Start planning your wedding and pick a date
Now that I've enjoyed the bliss of the engagement for a while and told my friends and family the wonderful news, it's time to start planning!!! The 3 most important things to do at the very beginning are the when? where? and who? My next three blogs will touch on these subjects.
When picking a wedding date you should consider a few things:
1.) First, you should figure out in which season you would like to get married. Have you always picture getting married in the summer outside under the heat of the sun? Or, would you prefer the majestic snow tipped mountains in the background as your guests all huddle around to keep warm in an intimate outdoor winter wedding?
2.) Now that you've picked a season you have to decide what day you want. Long weekend? A benefit of the long weekend includes an extra day of travel for guests. The downfall is that long weekends tend to be very popular and therefore you are competing when booking and also for guest attendance as they may have other weddings to attend. Also, you really limit yourself to one or two weekends per season.
3.) Check with your close friends and family for dates that will work for them. Narrow it down and give them a few options. Nothing is more important at a wedding than having your loved ones there to share the memories.
4.) Choose a timeline that will align well with your budget. No need to rush into the wedding and put any unnecessary financial restrain on your relationship if you have the flexibility to wait an extra year and save up for the wedding.
5.) Research the availability of a few venues (ceremony, reception) and find out what is available as the more flexible you can be when choosing a date, the more likely you will be to have things just the way you anticipate.
Now that you have picked a date, it's time to pick a venue!
**Editor's note: I got engaged in November and got married on a Saturday in July of the following year. That was enough time to get everything in order (8 months). It will differ for each person as the variables change. I will give examples of my experience throughout this blog for direct comparison.