Do all vendors say: "I'm surprised to see that [WEDDING DATE] is still open!"

mangomimosa

I got engaged exacly 18 months before our wedding date. When I started calling venues shortly afterward, several said, "I'm glad you called, because we have had a lot of people interested in May 2013!" (Several others said to call back closer to May because they didn't do anything >1 year in advance.)

Now that I'm looking at caterers, the first place I called said, "I'm actually surprised to see that May 25th 2013 is still open! Let's book a tasting ASAP." 

ARE YOU KIDDING ME, DUDE?! This is over 16 months before the wedding!! Don't try to tell me you're already booking up May 2013. This is a relatively small-ish town (Chapel Hill, NC)! 

Do you girls hear this kind of thing a lot? I have a hard time believing it.... yet it still makes me want to act fast (arrrghh!!)  

kennazebrowsky

Quite a few pulled the "I only have one spot for your date" card

TiffannieF

Booked my venue 16 months in advance, glad I did....venue told me that they I broke a lot of girls hearts...then again I had a "number" date (11-11-11) I was kind of forced to book everything as far in advance as possible. 

But spring weddings could be popular...isn't there memorial day in late May?  Also some just say that to get you hooked...

NcsuPsych

Chapel Hill is a popular area to get married in, in NC. Plus, May is one of the most popular months to get married in here, due to the weather being relatively stable and nice at that point.

While some vendors may pull that card to try and get you to go ahead and book, others are probably legitimately surprised that May is still open. If you feel pressured to book with them because you feel like they're pressuring you, simply walk away.

emarston1

Yeah our ceremony venue books up very fast.  I called the morning they started taking appointments for 2011 which was in November 2009 and they had already had a dozen callers.  Thankfully my date/time slot was still open but it definitely does happen.

rlavach

This is kind of a 50/50. Some may be saying it just to scare you into booking, but there are a lot of places that genuinely do book that early. We have a 9 month engagement & a lot of vendors told me they were booked.

Like the PP said, the fact that it's a small town actually makes it worse because there are less choices. Although, Chapel Hill is quite nice! My MOH lives near. Good luck in your hunt!

J&K10910

Does this really upset you that much?

teralicious

With my venue I booked 1 year and 4 months prior to my wedding. I had 5 other dates in mind but was flexible. All 5 of the dates I wanted were already booked so I went with a date later in August. The makeup artist told me to put down a deposit right away because they book up quickly, they were not lying because I have seen 3 other brides on the local boards post that they wanted the makeup artist I am using for my date. If you are using vendors that have wonderful reputations then they probably book up super early.

HobokensFury

It may be true. We booked our wedding in July 2010 for our March 2012 wedding.  We got the last Saturday in March left.

Simply Fated

Dude, May is a super popular month to get married in. I'd be more impressed if you were getting married in January. FWIW, yes, I do think it's good business sense to make yourself seem more in demand than you are. But it's a tough call seeing as how your date really is popular.

JadziaDax

I had a photographer tell me that he had another couple that also wanted to book him on Saturday, February 19th so we had to get back to him ASAP. This was over a year and a half out and February 19th is a Sunday not a Saturday. I responded "yeah ok" 'cause it was obvious he was lying. We didn't book him. He was the only one who gave us that line. 

As others have said though, May is a popular month and people do book weddings 2+ years in advance. 

cwaggoner07

Granted I am getting married in Dallas, where vendors never run short, but I am doing a seven month engagement AND getting married in July AND on a Saturday and I have had minimal hiccups with people being booked. Yes, it has happened quite a few times, but they usually give me a referral and send me on my way. So far I really haven't felt like I have missed out on a can't-miss vendor.