When to start planning?

Congrats, Lauren! I would say go with your gut! Only you know what the ideal timeframe would be for you and your fiancé that will minimize stress levels and make the process a pleasant one for both of you. I got engaged in June 2017 and we're planning to get married July 2018. I started planning right away because I know what my limits are when it comes to stress. Happy planning!

I would say as soon as possible! I am thinking mine will be in September 2019 as well and according to a wedding site, it says 9-16 months before your wedding, you should book the venue.

Its not to too early to start planning. My fiancé and I got engaged in January 2016 and planned out wedding for June 2018. Honestly the more time to take the less stressful I find it will be. Book your venues, photographers first! Wedding season is super busy!!

Thanks to these professionals https://taraweddings.ca/ we are really pround of our wedding photos, and our friends do not get tired of admiring.

For your ceremony and reception you should give yourself a year in advance.

I would start September 2018! A year is plenty of enough time to plan everything that way you don't make a decision so far in advance that you change your mind later on for example: wedding dress or reception venue. Ceremony Venue , Reception Venue and Photographer can be booked sooner June 2018.

Set your budget and don't go over it, FOR ANY REASON. I agree with Daphne to discuss it with your fiancé first. You need about a year to plan a wedding IF YOU KEEP IT FAIRLY SIMPLE. I think that all those bridal shows and event only serve to make brides believe that they need everything...and they don't. Simple and elegant is the way to go and won't put you in debt for the next 5 years. The wedding is about celebrating your love for each other, not about putting on a splash for people you only see once every 5 years.

First of all; Congrats! Bet you're starting to feel excited just thinking about it!
I'm also getting married 2019 - we're estimating about the 19th of October. I recommend looking around now, making a ballpark budget and starting to look around. Planning early is definitely not a bad thing! We're only not finalizing anything right now as his sister's wedding is in two weeks and I really don't want to draw any attention away from that within the family.
I say get started, the more time you have to plan, the less it'll stress you as the date creeps closer and you still have a ton to do.

Hi Lauren, congratulations! The first thing I would suggest is sitting down with your fiancé and anyone else who will contributing financially to the wedding (parents, inlaws, etc) and create an overall budget. We did this and it helped to really narrow down when we were looking at venues. The next thing would be to research and book meetings with venues. I dont know where you live but places in the GTA and surrounding areas book up sometimes 2 years in advance. I booked 2 years before my wedding and my initial date I wanted was already taken. Photographers I would say book pretty fast but you could still hold off until a year out from your wedding. But the venues, I would definitely look at ASAP. Also, once the venue is picked, it is easier to feed off of that to find vendors, because the venue will likely have a list of recommended vendors. Good luck and have fun planning!!

Hi Lauren! Congrats!! So exciting!! Here I send you some discussion you might like. How indecisive are you about the planning? - Help this bride choose her wedding dress! Show us your ring!!! Show off your ring! xx

I agree with the above. Plan your budget and what is important to you. I also suggest attending your local wedding shows. The centers sometimes offer really great discounts for reserving during the show. You have time to attend 2 annual shows. The first one will give you ideas and the second one can save you money. Happy planning.

I think most important is coming up with a budget because when you are dress shopping, they will usually ask what your budget it, and then when you are looking at other vendors such as venue, photographer, dj etc... you will know what you are able to spend and what is too expensive.

I highly recommend that the first thing you should do is sit down with your fiancé and together come up with a list of what is important yo you for your wedding and what isn't. That will help with knowing what vendors you need to look for and also with knowing what to spend your money on.