How far in advance did you start planning?

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. You should consider yourselves truly blessed. You actually have the time to plan a truly spectacular event. There is nothing wrong with starting your planning right now. You could start to work on your budget and since you have 2 years, you could actually save a little something monthly to go towards your big day. Start putting together your wedding day planner, start gathering ideas, go to as many bridal shows as you can for ideas, cruise the internet. You will find that you will be less stressed and go to weddingchannel.com and use their planning tools. You will be fine.

We're getting married on August 9, 2008 and we've begun the planning process already. Yesterday, my FH(Future Husband) and I placed a deposit on our hall rental. Because we had a lot of time ahead of us, we were able to secure a prime location for a Saturday wedding and it only costed us $1600.00. We will have the use of the hall for 8 glorious hours. Of course, being from the island, we opted to have our meal catered, which saved us more money.

Leanne, remember that the earlier you start, the more you can save. So I say that there is nothing wrong with starting as soon as you get engaged because, there is a lot to do.

Good luck to you honey,
Ginoue

My date is 9/15/07 - I started planning 10/05

Our wedding is 10/06/07 and I started planning in 12/06 -- that's only 10 months which is flying by. I say you are blessed to have that amount of time to work with. You can truly take your time and save up money. That's great that you guys booked the hall early, but I would suggest not making too many decisions early because you are likely to change your mind quite a few times with so long to think about things. I'd say just book all of your major vendors and take plenty of time to sort out and pin down details. Congratulations to you!

My date is like askalot 9/1/7 and I started planning back in Feb 06. You are not too late!

I think it depends on so many things...I have seen a 50,000 wedding planned in under 1 month.....

Got engaged in May 2006 for our 3/3/07 wedding but we didn't start really planning until after we changed our city location of the wedding in August of 2006. So we planned for 6-7 months... We started paying off bills in late February.

Our date is 8/2/08 and I started planning August 2006. I reserved the venue in Jan 07.

In my opinion, it's never really too early to start planning. FH and I are getting married July 5, 2008 and we've been planning since May 07. Waiting til 2009 just gives you time to make sure that you guys have the wedding you want and deserve.

I've been planning my wedding since I was a child.
But really started making solid plans in December 06 for my September 07 wedding date. that gives me what...8 months. The venue is the most important and time sensitive issue. Second only to your dress.

We were engaged for six months before we decided on a date and planned a year in advance.

Got engaged 9/21/06.....started planning the next day....my wedding is 07/28/07. And it's NEVER too early. You are doing well, book your major venues if you can, save your money, and buy things little by little, you will have everything in order and in place long before the wedding. One thing I wouldn't do too early is purchase my dress or my bridesmaids dresses......unless of course you see a dress and just KNOW that it's the one...

I got engaged on 2/14/06 and started planning 2/15/06, the wedding is 8/11/07. If I was smart I would have started planning when I knew I would say yes and that was months before he asked me. It's never to early.

I got married on 11/11/06, we started planning 1/05. You can never start too early.

[quote="DaughterRhonda"]You can never start too early.
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AMEN!! I know that's right!

I agree with ladies you can never start too early. By booking your venues and everything in advance this is another sure way of paying off your wedding before the wedding. You get what I mean and you can save more because you have time to shop around for more bargains.

First off, congratualtions on setting a date! By the time we marry, we would have been engaged for about 18 months. Venues here also tend to book early and some are already booked through 2008. I booked my first vendor at about 16 months out and I am still booking vendors now at 80 days out!!! I would def say that a year is good, but if you know there is someplace or someone that you want, it certainly wouldn't hurt to give them a holler before the holidays roll around... that's just my opinion.

How far in advance would you all start looking for dresses and tuxes? Afterhours formal wear called my house the other day trying to get me and FH to set up an appointment with them next week, and we're not getting married until July 2008.

My wedding is in Sept - I went for my dress in Feb (7 months before the wedding) and we're not going for the guys tux's until next month (2 months before the wedding).

STBMrsJ if you can lock in this year's prices but hold off on the final decisions as far as style and color until closer to the date then go for it. Most places go up on their prices in the new year.

I'm actually figuring out style and color already. I know that I want white, lace and a mermaid or trumpet dress. I just want to get in shape so I'm worried about getting a dress that may be too big. I'm gonna just keep looking online to figure my style, and give myself until the end of the year to start looking.

Afterhours is for the tuxes right?

[quote="FutureMrsKeepUp"]Afterhours is for the tuxes right?
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Yes, that's where FH & GM's got theirs. Good thing is that with my dress and the BM's dresses from David's they are co-companies(sort of) and they have coordinating colors for all of Davids lines of dresses.

I started 7 months before.

My advice is start planning as soon as you can. You can never have too much time to plan. Trust me if you wait and start planning close to your date, you will see so many things that you will want, and will find that the closer to your wedding you get the more things you many start cutting back on. Also I suggest that if anyone in your family offers to pay for anything, you should have if not all of the money they was going to give to the side, you should have half of it, just in case something happens and they are unable to pay for what they promised to pay for.

House, I KNOW that's some good advice. My sister started by saying she was gonna 'take care of the florist'. Then it went to 'help with the florist' now it's..."i'll take care of the cake, ma said she'll do the florist instead" LOL
you better know I have both the cake and florist money on hand just in case either one of them falls through! I tell ya, people talk a good game and when it comes time for them to put up they act all brand new. Crazy.

Don't I know it. Trust me learn from my mistakes.

*BUMP* for newbies

well, what I have learned is it is NEVER too late. atlease get your ideas, costs etc in writing on on paper because unless you are a Platinum bride with LOTS of money, you probably need to start saving. I start plannign 10 months in advance and when I look now at only have 4 1/2 months left, there is still alot to do, but because I already have my check list in order I think I am right on schedule

When FH and I started talking about getting married I would buy magizines here and there and scope the net for dress ideas. But I just really started seriously planning about a few monthes ago. We didn't have the money but I always had ideas.

FH and I got engaged October 1, 2006. Once I found our location, which was December of last year, we set the date, and I have been in the planning process ever since! So I'll say I started planning about 1 year and 3 months before our March 15, 2008 wedding date!

Hi , cousin leanne , I say start planning now just at least the main things like the location , reception , and photographer . Hey mines is 17 months away and im almost done with the main things.

[quote="soon2bride"]Hi , cousin leanne , I say start planning now just at least the main things like the location , reception , and photographer . Hey mines is 17 months away and im almost done with the main things.
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good for you!!!! :)

i vote for kindergarden

We started planning exactly 1 year ahead. We booked the venue july 3, 2007 and our wedding date is july 3 2008.

Wow! I thought I was crazy for planning so far in advance but y'all as crazy as me!! We got engaged on Christmas day 2006 and wedding day set for 14th Feb 2009.

I got excited when we got engaged and bought wedding magazines every week. Only now just started doing the proper planning like booking the venue and church and getting other little bits for the reception done. We have to book things way in advance over here - especially on days like Valentine's Day!

So, I say never too early to start thinking about the wedding but give it between 1-2 years to start properly planning. At least this way, there's no need to get stressed about it because you can afford to take your time!!

FH & I have decided on an intimate wedding of about 50 guests on May 08. He proposed to me on my birthday - 19 May 07 and we've set the engagement party for Dec 07.

I'm torn between two venues but we have until Dec to put book it so I guess I will have been able to make my decision by then. Still booking vendors for the other stuff.