What to start planning first and when.

I would make sure you secure a venue/caterer and a photographer first (a year in advance). Then wedding dress shopping! Those are the big ones you want to make sure you have first!

I say earlier the better, I started with budget, then picked a season (which you've done) then found a venue, picked the date based on venue availability, then went dress shopping! after that all the small things I've just been picking away at here and there (428 days till wedding)

I got engaged in January, and we're getting married September 15th 2018. I've kind of had the mind set so far of getting the important big ticket items done first. We just booked our venue. Honestly with venue, the earlier the better. We lost one we loved because there was no 2018 dates, and found another one we luckily loved more and got the very last 2018 September date. We're now in the middle of booking a photographer, who we also lucked out on and somehow one of her last 2018 dates is our wedding date I think it's fate haha.

So my advice to you - dresses, florals, decor, etc will always be there. Vendors that have their dates book up wont, so get those out of the way first.

Happy planning!

I always say the earlier, the better! I got engaged last March and purchased my dress in April. Because I ordered my dress during the "off season", my dress came in much earlier then expected, giving me plenty of time for multiple fittings, and to have any alterations done that are needed. For the bridesmaids dresses, we went looking in July and purchased them in July as well. I have 2 bridesmaids who live in Windsor, 2 who live in Oshawa and I live in Peterborough, so it is extremely difficult to try and get everyone together (I still have only gotten 4 of us girls together at one time). The dresses were supposed to arrive in November but they called when they should have arrived and said that there was an error with their computer and so the order never actually went through! They told me that the dresses wouldn't be in until January or February now. Luckily because we ordered them so early, it wasn't a huge deal, and that is why I think it is always better to do things sooner rather than later. For the venue, photographer and dj - those are what we booked within the first couple months of being engaged because they are the big vendors that book a year in advance (sometimes even more), and book up really quickly. We looked at 10 venues to make sure we picked the right one for us! I also have a type a personality and I like to plan far ahead, get everything done right away and I am super organized!

You can start looking for dresses right away! I got engaged last October and actually ended up purchasing my dress in November. The earlier you start the better and less stress you'll have towards the end. Bridesmaid dresses can wait a little longer as they don't normally take as long to make (you usually start buying bridesmaids dresses around 6-8 months before the wedding day) but it's totally your preference. My wedding is next June and we will be placing our orders for their dresses no later than the end of October so that they have a lot of time for alterations when they come in. I also had all of my venues booked within the first month of being engaged, but that's because I'm sort of a spaz with type A personality and worry that everything will book up on me right away. Good luck with planning! If you have any questions during the planning process please ask away! We are all here to help