Timeframe, proposal to wedding

[Deleted User]

My fiance and I were engaged last week.  Initially, we were going to get married March of 2013, but there were some family conflicts.  We moved the date back to June of 2013, knowing it was a long way off, because he is a teacher and it is hard to get the time off needed for us to take our honeymoon directly after the wedding.  Recently, some folks have been asking if we've considered this summer (August 2012).
We really didn't want to wait all the way until June 2013, but is it realistic that we can have the wedding we want in such a short time frame?  Who has done it and recommends it, or has done it and would have done it differently?
Thanks!

achiduck

Congrats on your engagement!

Is a wedding this summer doable? Completely, provided that you're organized, can afford it and are able to act fast. A lot of venues will already be booked so you'll need to consider off-days such as Friday or Sunday if you want a popular venue. You'd probably have to pay a rush fee for your dress or buy off the rack as well.

I would suggest talking to the ladies on the August 2012 board.

blgrout

My FI and I are having a 8 month engagement, and I wouldn't do it any differently.  I have friends that have had engagements that have lasted anywhere from 3 weeks (seriously...and they did not elope) to 2 years, due to various reasons (money, work, family, etc).  Do what's comfortable for you, and what you can afford.  A lot of people have long engagements so they can afford the wedding they want.  6 months is plenty of time to plan a wedding, the only concern you may have is that very popular venues tend to book quickly in the summer months.

saraschilling88

I'm an August 2012 bride (lurking this board because I love reading proposal stories)!!  You have plenty of time to get married in August if you are organized, there are a few girls on the board who just joined within the last month!! 

brosters

my friend just got engaged yesterday and their getting married august 11 this year!!! it can be doneeee!

melntaitt

I'm lurking around as well but it truly depends on what you want!

My cousin was engaged on February 14, 2005 and married June 4, 2005.

I was engaged on March 3, 2011 and will be married June 8, 2012.

mandi921vh

My sister announced her engagement at the beginning of January and was married April 19. She had a beautiful wedding that did not look "last minute" at all. It can be done, however be prepared to not have your first choice because things book up for summer weddings pretty fast. I would get right to work planning. Good luck

jemmini6

I've had friends and family plan a wedding in 3 months, so 6 months is definitely doable.  Like PP said, you might have to compromise on certain dates, venues, and vendors, but if you are flexible and have the funds to move forward, there's no reason why you can't plan a wedding in that time frame.

saraschilling88

Just wanted to let you know, a girl who just got engaged over the weekend just started on the August board, so you are definitely not alone!!

meganb1977

I think it's do-able in six months, as pp mentioned if you're flexible about things except to book someplace in your budget sometime in August.  But personally after having been engaged for 20 months (by our wedding date it will be 22 months, or almost two years) I was surprised how quickly the time went, people told me so but I didn't believe them.  IMHO I would wait until June 2013 to give myself more breathing room and more time to save money to make things nicer, it will go by quicker than you think.  Also, if your fiance is a teacher, it seems like schools are starting earlier every year, would his schedule still accommodate your honeymoon following an August wedding date, before he has to go back for inservice and etc.? 

travelerkris

Go for it!  My friend's wedding was planned in six months (they'd been together five years when he finally proposed) and it was GORGEOUS.  Her advice to me was to just do it - she would have gone nuts with a long engagement. 

goodine11

I AM LURKING MYSELF. You definatly can get it done. Off days may work best and they are normally less expensive. I am getting married on an off day but my wedding is Destination.

Rachel405

I got engaged January 21, 2012 and we are getting married August 18, 2012. It CAN be done if you start now!

MayberryAfterMidnight

As everyone else has mentioned, it can be done! My fiance and I have been living together about two years, so there wasn't an "official" proposal - just something we've been talking about for a long time. We started seriously thinking about it/planning in January, the engagement ring won't actually be done until March, and we're getting married in June. HOWEVER, the big thing to note is that we're having a relatively small/more casual wedding at my parents' farm - so I don't have to worry about booking a venue, inviting a lot of guests, etc. So it may be cutting it a bit close if you want a huge, black-tie affair!

hollyweenOR

You can definitely do it- my friends got engaged in late May and were married in early November, and the way they put it- no matter how much time you have, the planning will fill it, so you'll trim what you need to, and you'll put the time & effort into the things that are most important to you. 

amyb140

I was engaged March 12 of 2011 and married July 9, 2011.  4 months was PLENTY of time!  

I got married on a summer Saturday and had NO problem getting my first-choice venue for both ceremony and reception (2 separate places) in downtown Chicago.  One thing that may have made it easier (and definitely saved money) was that we had a 10:30 am ceremony followed by a champagne brunch.  It was absolutely perfect for us.  

Jules1986

I got engaged December 18, 2011 and we'll be getting married on September 29, 2012. The hardest part was getting a venue we liked and our Church to match up BUT not as difficult as I had feared. We have all the big things (venue, church, my dress, bridesmaid dresses, dj, cake, photographer, flowers, etc) checked off our list already - just about 2 months after the engagement! it CAN be done. I'd go crazy waiting until 2013!

Miranda2911

Doable!
I am a teacher, and my bf and I (yes, not a FI yet, sorry) are talking about getting married this summer OR the weekend before thanksgiving. This is even considering that I don't actually have a ring yet and will not let myself do any substantial planning until I do. I particularly like the weekend before thanksgiving, because I can take the three days off before thanksgiving as well as the Friday before that weekend.

[Deleted User]

Thank you everyone for the input.  We decided to just go for it.
We got the venue and a bunch of other things taken care of, now the only big ticket item is the dress!
08/17/12

123861

We got engaged October 2011 and getting married June 9th 2012.In our backyard with 100 guests.No stress,enjoying the whole planning ,already have dress,photographer,caterer,musician and dj.My family does not live here,nor do I have many friends who are helping,we are doing it by ourselves and we are loving it.
It can be done!