Whoa! There must have been a lot of happy girls this holiday season! I have had inquiries flying in on a daily basis! This makes me so so happy! What doesn't make me happy is I'm not available for a lot of the 2014 weddings coming in. Boo!
I think bridal magazines are giving these brides-to-be some false ideas. I recently seen a "wedding checklist" in one of these said magazines and it said pick your date first, then your wedding party and then book your photographer 6-8 months in advance. Of course you can find a photographer in 6-8 months but will it be the one you want? Will it be your perfect fit? or will you settle?
In my opinion, for a stress free way to wedding plan- once you get that diamond on and you start to brainstorm, once you nail down your wedding vision/style/budget you should first and foremost book your venue, #1 priority. My sister is looking for 2015 venues and having a hard time. Venues do not care how far in advance you book, in fact they welcome it. So getting that locked in is so important, and #2 is photographer. Let # 3 be your date determined by #1 and #2. If you choose a date first you will probably run acrosse issues finding a venue/photographer available so be flexible.
I get inquiries as early as 12-15 months before a wedding. Sometimes sooner depending on how organized the bride is. If you have a photographer in mind that fits your style, budget and vision, waste no time contacting them. Also remember, those photographers are being contacted by other brides for the same date, and most photographers policy is "I'm open until I am booked" so anyone could snatch up your date. I'm definitley not saying spontaneously hire someone because of that, what I am saying is, if you have a specific vision/style and budget and a photographer fits that, don't waste time, rates and availability change all the time.
After that, colors, music, food, decor will all fall into place. Also nice to book your venue before the dress to make sure it fits into your venue style. After all that, start worrying about wedding party. I know once your engaged you want to tell your friends and make them a part of your day, but hold off on that until the big stuff is set, after all you can't "un-ask" someone to be in your wedding and if you choose a venue that would be a fit for a smaller wedding party, then what? BTW: History shows, a smaller wedding party is often an easier, more relaxed day. Something to think about for all those laid back, no drama brides.
I promise most Wedding Checklist will be the total opposite order of this but in my opinion this works best for a low stress start to wedding planning. Just my opinion ;)
email this post |
No comments:
Post a Comment