Early is the new late?

loro929

I am an August 2015 bride, slowly but surely getting all of the bigger vendor selections done and then taking a break until this fall/winter to start working on the smaller details. Today, I got an email from a photographer saying that he could only confirm a conditional meeting to discuss a possible contract because he is already meeting with another couple with our same date. In that way, depending on the outcome of the meeting, we can arrange to talk or not.

I know it is normal that many people want a lot of the same vendors, I was just on a somewhat (mistaken) notion that booking things 16 months in advance was being "early". I can know acknowledge that I was wrong: Early is now apparently the new late. 

beharrington

It really depends on the area, popularity of the vendor, and time of year.  For a summer wedding, you may be competing with more couples for the same vendors than for a winter wedding.

loro929

I agree with what you say about vendor popularity, area and season. In fact, maybe it shouldn't have come as a surprise as the area where I am marrying does have many venues, and therefore many (simultaneously occurring) weddings.

I guess I just wasn't expecting from this early out. I'll take it glass-half-full and let it put a little fire under me to get things moving along a bit faster.

buddysmom80

We lucked out because we wanted to get married in the off-season, so we got all the vendors we wanted.

My friend's cousin had to push her wedding back to 2016 because all the vendors she wanted were booked for wedding season in 2015.

chibiyui

We got lucky and got all our first choice vendors, though we booked our venue 18 months out and nearly every other date was already taken that month.

sarahufl

Oddly enough we got all our preferred vendors only about 7 months out. Including one of the best photographers in the area. Not sure how we lucked out!

theartistformerlyknownas

We got most of our preferred vendors 9 months out... we did have to go through a few photographers before we found one who was available, but I COMPLETELY love her work and am really thrilled we got her. Our top choice venue is a private club so that made it a little easier... far fewer couples competing for it since you need to have member sponsorship to host an event there. So keep your chin up! It'll all work out for the best!

kmmssg

When our DD got married in '09 we booked her photographer in Feb 08 for a May 09 wedding.  At that time the photographer only had 2 more openings for all of 09!

Our engaged DD is getting married in June and they set the date back in October.  I was panicked that we would not get our preferred vendors so late for a June wedding, but it all worked out for us.  Whew!

loro929

It seems like it is really hit or miss. We already have venue/entertainment/flowers taken care of but the photo/video decision is proving to be much more difficult.

But as most PPs are saying, it will all work out in the end

ETA.

KPBM89

Our reception venue only allows exactly one year out to book, and is pretty popular so that was a very anxious week leading up to the book date!

We stumbled upon our photographer like a month or two ago, and our wedding is in August.  We also just booked our caterer this week.  Our church was a different story, but in the end it all worked out. 

Def hit or miss, depending on the vendor, but best of luck to you!

larrygaga

I hope so because I want to go back to school the last few months of our engagement. I would like to try and have as much done as possible before I go back. 

Cookie Pusher

Since our wedding is a holiday weekend, we booked all of the big vendors (venue, caterer, photographer, DJ) between 12 and 18 months out to make sure they were available. Also, we were able to get 2013 rates for a 2014 wedding, so it helped us save money in several areas.

SBmini

When I started looking at venues a year out almost everything was booked! It was awful! I guess that was my luck as a '14 bride wanting the first official weekend of the wedding season. A lot of people, apparently, didn't get married in 2013 because they were superstitious. Some venues told me they were booking up in 2012 as a result. So maybe it is the new normal to get things done super early, with how more more expensive and elaborate weddings are getting, it makes sense that they would take more advance planning.

I'd keep up the pace as far as vendors are concerned then you can take a nice long break before figuring out the details.

iloveotters2014

We booked our venue a year and a half out and there were only 2 Saturdays left in May. It was crazy.

For the most part though all our other venders didn't have any problems with availability for our date.

theartistformerlyknownas

SBmini said:

When I started looking at venues a year out almost everything was booked! It was awful! I guess that was my luck as a '14 bride wanting the first official weekend of the wedding season. A lot of people, apparently, didn't get married in 2013 because they were superstitious. Some venues told me they were booking up in 2012 as a result. So maybe it is the new normal to get things done super early, with how more more expensive and elaborate weddings are getting, it makes sense that they would take more advance planning.

I'd keep up the pace as far as vendors are concerned then you can take a nice long break before figuring out the details.

That's crazy! I wondered if getting married on 9/13 would make it easier to book vendors for the superstition reason but that hasn't really been the case. It actually turned out that my SS is in another wedding that day so she can't even come to my wedding. Would not have guessed it. (We're not terribly close so she wasn't one of the VIP's I double-checked with.)

MamaAlly89

Girl, let me tell you, I feel your pain! My fiancé proposed in January of this year. We decided to have a fairy short engagement and set our wedding date for August 2014. Finding a photog was a NIGHTMARE! Everybody that I contacted was already booked and pretty much thought I was crazy for trying to book "only" 8 months out.

SBmini

lolo883 said:

SBmini said:

When I started looking at venues a year out almost everything was booked! It was awful! I guess that was my luck as a '14 bride wanting the first official weekend of the wedding season. A lot of people, apparently, didn't get married in 2013 because they were superstitious. Some venues told me they were booking up in 2012 as a result. So maybe it is the new normal to get things done super early, with how more more expensive and elaborate weddings are getting, it makes sense that they would take more advance planning.

I'd keep up the pace as far as vendors are concerned then you can take a nice long break before figuring out the details.

That's crazy! I wondered if getting married on 9/13 would make it easier to book vendors for the superstition reason but that hasn't really been the case. It actually turned out that my SS is in another wedding that day so she can't even come to my wedding. Would not have guessed it. (We're not terribly close so she wasn't one of the VIP's I double-checked with.)

Yeah I thought it was pretty nuts too. 

HobokensFury

We booked 18 months out and got the only March Saturday left. A few other vendors were booked. It's really common here to book things 2 years in advance.

SammiNJonni

Loro I am getting married the same month as you. I started calling vendors really early like 20 months out and was shocked when they were already booking my date. When I went for my cake tasting in December the lady told me I am one of 5 couples already booked for that week.

Aray82

Where I'm from and where our wedding will be, things book up fast (ct/NYC area) so we booked our venue last July for our wedding this october. We booked the photographer last October because affordable, good photography gets snatched up fast. My sister booked her venue back in feb for her wedding next April and she got one of the last dates. I was rather surprised to see how far in advance things fill up--even the church was already booked for every date and time but one in sept and oct! Early is definitely the new late around here it seems...

loro929

The actual morning that FI and I went to sign the contract for our venue, our point of contact told us that there was a couple just that morning that had called to inquire for our specific date. Of course, as we were coming into sign the contract, they were informed that the date was taken. At the time, FI and I thought it was just a sales technique to make us feel more confident, comfortable and happy that we "lucked out" with our date at that particular place because it was in high demand. Now, I must say that I doubt our assumption. There probably was someone else calling. We booked early Jan 2013 for our Aug 2015 wedding.