Those of you getting married in 2013.....

Carebear62584

Are you finding that vendors are starting to get booked?  My brother and his girlfriend got engaged on Christmas and she wants a 2013 wedding.  She hasn't started looking at any venues, but she has contacted my photographer asking for available dates because he fills up quick. 

I got engaged last Christmas and started booking things early for June 2012 to get the vendors I wanted and so that we could pay deposits then not pay anything else for a while.  I'm trying to tell him that this was one of the best decisions we've made, but he doesn't want to listen.

bride2012tobe

I just got engaged October of 2012 and I really good venues do book up fast. I wanted a certain Friday in an off month ( April) 2013 and it was already booked. Plus, you may be able to lock in the rates. I would book as soon as you find a venue and date that works with you. I think your venue and date are two of the biggest decisions you can make.

Christine9866

I agree with PP, I am getting married on April 5, 2013. When we went to look at our venue the wedding coordinator did say that we safely had until January or February to book and send in a deposit after that she will be busy with site visits, and will be booking for 2013. She gave us an example and all the Saturdays in April were already booked!! As for photographer, we met with one this week, and I was his second bride to contact him for 2013, however we do get his current rates as they are increasing in the new year, and he also said come February, March he will begin booking for 2013. Hope this helps!!
Christine

amymaysa

I found that vendors book a lot fast than I thought they did...we got engaged in July 2011 and there were lots of people already booked for fall 2012 so we moved quick

kls114

We got engaged in Feb. of 2009 & booked ASAP because of this for our July, 2011 wedding! In my area things book up quick! SO glad we did beause once the summer of 09 hit our date was the most popular out there. A couple of our vendors told us they got a ton of calls for our date!! Better be safe than sorry.

The plus side in booking early is that we got locked in at all 2009 prices!!! They went up ALOT from when we booked to the actual day!!

GL!

PeachesKFG

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_connecticut_those-of-getting-married-2013?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:65Discussion:bafcb701-60c0-43ef-b99b-21056ee2b9d3Post:dd2a2b0c-a2df-48b2-810f-5d3120dec80f">Those of you getting married in 2013.....</a>:
[QUOTE]Are you finding that vendors are starting to get booked?  My brother and his girlfriend got engaged on Christmas and she wants a 2013 wedding.  She hasn't started looking at any venues, but she has contacted my photographer asking for available dates because he fills up quick.  <strong>I got engaged last Christmas and started booking things early for June 2012 to get the vendors I wanted and so that we could pay deposits then not pay anything else for a while.</strong>  I'm trying to tell him that this was one of the best decisions we've made, but he doesn't want to listen.
Posted by Carebear62584[/QUOTE]

CareBear, I did the same exact thing - engaged in Dec 2010, getting married in June 2012. It is truly one of the best decisions we made, right off the bat. Tell your brother it's worth the wait! We were able to enjoy our engagement for a solid month before even thinking about a venue. We looked at venues in February and starting booking vendors shortly after. Every vendor has told us that we are way ahead of the game, and that is a GOOD thing! The wedding planning process has been very gradual and easy for me (so far!) and I haven't been very stressed out, and I don't feel under the gun. Tell your brother that an 18-month engagement (or longer) is definitely worth it! Some people told me it was odd to have such a long engagement, but what's the difference? We are in no rush...it's not like we need to get married before we "change our minds!" I'm with you on this....a long engagement will allow them to have their pick of whichever vendors they want, rather than settling for whoever is available on their date. It will also make that bride's life a lot less stressful. I don't know about you, but the past year has FLOWN by for me! I can't believe it's 6 months away :)

rswan412

I agree with PP- one of the best things about booking far in advance is that you get to lock in at cheaper rates. It's so nice to not have to rush, and to take time to interview everyone so you can make sure you get what you want.

I was engaged October 2010 and we booked our venue for April 2012 in December 2010. We locked in at 2010 rates, and had a peace of mind. Because I booked so far in advance, I've pretty much had my pick of vendors, and I'm pretty sure I ended up with an awesome vendor line up!

