What to do?

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Of course!

Definitely not crazy to start planning now! Book your venue, photographer/videographer, caterer etc right away because they get taken fast. You will be less stressed if you have all these things locked down.

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Wow Sydney love your list, i may borrow

We started planning our wedding right away. We got engaged in October of last year and don't get married until June of next year. It does't hurt to start early to ensure you get the things you want!

Start with your budget, and stick to a checklist. I don't think you're crazy at all to start now, this is a good time to book your most crucial vendors - caterer, venue(s), and photographer especially. But even if you book those, or other, vendors now you can certainly wait a while before you set any details in stone, as your ideas might evolve over the 2 years. Like, you can book your florist now to hold the date, and then in the months before your wedding you can pick the actual flowers you want, after you've had plenty of time to consider the theme and colors and looks you want. Or book your caterer now but don't set the menu for a while.

Definitely not crazy! I had 1 year and 8 months to plan, and it's going by crazy fast. I'm someone who likes to be super organized, so I made a checklist of what to do, and when it should be done by. That being said, if there are certain things/vendors you know you want - book them as early as you can! The earlier you get some of this stuff done, the more you can relax the year of. Giving yourself a lot of time also allows you to be able to do some research on different places, vendors, and prices! It will probably make it easier to stick to a budget as well, because you can keep looking if certain things are too expensive!

Wedding planner!

Congrats on your engagement and NO YOUR NOT CRAZY! I am over a year into engagement and over a year from my date and I'm so glad I took the time to really research venues and catering in advance. Start with a theme, even if you just have a colour palette, that way when you look at venues in your price range you can get a visual of if that place is going to work. Make lists of venues and really read the fine details, email some places for quotes over the next year so that when it comes time to pick a date you have narrowed it down to a top 3. Some places need you to book 1 year in advance and the majority want a deposit up front - again gives you lots of time to save for that cost. 👍Once you make a guest list, check out catering, from plated dinners to buffet, maybe you just want a cocktail reception or end up deciding you need a midnight lunch too. The amount of people attending is a HUGE factor on cost. Once upon a time a year ago we said small intimate, then it got up to 50 (large families) and now after adding friends it's past 75 - you can always get a quote for a larger group from a catering company and then revise the list as you need to, besides invitations don't go out until 6months before your date 😉Hope my huge response had some useful information for you and best of luck on your planning!

You're not crazy for starting early, at least you can get a head start on planning your "vision". Then you'll have ample time to look for deals on decor/vendors.

You definitely don't need a planner, but I highly recommend a day-of-coordinator.

Good luck.

You are definitely not crazy. Yesterday was exactly 2 years that we have been engaged and we are getting married in 2 and a half weeks. I loved that we took our time with planning. Although we are still stressed right now it was a really easy going year and a half before the stress kicked in. Sit down and decide your budget and guest list then start reaching out to venues and getting pricing from them. The earlier you book the greater chance you have of getting your specific date and venue that you want. A lot of the big vendors book up quickly so the more time you have the better. Good luck and happy planning!

You and I are in the same boat!
We got engaged August of this year, the wedding will be September 2019. Everyone thinks I’m crazy (mostly my mom) for starting to plan now but I am hoping to have almost everything done by September 2018, then it’s all just the final smaller details in the final year. I want to enjoy all of the planning and not be stressed out right at the end trying to pull it all together.
Good luck in all of your planning and congratulations on your engagement!

Some vendors are booked two years out so 2 years is absolutely fine/normal to start planning and booking. Gives you some free time to think about the minor details you want as well. The starting point I was told was venue, dress, and officiant.

Two years is great, especially if you want to DIY most everything. I know you don't want a wedding planner, but I would recommend a day-of coordinator so you don't have to be working/planning on the day of your wedding instead of enjoying every moment. Just my two cents.

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This! You have the best advantage which is time! You can buy decorations as you come across them, wait for sales, etc. Since there isn't a rush, you can take your time in planning which is so big.

I would say to track your expenses though. It's really easy to lose sight of what's been spent and who has paid, especially when you get close to the insanity of the day. Good record keeping is key

Have fun!

You're definitely not crazy! I'd rather have stuff figured out WAY in advance try to fit everything in a short timeline.

Since you're planning in advance, you and your FH have more time to sit down and discuss what you both want + what your budget would be. The 'to-do' and 'checklist' on WeddingWire are super helpful.

Start a shareable google document to gather names for your guest list. I even started another document with estimated costs that the venues have provided, to give us an idea.

Don't worry about what other people say. You'll be that Bride who's cool as a cucumber during the planning

Happy planning!

Going to be honest 2 years out is long time away, i planned in 8 months. But if you want to do everything DIY then 2 years will work. I am creating my own favours and that is so time consuming i feel the stress, so take your time.

Stick to you budget! Use planning tools (the ones on here are awesome!). I would also say that you should look at decor and stuff now so that you can watch to see if any of it goes on sale. Always buy stuff on sale or use coupons. Also, if you have friends who work in wedding related industries, find out who they would recommend for services. You may be able to benefit from a friend-of-a-friend discount.

There are lots of checklists available on this site and elsewhere online for planning. Pick one and just move all the dates up a year.