How long you take to plan your wedding is a completely personal decision. Some brides have dreamt about planning their wedding ever since they were a child, and therefore want to spend years organising every detail to make sure their day is everything they ever imagined. For others, planning a wedding is a more practical experience; the details are less important, and they just want to have a special day with family and friends. If you’re willing to be flexible, it really is possible to plan the wedding of your dreams in just 6 months. And it doesn’t mean you have to turn into Bridezilla! Here’s our expert tips…
Flexibility
The most important thing to understand is that you’ll need to be flexible. Whilst we don’t believe you should compromise on the big decisions (for example, finding the perfect venue should be non-negotiable) you’ll find it much easier to get suppliers at later notice if you choose a month or day of the week that is outside of peak times. Similarly, you might have to compromise on your ceremony time and get married earlier or later in the day.
If you can’t get the supplier you’d hoped, don’t be too upset. There are thousands of talented wedding suppliers and many are willing to travel - and you never know, you might end up finding someone you love even more! Our team have a network of amazing wedding suppliers, and we’d love to help you source the perfect ones for your big day.
Budget
Another thing to consider is budget; if you’re planning your big day in the next few months, you’ll have much less time to save, and should therefore be confident with the budget you have available to you and how you plan to spend it. It’s worth noting that you’ll be likely to find and negotiate great discounts on venues and suppliers at a later notice, which will mean you may decide to invest more in other parts of your day (or just book a spectacular honeymoon!)
Save the date
We recommend sending out save the dates as soon as you possible after you’ve secured your date with the venue. Due to the later notice, it’s more likely that some of your guests will have holidays booked or other plans arranged, so make sure you give people notice as early as possible - even if it’s just as simple as sending a whatsapp message around. If you’re concerned, it’s a good idea to get in touch with the important people before you confirm your date with the venue to make sure they’ll be available. Formal invitations should be sent at least 3 months in advance.
Don’t forget about the dress!
It’s best to start looking as soon as possible as it can take around 6-9 months to order a brand new dress from a bridal shop. Be prepared to buy a sample dress off the rack - a lot of shops will have a great variety of designer dresses available at a slightly reduced price, and will often host sample sales a couple of times a year to make room for the next season’s stock. If you buy a sample dress, it’s important to check the dress thoroughly before you make a payment as they’re likely to have small marks or be in need of repairs. This can easily be sorted by a seamstress, but you should make sure the condition of the dress is aligned with the price you’re paying. Some shops may also offer to clean and steam it for you for a small fee.
Accommodation
If you have a lot of guests travelling for your big day, we recommend making block accommodation bookings on their behalf. Whilst you don’t have to pay the bill, it means you can be sure that everyone will be able to stay nearby - and you might even be able to negotiate a special rate or upgrade.
Honeymoon
Do lots of research about your ideal destination before booking your honeymoon. You’ll want to find out when is the best time is to visit - and this may not be immediately after your big day. It’s also important to consider prices - you might find that postponing your honeymoon means you get more for your money as often travel companies increase their prices the closer they get to the big date. Some couples opt for a mini-moon so they can get away for a few days after the big day (and from our perspective, it means you have an excuse for two holidays!)
Be decisive
Our final tip is to be decisive. A huge benefit of planning a wedding in a short time frame is that you won’t have time to second guess yourself! If you’re going to plan a wedding in 6 months, you need to know what you’re looking for, what’s important to you and what style of wedding you want - so get on Pinterest and make a list of everything that’s crucial to your big day. This will make finding suppliers much less stressful.