Am i Planning Too Early?

Wedding planning happens in spurts. If you've got the energy for it now, do it now. We were engaged for 16 months, we did A TON of planning and organizing until our vendors were booked, and then basically nothing for 6 months, and we've been ramping up for the last few months and are now in the home stretch. If you know what you want, booking vendors early is a great idea. At a year out, 2 of the florists we were interested in and the videographer we wanted were already booked up.

No time is too early not to a Bride. So you make all your plans when you want too because it will creep up behind you. I started in June of this year for July 6th, 2019 . I have lots of things finished already.

It is not too early to plan, but I would pace yourself so you don't get burnt out (like a previous poster mentioned breaks from all things wedding).
Where I live, I have been warned photographers and venues book out 12-18 month.
Starting early also gives you the opportunity to do research, catch things on end of season sale to get more bang for your buck, and also go to bridal/wedding shows (from what my friend who just got married told me, if you are booking a vendor you will know will be at the show, wait u til then becaise they offer 'one day only' special discounts at those events)

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Exactly! I am definitely learning that now. I am a student, so I am glad I got the big stuff done over the summer, so now I can concentrate on school for the the time being!

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Yes! The best part about planning so early is definitely the deals that you get on pricing. I did have a few vendors say that I would have to wait until they decided on their 2020 pricing, so I just decided to go with another one willing to give me their current pricing!

Same girl, same. Got engaged in July, have been planning since! Done tons of research and looked into a lot of vendors and I'm glad I started so early, I've already dealt with Venue heartbreaks and disasters! The more that you get done ahead of time, the less stress there is later, which sounds soooo good to me!!

Not too early to plan at all! I got engaged July 2018 and we've already booked our venue (all inclusive), photographer, and florist for June 2020. Also pretty sure we've picked out DJ, just waiting for next month to do the deposit. As other brides have mentioned, planning farther out I find is less stressful because you can take it one thing at a time and not get overwhelmed.

Not to mention the deals for those vendors you are securing at 2018 prices! Every vendor we have booked so far has been at 2018 prices. When we were looking for venues, one that we visited said to expect at 5% increase for 2020. When it's 5% on something as substantial as all of your food, booze, and venue rental that's a lot of savings if you can get it at 2018 price!

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Exactly, thank you!

I am taking a break now.. I am a student and I have a lot to do over the next few weeks, so it is break time!

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Thank you so much commenting!

I had a hard enough time finding vendors within my price point, cause I am trying to go as cheap (for the best quality) as possible! So it would've been a real bummer if I couldn't book the vendors that give the best deals because they were already booked!

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Exactly! That is definitely a plus - I have also gotten a lot of companies 2018 pricing. I have had a few people come back to me and state that they haven't determined pricing for 2020 yet.. I just move on! I would much rather someone give me a deal.

Thanks for commenting!

I also started my wedding planning 19 months before the wedding. I don't think it's too early. It gave me plenty of options to book the best makeup artist, hair salon, photographer, videographer and venue. I don't have to fight with other brides for the vendors. Once those are done, the rest could wait until few months closer to the wedding day.

The good thing about planning early is that you get better pricing! We are getting married in fall of 2020, and we have locked in most vendors at 2018/2019 pricing!

I'll admit, I'm very similar to you so I agree with your approach with starting early and working slowly over the course of your engagement. I've got most things booked or figured out and we still have 2 years! People book up so quickly so booking early is the way to go

Some venues and photographers book up so fast - I think its a great idea that you're planning so early. less stress for you in the end

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That is a really good point - I have found myself getting very stressed over small details, and the whole point of planning this early is to avoid all that stress! I just booked my photographer so now I think that I am going to take a break - or at least a few days of the week off!

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I really like your 'breaks' - I am find that I am so obsessed I look at stuff every single day - which doesn't work when I have a thesis I should be writing, ahah. I am definitely going to try and establish some boundaries so I don't work on it everyday for the next 18 months!

