What Does it Take to Plan a Wedding?

I’m not married nor am I even engaged, so it’s shocking when I get a lot of bridal questions, but I am always happy to share my advice! However, this is a common question that most women (and men) ask themselves and each other – particularly when someone gets’s engaged. They either say: “ooh they better get planning” if they want to get married next year. Or, they say: “you picked that date!? That doesn’t give you much time, does it?” The date in question incidentally is usually well over a year into the future. So, how long does it take to plan a wedding?

I suppose you could say it depends on what you want. Technically, you can book tomorrow and get married at the townhall in just under five minutes. It is remarkably easy as shown in this rather wonderfully poignant scene from Grey’s. However, if you want a big to do as it were, you’ll need a little more time. You might be surprised that for a proper wedding, one year of planning is just about right. Why exactly is this?

Secure The Date!

Easier said than done, so I’m told. If you want to get the dream date for your wedding day, you’ll be facing heated competition who are desperate to get their dream wedding day, so you might end up wondering whether the day or season matters for your wedding. For some people it sure does because they are desperate to be wed on Christmas Eve or perhaps New Years. Although, I guess that would make it easier to remember your anniversary wouldn’t it? 

Then again, it’s not just the date you need to think about, but the venue. Some of the most popular venues are booked years in advance. You have to go on a waiting list and often need to hope for a cancellation. You might think it’s weird to book a venue before you’re getting married, but it isn’t. It’s quite common to hope for the proposal while the booked date draws ever nearer. Once he finally does ask the question, you can just slip it in quickly that you’ve already got a venue booked.

All The Little Things Falling Into Place

What do you need to arrange for your special wedding day? Well, let’s run through the list. You need a priest, best man, a maid honor, a venue, and transportation. Oh, but my friends we’re just at the tip of the iceberg because then you need to think about catering and photography. Don’t forget you need to plan the ceremony and the reception at the same time! The good news is that you can find a great wedding photographer online, no matter where you’re getting married, but you’ll still need to line up the dates with all the people that you need. This can be quite stressful, and that’s why you want a year to slide it all into place.

Are You Ready?

Emotionally ready I mean, because one year gives you some wiggle room. If you can’t handle a one-year engagement, you need to at least have a rough idea about timing. Some couples find it comforting to know that there’s time between the proposal and the final I do.

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