2023 Wedding Date-is it too early to start planning? Yay or Nay?

I'm July 2023 and I'm the exact same way. I have my venue, catering, officiant, photographer and makeup all booked already. Almost every vendor I've spoken to has 2022 almost fully booked and 2023 is booking so early is definitely a good idea so you have options. With COVID everything is crazy in the wedding industry.

The only thing I'm not looking to do any time soon is really specific details/décor (your taste could change plus you'd have to store everything for 2 years) and I'm waiting a bit on my wedding dress, partially for the same reason as above, and also because I'm kind of mid-weight loss so I want to wait since I have the time until I am at the size I want.

We are having a backyard engagement party this weekend which has helped scratch that planning itch lol so I'd recommend doing something like that if you haven't yet!

I am exactly the same too! My boyfriend hasn’t asked me to marry him yet (he ordered the ring and is planning to ask in September-October! We are doing the budget, guest list and will seriously call venues to tour around once he proposes to me I feel a bit judged from some people (not my boyfriend he is definitely in this with me) about planning early honestly I’m glad I’m not the only one though .

October 2023 here

I've started researching venues and options available in the area I'm getting married. we live in Alberta but are getting married in our home town in Newfoundland. I'm planning on potentially securing my venue/ speaking with them and hopefully being successful soon as the venue will allow i have prepared my bridesmaid boxes and will be sending out in October 2021 many of the people attending will be required to travel and unfortunately going to newfoundland is more expensive than a all inclusive resort vacation... so due to the travel I'm giving some people a head start, especially my bridal party as over half of them have to travel. and guests that i would really love to be there we are planning on sending out save the date in early 2022 soon as our venue is secured then invitations October 2022 and from there kind of plan sensibly. bridesmaids can pick their dress whenever we have chosen colors and anything to make the planning process easier on them financially as well.

I feel like doing it this way also kind of splits up the financial stress of it as well

I'm exactly like you!
We also want to wait for things to settle down, have people vaccinated, etc. So we are guessing that 2023 is a safe bet. Plus, i feel bad for all the couples who had to reschedule (some more than once!!) so I don't want to take their late 2021/ 2022 spots.
But on the other hand, I'm starting to think that it may be a tad early to start planning anytging concrete. I don't see myself making any purchases, bookings or paying for any deposits in 2021. I feel like things are still up in the air for this year. I mean, I don't see anything wrong with planning way ahead, I just won't be putting anything in stone for several months. I'm definitely already looking around (I don't even know what city I want to get married in, let alone a venue!), and planning via Pinterest mainly for ideas so that when I do get to actual planning, I can hit the ground running.

I'm the same! Looking at summer 2023 because I'm in nursing school so I want to actually have time to enjoy it. But I'm a HUGE planner as well so we are already seeing venues and stuff haha. The advice I've gotten is to go for it because there is going to be a lot of people trying to book once things open up again so it's the best way to lock in a good price and make sure you get the date you want.

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Hey! I loved how I went dress shopping tbh, it was just FH and me because my family is preoccupied with my newborn nieces and nephews. But his opinion is the only one that mattered to me. My dress was the 5th one I tried on and the first at that shop, I didn't cry or anything but I got really excited wearing it. I hate shopping for clothes in general so it was truly a win for me.

In terms of our DIY, we have made our guestbook canvas (which I am probably the most proud of), book covers for the girls (we are doing books over flowers), I'm making the boutonniers out of ribbon, we are making cookies for favours and the cupcakes for dessert (closer to the date of course), painting the ring box and our statuettes (in lieu of a cake topper) and have collected all the items for our centrepieces (including making 60 origami butterflies). I'm not crafty but FH is a great artist and I love to bake and I can sew so we just average out everything lol.

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Hey! I loved how I went dress shopping tbh, it was just FH and me because my family is preoccupied with my newborn nieces and nephews. But his opinion is the only one that mattered to me. My dress was the 5th one I tried on and the first at that shop, I didn't cry or anything but I got really excited wearing it. I hate shopping for clothes in general so it was truly a win for me.

In terms of our DIY, we have made our guestbook canvas (which I am probably the most proud of), book covers for the girls (we are doing books over flowers), I'm making the boutonniers out of ribbon, we are making cookies for favours and the cupcakes for dessert (closer to the date of course), painting the ring box and our statuettes (in lieu of a cake topper) and have collected all the items for our centrepieces (including making 60 origami butterflies). I'm not crafty but FH is a great artist and I love to bake and I can sew so we just average out everything lol.

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Yes for sure, thank you for the advice!

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Yes for sure! Thank you for the advice!!

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Thank you !!

My pintrest board is definitely ready and waiting to be acted upon LOL! Yes I'm 100% getting the stuff together for my proposal boxes, so my girls can help and be involved in the process for sure!

Thanks for the advice!

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For sure, our list is 100% down yet, and your right we totally have time! Thank you for the advice!!

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That's is amazing your vendor was willing to work with you for the postponing! That is my fiancé's biggest worry as he doesn't want to put down if we're gonna potentially lose it! So many variables right now!!

