my venue, church, band, photographer and videographer 2 years before my wedding. These are the 5 most important things for the day. Co-ordinating these is hardest.

Once these have been booked everything else ahould fall in place.