Planning while in grad school across the country....how do you do it?

gobluebride09

Hi everyone!

I'm a very recently engaged (Dec. 23rd) first year grad student in the mid-west.  The problem is, we are planning the wedding in Washington State.  We have done a surprising amount of planning in the past week (venue, dress, tux, flowers) but have run out of time before we go back to get anything else nailed down.

My main question is how do you plan from such a distance?  We still need caterers, a cake, and a photographer.  Has anyone else planned from a distance?  What things are easy to get done online?  Where should I go for caterer reviews?  I don't want to completely rely on our families, but I know that they could do the important decisions.

Thanks!  I'm glad I found this board, it makes me feel better that there are other people like me!

mnm704

Hey! I'm in a similar situation. I've been engaged since July of 09, got engaged while I was in grad school in NC and FI was living in MD. I'm from MD and we planned to get married there which obviously made planning difficult while I was in NC. So we basically didn't do any planning for almost a year until I moved back to MD this past May to finish my clinical rotations. Since I've been back we got the venue, my dress, photographer, and have looked into many other things.

I was supposed to graduate this past semester but for many reasons I now have to go back to NC for a few months to finish. Our wedding is in July so planning from a different state does make things difficult. I haven't done it yet so I can't really offer any advice but I'm just trying to get as much done as I can before I have to leave (next Saturday!) and then rely on emails and phone calls as well as help from FI and family in MD. I know it's gonna be hard but I know it'll work out. I'll also have about 3 months from when I get back before the wedding to finish everything.

When is your wedding? Will you have time after you're finished school (or on a break if you're planning to get married while you're still in school) to be in Washington to get final plans made? That would be my main suggestion now and I'll let you know if I find anything else helpful while I'm planning from a distance too!

Good luck! Let me know how it all goes!

TriSaratops10

I planned my wedding in Minnesota while living in Maryland, only went there 2x before the wedding....all while working >80hrs/week as a physician intern, it can be done!!         
    First of all, the knot is AWESOME!!! definitely exhaust the local boards for Washington to get your hands on all the reviews you can, that way you can make the most of the time you have. 
   Secondly, be very organized and when you got to WA make a specific itinerary for all the places/people you want to meet with.  I even made appointments at specific times in accordance with a route through the city that made the most sense (so you don't have to back-track).
   If you have ANY family members/friends in WA use the heck out of them, my FMIL actually visited one of the hotels where I blocked rooms (then we stayed at the other when we visited). I also used her house to store things.
   Oh and for me a day -of - coordinator was PRICELESS, absolutely priceless

Best of luck!! Have fun!!