Thanks for the advice!

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Thank you!

I always think I have the list down and then it gets revised!! Haha, thank you for the advice!

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Thank you, & thank you for the advice!!

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Thanks girl & congrats to you too!!

Haha, I think now after all the feedback I've gotten from here, friends and family I have started to make a dent in the planning process too!!

Thanks & best of luck!!

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Congratulations girl!!

Such a good idea, I never thought about looking at what venues could potentially go belly up! Thank you for adding that to the list!! Hehe!!

So awesome they booked you and locked in the prices! It seems crazy that they go up anywhere from 10-20% each year (the general consensus from vendors we have looked into).

Omg congrats on finding your dress! How did you find that process? I want to go so bad, but I want to be able to bring my bridal party and my mom and MIL with me!!

And yes, making your own stuff!! I am so excited to get started on this process too!! What things have you made?

Best of luck!!

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Congratulations girl!!

Yes definitely have been going through waves of being super excited & super overwhelmed!!! However trying to step back when I am feeling that overwhelmed feeling, and reminding myself that it's suppose to be a fun process, don't make it too stressful!!

I'm in Ontario, so the venues that I have in mind and willing to let us come tour once the lockdowns are done! I wish you the bets of luck in planning for your wedding!! I have also started the tentative guest list, and picked our theme!!

Best of Luck girl!!

Yay! We just got engaged August 2020 and we have decided to also wait until 2023!

I haven't done much planning personally yet, I go through waves of super excited to plan and super overwhelmed. In Victoria where I am, the venues don't even want to talk about booking for 2023! But I've definitely made a tentative guest list, chosen some places to look at after the summer of this year, have theme ideas, that sort of changeable planning!

Good Luck!!

2023 bride here! We started keeping tabs on vendors we wanted and didnt want to compromise on (venue, coordinator, photog and caterer specifically). They were vendors unlikely to go "belly up" because of covid so when they said they were booking 2023 dates we put our deposits down. As a bonus we got locked into 2020/2021 prices which were lower and it gave us time to budget and plan out for the future. I also bought my dress/veil, N got his vest, hat and tie, and we did a bunch of the DIY stuff to keep up occupied. I love having the time so I can be crafty while finishing school. Congrats!

Congratulations!


I agree with the other ladies, my fiance proposed to me on my birthday in July 2020 and it was actually the cutest way possible. He took me to my favorite aquarium in Brockville, ON. But I cant really say much I have basically dived right into wedding planning and sometimes it seems overwhelming but other times its very exciting. We have started looking into venue locations, my reverend is doing our ceremony at his church which I am thankful for which saves on cost. So all we have to do is pick a reception venue. As others have said it is always good to start with the venues and budgeting first.
Have fun with the planning!

Congrats on your engagement and new home!

Its never too late to start planning for your wedding vision. Booking venues and vendors do put a secure date for your celebrations. Comparing vendor services will give you a better idea of which one is the best you like and price wise.

Congratulations!


Its never too early to start shopping for venues, as long as you know roughly how many people you plan to invite. Then as long as you can afford it, you can put deposits on venues and other essential vendors like your photographer.

I would not say it’s too early you generally need to book your venue first before you can book/plan other things so I’d start there!

Yay congrats! As many others have said... not too early given that a lot of weddings have been postponed so it’s good to start looking sooner rather than later for things like venue, photographers, etc. Plus it will lock in prices at this years rate rather than potentially a higher rate the year after

Congratulations on your engagement!

I definitely don't think it's too early to start planning! Perhaps start by discussing the budget then looking into venues. You can also get a headstart on a pintrest board to start planning what you want everything to look like. The other items you mentioned (bridesmaids/proposals & decor) would also be great to get started on as well, and they can always help you with any planning too!

Enjoy the process

It depends how your funds are like. You just purchased a home so if you rather not tie your funds up on wedding deposits, I think that's a wise decision.

When it comes to planning, I tend to sway opposite what many here will say, which is to advocate booking that venue now/soon whereas my approach is to plan your budget first and do thorough research on what fits said budget and a proper cost analysis to maximize said budget.

It also depends on how many you anticipate hosting. If you're looking for under 100, I think you have time and shouldn't feel rushed. I find the spaces that tend to book out faster are the bigger 100+ people halls.

First off, congrats on the engagement and the new house! And second, welcome to wedding wire!

I personally don't think it's too early to start planning and booking venues. Places and vendors do fill up fast. My fiance and I got engaged Christmas morning 2017 and we started planning in January 2018 for our August 8 2020 wedding. Our venue books 2-3 years in advance so we are super lucky to have our date checked off with our venue! We did have to postpone until August 7 2021 back in May because of covid but we're super thankful that all of our vendors and our venue were able to switch to our new date with no extra cost or hassle!

You can def start really researching what kind of wedding you want and find those perfect vendors for your big day. A lot of the times if you book in advance you can lock into a good deal because venues and vendors do start raising their prices every year or so.