That being said, about one year before my wedding, vendors were filling up, especially popular ones. DJ Melee had already met with clients for 2012 before we met with him, florists I was debating a year in advance were contacting me saying they had more requests for my date. I was so amazed!

whitneyf1

I agree with PP. I got engaged in Feb. 2011 and am getting married in August of 2012. I thought I would have my pick of vendors and dates being 18 months out. Haha, I was wrong. When I went to the Barns, they only had 2 summer 2012 Saturdays left! I couldn't believe it. I also found a lot of phoptographers I loved that were booked, although I started looking for them in like May, but it was still a year out!

MichelleBee773

I agree with PPs. We got engaged in early November and have already booked our venue, caterer, DJ, and photographer for our May 2013. The Webb Barn was just beginning to book for 2013. 

Having an 18 month engagement has given us time to relax and enjoy the engagement and take our time making decisions. Plus there won't be much for me to do until this Spring because of how much we have already gotten done. I wanted to make sure I could book my first choice of everything, and there is where longer engagements come in handy! 

Congrats to your brother!!

Karebear852k3

All of the PPs are so right on - I got engaged October 2009, started looking at venues and other vendors right away.  One of the best pieces of planning advice I got was to book a venue right away.  We booked in January 2010 for our June 2011 wedding, and some dates in June were already booking.

So to extrapolate to 2013, now is DEFINITELY the time to start looking and booking with 2012 right around the corner!  Like PPs have said, you can lock in at 2012 rates and get the vendors you want squared away and booked ahead of time so you are not scrambling to find people at the last minute (like I was with my DJ - 4 months away I still didn't have one.  It worked out, but I was a little worried at the time and all of the "popular" ones were booked or expensive).  The peace of mind from having your vendors squared away is amazing!

nikki2012

I got engaged Dec 2010 and wanted Fall 2012.  When I went to look at vendors Feb 2011 we ended up picking Nov. 2012 for our month and there were already 2/4 weekends booked at our favorite site!!! Definitely go early!!  I'd rather book early and have everything set than get your heart set on a venue that you can't have and have to compromise

Carebear62584

I agree with every single one of you!  I just wanted to see what the 2013 weddings were looking like before I played the "I'm your sister who is planning her wedding, do what I did" card.  Seems like 18 months is a pretty common engagment whereas when my friends and family got married 3-4 years ago they planned about a year in advance and had their pick of vendors.  They know they want Studio1923 for their photographer (I am using him and my cousin also used him....she's how I decided I wanted him) so they better get on that quick!  I also think that it would be better for my parents to know how much money they are looking at spending for his wedding so that they can plan just as they did with us.  Maybe my mom could knock some sense into him

herb0622

I agree with the PP. We got engaged in November 2009 and booked our venue and DJ in December 2009, for our October 2011 wedding. When we booked our venue 2 other weekends in October had already been booked, and that was almost at 2 years out. We liked that all of our vendors booked within 6 months of our engagement, because we didn't have to rush around as the date got closer to find vendors. Plus, we were able to lock in a lot of 2009 rates. I would recommend booking everything far in advance of your date to make sure you get the prices and vendors that you're looking for.

runtome

I booked evrything about a yearand a half in advance but we where in Novemeber which isn't as busy. But one of the reason was because I wanted  certain vendors. Hall & photographer and made calls back and forth to when booking the date. Tell them to get on it. 

pogcraz

Hey ladies!

I am a wedding photographer so I know a *bit* about the industry. My experience is that booking tendencies go in waves. Last year many couples were booking later (sometimes as close as 6 weeks out!) and my theory is that it had a lot to do with the economy and the general hesitancy about all things financial in the USA. I think that many people feel like the dust of the financia crisis has settled (though anyone int he financial world would obviously disagree) and are, therefore, booking further out. As a photographer I am pretty booked up for 2012 and already have quite a few dates booked in 2013, some as late as November 2013!

My advice is to not rush in fear that you will lose your favorite venue/vendors, but also not to delay unecessarily. If you find a venue or endor that you absolutely love, book them. You'll be glad that you did later on! Additionally, if your dates and time of year are flexible then you'll certainly have the "pick of the litter" but if you, for example, HAVE TO get married ont he 3rd Saturday in September then you may want to start booking now.

Truth be told, my boyfriend and I just got engaged and plan on getting married this year but have not booked anything. I am not worried at all about finding the right place or vendors, but I am also really flexible with dates. 

Let me know if you have any questions or need help finding some vendors!

Alicia

No Eye Has Seen Photography