Wedding planning 101

How soon should you start planning your wedding? I think there’s a lot of mixed thought on that.

Those mixed thoughts were pretty apparent during the Wedding Fair bridal event Sunday at the Cornhusker Hotel. As we have in the past, Moments in Time Images had a booth at the show. This gave me lots of opportunities to talk to brides and grooms in the planning stages. I found a lot of variation.

There were people there getting married in 2018 and getting a big head start on planning. Then I talked to a few couples who wanted to get married this coming spring but did not have a date, a venue or anything else planned. They didn’t seem concerned at all.

So what’s right? Well the best answer I suppose is “it depends.”

It depends on the type and size of wedding couples want. If they want something big and elaborate and have specific ideas on where they want their wedding and reception to be, then they need to plan early. Popular venues can book up 1 to 2 years in advance. Likewise, popular vendors like florists and photographers can book up early as well.

If couples aren’t real particular about venues, maybe the wedding is more informal, then they can probably get away with less planning time.

A lot depends on the time of the year they want to get married. Summer and fall months are the most popular months to get married in. I told a few couples looking to get married in April that April is not really that common of a month so it shouldn’t be too hard to find available venues and vendors.

Of course all the bridal magazines have a time table for planning, and those are great to follow. The bottom line is determine the type of wedding you want, the venue and vendors you want, and go from there. That will help you determine the rest.