long engagement?

Question

I just got engaged on Valentine's Day, and we are having a long engagement...the wedding is set for May 30, 2009. I know it is not THAT long away but I feel like it is too early to start planning, as I am so anxious and excited! Any tips or anything I can do now to prepare and keep me occupied? Thanks!

Answer 1

Wow, that is a long engagement! There are people who got engaged on Valentine's day who will be getting married May 30th of this year, so the fact that this is more than 2 years away is really puzzling to me. I'm from the mindset of not getting engaged until you are ready to get married, but whatever, you are going to have some work ahead of you keeping occupied until the big day arrives. I guess you have plenty of time to decide what type of wedding you will have, where you will have it, and what you will wear. I would spend time planning on other things besides the wedding, like where you will live, what career paths you will follow, and all of that good stuff. Congrats on your engagement!

Answer 2

I got engaged about 9 months ago, and we are having about a 5 year long engagement. Althought I can't really start planning my wedding, I have bought tons of magazines and done lots of research. I have collected everything together in a big binder, full of different ideas. You could do this to keep you occupied and that way when you do start planning your wedding you have ideas of what you want and will know how much things cost and places you can get good deals.

Answer 3

Congratulations! A great place to start (if you haven't thought about it already) is with a budget. You can find suggested ones at theKnot.com of WeddingChannel.com - you put in how much you're planning to spend, and it gives suggestions for what portion should be allocated to each item. (And they include a lot of items you probably wouldn't even think of on your own!)

Then you'll have some idea of how much you'll need to save - that's a huge advantage to having so long to plan. But my biggest advice is to take it slow - try not to immerse yourself in wedding magazines, bridal fairs, etc. to the point where you (and your fiance) become sick of it. I had a little over a year to plan (still 8 months to go) and kind of over-indulged in wedding planning all at once... I had to take a step back and regroup.

I'd also highly recommend a couple of books: Bride in Overdrive (non-fiction, very funny) and Diary of a Mad Bride (fiction, also very funny). They'll help to keep everything in perspective!

Answer 4

Start picking up small things that you see that you like. Maybe you get some things for different kinds of centerpeices and favors and start experimenting. Order catalogs online for invitations and start narrowing down your choices, same with bouquets. Get a spiral notebook and keep track of your ideas. Label a couple pages Bouquets and tape the pic's you like on them same with cakes, hairdos, dresses, bridal party dresses.. maybe go to a local bridal shop and ask for fabric samples to start determinig colors.

I envy you in way. I got engaged on Christmas 2006 and Im getting married next Saturday. I had 2 months to plan and pay for a wedding... th elonger you have to plan the more time you to decide what you really want.

Congrats and good luck!

Answer 5

My husband and I planned our entire wedding for 150 guests in just 10 months, while both working full time. If your wedding is 2 years away...do not start planning yet. The more you do too soon, the more frustrated you'll be when plans change, as they inevitably do. You might want to look at theknot.com to get some ideas of what to do first, to help you get started.

Answer 6

Nothing wrong with starting early, especially where you intend having your reception. My sister-in-law was hoping to get married this year & had started planning things only to find out that the venue where she intended to hold her reception was booked out till 1st March 2008 & then booked out again until late October 2008. At least once you've booked the venue you can then book your church or celebrant. The more time you've got the better for you at least you don't have to rush around at the last minute and end up wondering what all the fuss was about. Good luck!

Answer 7

plan anything/everything that you can. start looking in magazines and websites get ideas on how you want the day to look. the long engagement will give you lots of opportunities to find the perfect dress, good deals, get things exactly how you want it! just have fun and start playing around. although maybe you shouldn't book caterers/sites/florists until about a year before just in case you change your mind. who knows- maybe you'll come across the -to-die-for place just 10 months before?! good luck and have fun, congrats

Answer 8

you can see look at things, i wouldnt buy anything because you thoughts could change. So look for things that you might consider and get some ideas. You should have a budget so yous can do some crazy saving up. And look at some websites and stores and get a idea on what kind of dress your looking for. Its nice to just go out and look around instead of not having a clue what you want when your day gets closer.
CONGRADS

Answer 9

Figure out the big stuff like where it is going to be at!

Good for you having a long engagement... gives u time to get it right!

Answer 10

the only thing you need to do now is start saving money!
that way, when it is time to start planning, (say, in about a year), you can plan the wedding of your dreams.