This is a question I always get, and I’d like to answer as specifically as possible. Truthfully, I can plan a wedding in 2 months. If you want to get married in your backyard and your relative can cook the food and you are not picky about your vendors, 2 months is really all I need.
However, if you need to rent a venue or you’d like a particular photographer or caterer, I recommend planning your wedding 9 months to 1 year in advance. Why? Because securing vendors are tricky.
Most people get married on a Saturday or Sunday and there are only 4 or 5 Saturdays and Sundays in a month. That means that the likelihood that the 8 vendors you want will all be free on the same Saturday or Sunday as the venue you want is available for rent, is pretty low.
Vendors get booked up in advance! We are now in March 2021 and my calendar is currently booked solid for the next year. I even have a couple confirmed in my calendar for Spring 2023!
If you remain open with your date, then you have a better chance of getting all the vendors that you want.
So how do you decide what your wedding date should be? I always recommend checking the availability of your single-serve vendors first. These are the people who can only work one wedding per day. Your photographer should be your first call, because after the food has been eaten, the liquor consumed, all you will have left are the photos.
After the photographer, call your dream decorator then caterer, makeup artist and hair stylist, etc. Once you’ve continued down the line of all your single serve vendors, you will have a better idea of everyone’s availability and will then be able to commit to a wedding date that gives you exactly what you want from your big day!
