Hi all. I've seen quite a few posts on here about women who have started planning/putting down deposits before the "proposal" moment and wanted some feedback on my own situation. My boyfriend and I have been talking about getting married these past few months and have sat down to really discuss it in depth. We've gone ring shopping and picked out "the ring" and together set a date. We don't really believe in long engagements, so we set a date for June of 2019 which is pretty close to our 2.5 year anniversary. We have started a rough draft of a guest list as well as caterer options. Yesterday we toured our "dream" venue and decided to put down the deposit. My mom has agreed to help pay for the wedding (roughly half) and we both have money saved as well. However, he still hasn't "officially" proposed yet with the ring. He says that "he knows what he is doing and what I like" in reference to seasons (I hate winter and love fall). He keeps referencing that the ring moment will happen this fall. How do I "patiently" wait for this moment? Since his parents are more traditional than us, he wants to wait to tell his family until I have the ring. However, he and I have already told my family about our plans and they are all on board. I am super excited, but know that planning a decent size wedding in 7-9 months can be difficult when I'm currently working two jobs as well as finishing up my Master's degree. What are some things you all recommend checking off early? What can I do now to get ahead? Are we crazy for booking vendors this early?