Getting married in 2 yrs... When should I start??

Question

My fiance and I are getting married on Sept. 25, 2010. I know that's a little a more than 2 years away (766 days to be exact)! I was wondering when I should start making meetings with my bridesmaids to start planning things, pick out dresses, start making bouquets, and centerpieces. I want to do it in a enough time so we aren't rushing and going nuts. I want it to be as relaxed as possible and for us all to have a good time. Any suggestions??

Answer 1

I would start to plan 18 months prior to your wedding. That depends on the city and state you will be having your wedding. Your wedding is in the wedding season so I say 18 months because venues book up very quickly in the wedding season (May - September). If you are not in a major city or a city that a lot of people will desire to have there wedding at then you can do the traditional 12 months. Good Luck!

Answer 2

I would start looking at venues for the ceremony and reception now, simply because many have long waiting lists already. Next starting looking at pictures of flowers, colors, ect... Decide on what colors you want and what time of day to have it. I would start looking at bridesmaids dresses and your wedding gown about 9 months out. That way you'll have plenty of time to get them and have them altered if need be. It's never too soon to start making your bouquets and other arrangements if you're planning on using silk flowers. You can take your time getting them just how you want then store them for later.

Good luck I know it'll go great!

Answer 3

I would wait until 18 months out to start reserving vendors: photographer, florist, wedding site, caterer, DJ, etc.

You can go ahead and ask who you choose to be bridesmaids, just put some serious thought into it first. Only ask them if you're SURE you'll still be really close in two years. Wait about picking the dresses until you're less than a year away. You might change your mind, or a b.maid may get pregnant, etc.

After you get to the 1 year mark, there's a lot more you can do, but as of right now, just save any ideas you have in a binder. Take it from a girl who has had a long engagement of 16 months (& with 2 months to go), you will get burnt out on wedding stuff by the time the wedding actually rolls around. Best wishes :)

Answer 4

i think you should start planning about 6 months ahead to be on the safe side u may want to plan a little earlier but remember never get too stressed make that day special for you and your soon to be husband i wish the both of you the best of luck and remember keep his ideas in mind get him involved in the planning. work toghter and that will make the bond between you guys stronger

Answer 5

1 and 1/2 years it will give you plenty of time

Answer 6

We are in the same boat... our wedding is set for June 2010 (after I graduate from college)... I am very excited about it and I can't wait to plan...

For one me and my fiance have discussed how many guests we plan to invite, that way we will have a set budget and we can save up for it already... that's as far as we've gone...

But for me... I browse wedding ideas almost everyday... I signed up (it's free) at weddingchannel.com & ourweddingday.com... I also play around with dresses (you can do it virtually) at Davidsbridal.com   and as far as ideas, centerpieces and the like... I just browse for ideas... if I like a particular centerpiece, bouquet arrangement... I save a picture of it or email it to myself... it's nice planning... it's a good feeling, makes you look forward to something beautiful...  

As far as making appointments and such, I think a good time to start is 12 - 18 months before the big day...

Have fun!  

Answer 7

start now, book your hall and then sit on it for a while.

we booked the hall 2 years minus a week before the wedding.

i have a year to go and all my vendors are booked and my dress is in. It has been so laid back and relaxed that it was worth it.

there are lots of stuff i can't do yet (flowers food etc) but having other things done makes that seem a lot less scary ;o)

I am one to change my mind 1000 times before I settle so it worked out GREAT for us so far.

Really though, it depends on how big and detailed the wedding is.  

Answer 8

I think doing a rough sketch right now wouldn't hurt a bit. If you're going to have a themed wedding, let's say "autumn", then you could pay attention for things you'd like to have for that theme and buy them when they go on clearance sale during winter. Yay! Love clearance sales!

I think you shouldn't get the maids involved right now, but its not a bad thing to.

In a year, look back at your summary of a plan, and figure out if you're still in the same mood for things you wanted at the time.

The above goes for things like dresses and decor. Oh, another thing about dresses, is since you'll be able to plan 2 yrs ahead, you might be able to pick dresses out now and do a payment plan, or you can figure out when the sales are now, and then get one the following year. You can always have it altered if its not EXACTLY what you want, but its nice to spend the money on a basic design (cheap!), and then do whatever after.

Alright, onto things like bookings, those are the things you should start checking into NOW, most definitely. Some places could have openings as you get closer, but some have long waiting lists - 5yrs or more. SO, start checking those sorts of things now. Also, some bakeries may need more time too. I've heard of them needing three months in advance. Who knows, in our crazy world? they may need 6-12mths where you might want to look, ha ha.

Oh, and planning invites. You can start looking now, but you might want to plan on getting those out sooner. This way, people can make plans ahead of time. Maybe they need to plan their schedule out a year in advance for vaca - sounds crazy, but my mother in-law has to. That's where I got that from.

Answer 9

It's never too early to start looking at pics to see what you like & what you want.  As for purchases, if you find something you really like, keep an eye on it & watch for it to go on sale...then jump on it when it is the cheapest.  With this this much time, you can afford to watch the cost swings of some items.  

A good place to go for a timeline is www.theknot.com.  It will be a tremendous help for scheduling all your tasks.

Congratulations!

Answer 10

I would start 12 months away...especially when booking a place for the ceremony.  Also, it depends on how big your part is going to be, etc.

Answer 11

You can start looking at things as soon as you like, and there are some places that you really do have to call a year in advance if you want to be sure to book the date you want at a busy time of the year, so if you have your heart set on a particular spot for the wedding, check with them about it.  The worst they can do is tell you to call back in a year and a half to book the date.   You can also sit around and make invitations or decorations in your spare time if you like.  You can chat about it occasionally, but try not to bring wedding stuff into every single conversation. (You know, ask your bridesmaids how they feel about purple taffeta, or whatever, but then drop the subject for a month.)

However, I wouldn't advise dragging other people into the preparations until a couple months in advance.  If you start asking people to do stuff or meet with you about it way in advance, they'll be so tired of it by the time your wedding actually rolls around.

Answer 12

I would look into the place you'll have your ceremony and reception, band, caterer etc....cut ideas out of bride magazines, pick your colors at any time....HOWEVER, I would not pick my bridesmaids nor their outfits now. You'll drive them nuts....while you may not mean to....if you talk about your wedding for 2 straight years. It's a very long engagement and you obviously have a reason for that, but just don't get too consumed with it so early.

Best of luck to you and many blessings!

Answer 13

relax, i have planned my wedding a month ago and it never looked as if it was planned just that short days..

first of all start planning your entourage.. the number and who's gonna be the part of the list...

after doing so, start doing your invitation letters.. and then the floral arrangements who's gonna do it? then where the reception should be? the officiating minister? the dress maker? the photographer? the make-up artist?