Tell me I can do it?!

bride2012tobe

I got engaged October of 2011. I was planning on a summer 2013 wedding. Which then went to April 2013 due to budget. April was considered an off season month. If i did April 2013 my wedding was a friday ( the venue was an hour away), I could not have an outdoor ceremony. Well they offered me a Saturday, July wedding, evening, with a outdoor ceremony. Everything I wanted, plus a discounted price. I really did not want to rush my engagement but then I rationaled what is the difference of like 8 months. So here I am looking for DJ's, Photographers. I knew accepting this date would mean some of my top vendors would be booked, and I came to accept this. I am trying to book my DJ, Photographer and get my STD cards out by January. Dress Shopping first week of Febuary. Can I do it all?

AllyG303

I'm going to guess you got engaged in October of 2011 and are planning on getting married in July 2012.  I think it's doable if you get your butt in gear and start looking for vendors now.  Plan marathon vendor meeting days (set up 4 or 5 meetings in 1 day, so you can make a decision quicker rather than waiting to meet more).  Also, when looking for your dress, go to places where you can get your dress that day, as most places take several months to get them in.  For the record, David's Bridal is very quick with getting dresses in.  

michelle11988

I say get your photographer next and then DJ and start your dress shopping asap.  I know DB is having their $99 sale through Monday so try and hit that up and do some marathon days of vendor meetings.  I definitely think its doable but you need to start talking to people now.

lilpanda

I think you can get it done, but you need to get all of the big stuff done asap. As said your vendors and  your dress are things you will want to look at doing now. Just make a check list for yourself of what you need to have done and that should help you get organized.

[Deleted User]

I definitely think you can do it if you have the time and the will.  PP's have given you great advice and don't be afraid to come here for advice whenever you need it. Everyone here is extremely helpful!

bookworm78

You can do it! Especially if the venue is what you want. That's the major thing. I didn't start planning until earlier this month for a July 22nd wedding and things are going great. Just take it one thing at a time and if you can afford a wedding planner, get one. 

mekiakoo

Sure, you can do it!! Like other PPs said- schedule a lot of appointments with vendors in a short period of time. That is what we did and it was so much easier deciding on one after meeting with all of them at once. You have your venue now and that's your biggest check! Good luck!

butterflyjumper1

you can do it you can do it!!! i got engaged in november of 2011 and finished all of the 'major" planning in about 3 weeks. if i can do it, so can you!! i found that most of the vendors i was interested in were NOT booked up in early december for january of 2012, so i am sure there are still plenty of available ones!!! i would say cut back on the number of vendor meetings that you have - only make meetings with MAYBE the top 2 photographers that you are interested, top 2 DJs, etc. to make it easier on yourself.  like the others said - venue is the most important thing!! hopefully your venue includes your caterer, etc. , because it really helped me that my reception site includes quite a bit.  

i would say you might want to bump up your dress shopping time!!!! it takes about 4-6 months for a dress to come in if you don't buy off the rack so i might push up your dress shopping timeline a little bit. 

Elinetrouwt

Yes, you can do it. I've been engaged since the summer and still haven't got a dj .

I agree that seeing two or maximum three vendors is enough. We met with two photographers, and it was really hard choosing between them, I can't imagine what it would be like to have to choose from four. Those things you mention, photographer, dj and dress are the ones with the most pressure, all the rest can be found in a relatively short time, if you have a caterer.

Elinetrouwt

Plus, the goal of all of this is being married, and if this way you can do this eight months earlier, I'd say go for it

bride2012tobe

Thank you everyone. These are great suggestions. I have going to narrow down my list of photographers and DJ's. I had 26 venues, saw 6 and picked one. I will make myself crazy if I do the same with photographers and DJ's. So I wil meet the top 2-3 and pick one. DJ, PHotographer and picking a dress and getting std cards out are all on my January to do list.