Out-of-Town Planning...

The Future Mrs Elliott

Hello all! 

This is my first non-intro post. Basically, I am very newly engaged, and I'm looking to get married at the end of next summer. I am concerned, though, because I will not be living in Houston for the majority of my wedding planning. I'm actually going to be studying for the bar exam this summer, so while I would love to fly down and visit and look at everything RIGHT NOW (!!! I'm just in the excited phase!), I'm afraid I really won't have time because I should be focusing on that. So I'm kind of in this limbo until August.

I guess my two main questions are, does anyone have any experience/tips for planning a wedding from far away? I've looked into some wedding coordinators and such, but I want to be able to interview them before I decide, and again, I won't be able to give it the attention I think it warrants until this August.

And am I thinking just entirely too far ahead? Or behind? Will I be scrambling to find vendors who are still available in August (2012) for June/July (2013)??

Thank you!

applesandoranges

You will find 99.9999% of your vendors if you start planning in August unless you want a venue/bendor that is SUPER popular - I think it would be fine to start then.  Get your photog and reception venue first though. Happy planning!

The Future Mrs Elliott

That is just what I want to hear!  

Did anyone here plan from out of town? And on a related note, is there a "long distance planning" section somewhere on TK that I'm missing? 

I'm so overwhelmed by all of the information here! At least I have plenty of time to sort through it.  

t12ubeauty

I'm planning from California for my November 2012 wedding. I have to admit its hard. I don't feel like I got to see all my options for vendors because I could only come back a week at a time twice in the past year. August is still ok except you may not get he most popular venue like Petroleum club. Some super popular photographers may be booked too. Otherwise you should still be ok. I actually had to book some vendors like DJ and florist with only phone interviews.

The Future Mrs Elliott

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_texas-houston_out-of-town-planning?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:121Discussion:bf67299d-0f4b-4e93-a136-ced61ddffcfaPost:f7c98aba-d07f-4e52-8405-6ea89140b8bb">Re:Out-of-Town Planning...</a>:
[QUOTE]I'm planning from California for my November 2012 wedding. I have to admit its hard. I don't feel like I got to see all my options for vendors because I could only come back a week at a time twice in the past year. August is still ok except you may not get he most popular venue like Petroleum club. Some super popular photographers may be booked too. Otherwise you should still be ok. I actually had to book some vendors like DJ and florist with only phone interviews.
Posted by t12ubeauty[/QUOTE]

<div>t12, did you have anyone in Houston look at things for you? My mom will be there and at least thus far appears eager to help -- I just don't want to overburden her with too many jobs. </div>

t12ubeauty

No I didn't, but then again I like to look at things and talk to people myself. If you and your mom have the same taste, maybe she can check out some places for you, get pricing info, take pictures, and you can narrow down what you like before you come. I came back in town for 9 days last September to look at venues. I came back for 10 days in November where I set up a million appoinments to meet with wedding coordinators, photographers, videographers, and florists. Again, because of the limited time I had, I could only meet with a limited number of vendors and ended up choosing from those. I feel like there were so many others I could have checked out but didn't have the time. I haven't been back to Houston since then and won't be coming back until July. As I mentioned before, I chose my DJ, decorator, and wedding officiant just by talking to them over the phone. I'm also in the process of choosing my florist now, again just by contacting them through email and phone. Not sure if you'd be ok with that, but I didn't have any other choice. 

I suggest you figure out a rough head count and finalize your budget soon. You probably also want to set a date or atleast narrow it down to a couple of dates. That way you can start researching venues and vendors. The venue is the first thing you want to book and then comes photographer and videographer. Those are the only ones I would hurry on. Everything else, you can take your time. After you've found venues and vendors you're interested in, make appointments as soon as you can so that you can get started in August. I thought I was getting an early start looking for venues 14 months in advance, but I found that a lot of places were already booked even that far out. The same thing with photographers and videographers. 

Will you be in Houston long term in August or would you just be coming in for a short visit? I've done a lot of research and talked to a lot of vendors. I can give you some suggestions. Feel free to PM me. It's harder to plan from out of state but doable! Good luck!

The Future Mrs Elliott

Thank you!!

Nshivers

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_texas-houston_out-of-town-planning?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:121Discussion:bf67299d-0f4b-4e93-a136-ced61ddffcfaPost:a33b37fe-1342-4733-b849-eca22000350e">Re: Out-of-Town Planning...</a>:
[QUOTE]That is just what I want to hear! :)  Did anyone here plan from out of town? And on a related note, is there a "long distance planning" section somewhere on TK that I'm missing?  I'm so overwhelmed by all of the information here! At least I have plenty of time to sort through it. :) 
Posted by The Future Mrs Elliott[/QUOTE]


I'm planning from out of town!!  FI and I both live and work in the DC area.  We got engaged Valentine's 2011, moved here in June 2011, wedding is June 8.  I have made 5 trips home (with the next and last trip being next week) for planning purposes.  Luckily, we found a venue that was pretty much all-inclusive.  Bella
Elegante downtown, great venue!!  Wedding coordinator is an amenity that was included, and she's been just great!  Able to reach her via cell or email at ANY time, and she's more understanding since we're not in Houston.