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I definitely agree with you! There are so many other small details that I probably haven't thought of yet, that it is good to get the big ones out of the way now!

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I love the binder idea! Thank you!

I think there is nothing wrong with planning early! the earlier you plan, the less stress you have closer to the date. I had all my research started and narrowed down a year and a half out. and then with just over a year we started booking everything and now I'm just over a year out and working only on décor. Much less stress.

My fiance and I got engaged in February of 2016 and I have been planning since then! I already have my venue, photographer, videographer, dress, and centerpieces done. I've started talking to an officiant and an A/V guy, have picked out what my girls are wearing, spoken to at least three florists, and am already looking at what the groomsmen will wear and some wedding bands for my fiance and I... It's never too early, just make sure you're getting what you want!

I would say that working on it slowly is a good way to go! Less stress overall I would think.

Not planning too early! I think you have lots of time though, I would tackle one thing at a time! First find a photographer, then look at DJs! You also don't want to get decision fatigue or planning burnout! Hire all your people this year and next year you can work on the decor or details. Taking it kind of slow but getting things done every month to lessen your planning stress!

I don't think you are planning too early. we started at the 18 month mark. my theory was book all my vendors early. that way each month if we had extra cash we could give it to them. so come next year we have minimal payments to make.
and nothing wrong with some research. just make sure to give yourself breaks (one thing I do, is try not to look up any wedding things on the weekend or go on this site. just to give my brain a break).

Better to be safe than sorry is how I look at it!

I've been engaged for 5 months, and have already booked a day, our photographer, my hair and makeup company, have my dress, contacted a seamstress and have meetings this week with DJ's.

I wanted to make sure I booked what I wanted so I was not stressing out at the end. Getting all the big things out of the way this early is so much less stressful because we were able to narrow down dates instead of being given one.

The hair and makeup company I chose only does a few weddings a month, so I wanted to make sure I got that booked right away.

And the seamstress in the area is SUPER busy and is always booking months in advance so I wanted to atleast get my name in there.

Just think, the more you plan now, the less you have to stress about closer to the date, and you would just have to worry about the minor details!

I'm planning slow and steady since I'm planning away from where the wedding will be. I'll have bursts where I do nothing for weeks then spend a whole weekend wedding planning. Whenever I visit my hometown (where the wedding will be) I meet with vendors and look into DIY projects.

I'd rather plan too early than end up a ball of stress when I see the days ticking down and things still needing doing.

As long as you're not driving yourself crazy or stressing out about these decisions at this point, I see nothing wrong with getting a head start on planning. You'll thank yourself down the road.

We got our venue at the year and a half mark right after we got engaged, and then waited until the 1 year mark to start booking the rest. I would start inquiring for prices and researching some vendors now, but don't focus on any details yet. That stuff, like theme and type of cake etc. will work itself out.

I would maybe book the photographer soon, if you have one you really like, but DJs are a dime a dozen and really thirsty for business. You don't need to book them this early You're off to a great start!

Definitely not too early! My fiancé and I just got engaged a week ago and are looking at June 2020. We’ve already got appointments with venues and are looking at photographers and DJ’s! Like most have said, better to plan early and get it booked for the date you want. take the time to enjoy being an engaged couple as well. It’s still an important stage!

Im a fan of slow and steady.
Follow your heart. Stay motivated.

I booked my venue and my florist and photographer almost right away. For a couple of reasons 1) I wanted to make sure we got the date that we wanted for the venue and we had time to save for the wedding. 2) I wanted the photographer because at the end of the day you will have these for the rest of your lives. It gave us a chance to save for the wedding.

Work on it slowly. Plans change or you have to stay within your budget. You also need time to explore ideas on Pinterest, etsy and other websites. Not to mention advice from other people especially married people is helpful

If you find yourself planning then you obviously want to plan! Lol it’s exciting and you should start earlier than later that’s for sure! I think many good things comes from planning earlier I started planning 15 months before our wedding but the one downfall is after a year I found it got old and I was sick of planning so I was thankful there were only three months left!