The moment your partner gets down on one knee your mind is sure to burst with anticipation and excitement. Once the question has been popped, the anticipation is now coupled with overwhelming joy and perhaps panic about planning your dream wedding. Soon, the new question on your mind becomes, “how soon should we begin wedding planning?” In order to make this process as easy and smooth as possible, your friends here at Walter Knoll Weddings have broken down the best times to plan each detail of your big day.
On average, couples are engaged for almost 13 months before officially tying the knot. Depending on when you said “yes” and the time of year you prefer to get married in, your timeline may differ. Since you want to enjoy being a fiancé, we recommend giving yourselves some time to bask in these precious moments and begin wedding planning a few weeks later.
1 Year Before Your Wedding
Before anything can be booked, the very first thing you need to do is create a guest list and establish an estimated budget based on your current finances. Then, have fun asking your close friends and family to be a part of your wedding party and lend a hand if necessary. As you are one year away from your big day, this is the time to get inspired and find your wedding theme, style, and color palette.
While one year may seem like a long time, many vendors are already filling up their schedules for next year’s wedding season. To ensure you secure your favorite venue, delicious caterer, top-notch florist, highly sought-after photographer, and other vendors to create your dream wedding team, now is the time to get the ball rolling. As soon as you have your venue booked and style chosen, do not delay in finding the perfect florist, designer, wedding dress, tuxedo, or other attire for your big day.
9 Months Before Your Wedding
The first three months of wedding planning are jam-packed with all of the main essentials. Therefore, at just nine months away, it is time to spread the word to your guests. As your date becomes set in stone and your guest list is finalized, you are ready to send out your “save the date” cards. Nine months is plenty of time for your friends and family to start marking their calendars and making plans to attend your beautiful celebration.
To make things even easier for your loved ones, we recommend setting up a wedding website where you can share more details and information about your venue, hotels, things for out-of-town guests to do in the nearby area, and the timeline of your wedding day. If you have yet to get your entire wedding party together, now is also the perfect time to introduce everyone and iron out details about attire, help with planning your day, and bachelor/bachelorette festivities. Finally, check in with your vendors, especially your florist and designer to ensure everyone is still on track.
6 Months Before Your Wedding
While it is not yet crunch time, six months before your wedding is when everything starts to fall into place. Ensure you are in communication with your vendors, especially your venue, caterer, and florist. Set up a meeting with your officiant and review all of the details for your wedding ceremony, from the music and procession to readings and how you plan to exchange vows.
Also at six months, set up a time to visit your jeweler and choose the perfect wedding rings that you and your fiancé will wear and cherish for years to come. Additionally, take this time to start thinking about and gathering items for the little details, such as wedding favors, place cards, pictures, and decor for a memory or welcome table. To commemorate the halfway mark, set up an engagement shoot with your photographer, especially if you plan to display these photos at your wedding.
3 Months Before Your Wedding
The last three months leading up to your highly anticipated wedding day are going to be busy. While you collect RSVPs, determine a seating chart, finalize logistics with every single one of your vendors, ensure your floral designs are up to par, and tie up all the loose ends, it is important that you stay calm, cool, and collected. Make sure to reach out to your wedding party and family members for help and give them special responsibilities for the day of, if need be. Finally, do not forget to obtain your marriage license!
Planning a wedding takes a great amount of time and patience as you juggle various vendors, guests, and your wedding party. Not to mention, this is the time where you learn how to best communicate and compromise with your fiancé as you make important decisions together. Embrace the little moments and enjoy the process of creating your dream wedding. If you start to feel stuck, call your friends here at Walter Knoll Weddings for professional guidance and expert support.