So the only things I've had to 'plan' are flowers, groom's cake, my dress and BMs dresses, our officiant, other decorations, invites, photographer, and now little things like jewelry.  I have a VERY supportive maid of honor and my mom is just great.  So the pressure hasn't been too bad. Cons include: vendors not returning emails in a timely manner and not being able to 'touch and see' things in person.

It's very do-able, especially with the trips I make home.  I make the most of them.  Good luck!

The Future Mrs Elliott

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_texas-houston_out-of-town-planning?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:121Discussion:bf67299d-0f4b-4e93-a136-ced61ddffcfaPost:aea54a5d-b1f0-499b-a724-0199d7b7e734">Re: Out-of-Town Planning...</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Out-of-Town Planning... : I'm planning from out of town!!  FI and I both live and work in the DC area.  We got engaged Valentine's 2011, moved here in June 2011, wedding is June 8.  I have made 5 trips home (with the next and last trip being next week) for planning purposes.  Luckily, we found a venue that was pretty much all-inclusive.  Bella Elegante downtown, great venue!!  Wedding coordinator is an amenity that was included, and she's been just great!  Able to reach her via cell or email at ANY time, and she's more understanding since we're not in Houston. So the only things I've had to 'plan' are flowers, groom's cake, my dress and BMs dresses, our officiant, other decorations, invites, photographer, and now little things like jewelry.  I have a VERY supportive maid of honor and my mom is just great.  So the pressure hasn't been too bad. Cons include: vendors not returning emails in a timely manner and not being able to 'touch and see' things in person. It's very do-able, especially with the trips I make home.  I make the most of them.  Good luck!
Posted by Nshivers[/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div>That is great to hear! It looks like you are quite close to your date.</div><div>
</div><div>The more I think about it the more I think we definitely just need a coordinator. Do most venues offer that? It seems like what I have seen for the most part is venues offer "day of" coordinators but not too much assistance with the planning/designing.

</div>

robsco

I think some venues do offer "day of" but those coordinators usually have the venues interest at heart first before your's.  There main job is to make sure that food, drinks and the reception space are on point per your contract.  In my opinion, I would rather hire someone that has my best overall interest in mind.  Someone that will help me with every aspect from the procession, to the vendor contracts, to the bustle....etc.  Im sure venue coordinators do a great job with their duties but not so much with the overall big picture.

The Future Mrs Elliott

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_texas-houston_out-of-town-planning?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:121Discussion:bf67299d-0f4b-4e93-a136-ced61ddffcfaPost:2b473a81-92b9-4cef-94ce-e2cedee82ae4">Re: Out-of-Town Planning...</a>:
[QUOTE]I think some venues do offer "day of" but those coordinators usually have the venues interest at heart first before your's.  There main job is to make sure that food, drinks and the reception space are on point per your contract.  In my opinion, I would rather hire someone that has my best overall interest in mind.  Someone that will help me with every aspect from the procession, to the vendor contracts, to the bustle....etc.  Im sure venue coordinators do a great job with their duties but not so much with the overall big picture.
Posted by robsco[/QUOTE]

<div>Robsco are you using an outside coordinator, then?</div><div>
</div><div>I mentioned the issue to my mom and she seems (1) concerned that we might hire someone, then decide on a venue that doesn't allow outside coordinators, and (2) somehow worried that she won't be able to help as much, it sounds like...</div>

oldmoose30

I'm kind of in your boat also. I'm in grad school in Mississippi, got engaged in December and the wedding is this August. If I try to do any wedding planning I tend to feel extremely guilty that I'm not studying! I've learned to research wedding stuff on my study breaks, and when I go home to visit I devote daytime hours to doing wedding stuff and then study in the evenings. It's been working so far! My mom and his mom handle anything back home that HAS to be handled now but for the most part all of the vendors have been very willing to work with me. I will be home for the two months before the wedding to work out any details. I think it would be totally doable for you to plan it long distance even without a wedding coordinator in the amount of time that you have!

erollis

Sorry if this point has already been made. We live in Houston and got married out of town. The trick is to make every trip count. Research like crazy, then call those you are interested in. Ask the vendor any questions you may have and them talking to you will help you get a feel for their business. Schedule appointments with those that you are the most interested in. We did not meet our officiant until the rehearsal. We had only talked via phone and email up until that point. 

Book your venue first unless you are at a loss on the venue search ( or think the planning may overwhelm you) then you want to hire a planner to hep out. The day of, venue provided coordinator did a good job with venue related things but wasn't on top of everything. Good luck.

The Future Mrs Elliott

Thank you all for the advice!! I am already planning the meetings for my first trip. I think we will end up getting a coordinator for the last few weeks since I don't think I'll be able to take too much time off from my job before the wedding, and I want my mom to be able to enjoy the day with me!

robsco

Yes, I'm using a coordinator for my wedding.  My coordinator is great since she has been working with me from the beginning even though she is technically "Day of".  She has really helped me & my mom with all aspects of my wedding.  She didn't take over our plans but rather has guided us. 

mobolaji

I'm based in Atlanta but used Events by Doyin in Houston for my wedding which was in Houston.