Is this happening to other Metro Detroit brides??

zantster

I just had to post this question/vent because I was so shocked at how many vendors that I am considering are already booked for September 2013!! O-M-G  I got engaged on May 17 and began planning right away.  My FILs came into town from England for 2 weeks which temporarily made me put a pause on things since it was the first time we'd met and I wanted to make sure my free time was open for them. 

This week I got back to planning and some vendors who I'd scheduled appointments with are totally booked already!  Wow!  Am I just so out of touch that I should not be surprised at all?  I thought that setting a date and beginning the planning over a year would make it a breeze.  But now I'm beginning to feel a bit nervous and queasy like no matter how fast I do things it isn't fast enough. 

I posted a version of this question on my September 2013 board.  But I was wondering how common this is in Metro Detroit.  Anyone else experiencing this?  Thanks for the responses.

acaponi87

Have you booked your venue(s) yet? Or are you just talking about DJs, photogs, etc?

zantster

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_michigan-detroit_is-this-happening-to-other-metro-detroit-brides?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:88Discussion:fd4d6bcb-adcc-4d72-ab07-94432dbf1950Post:ea11d2e9-f1bc-4683-b4a6-4a5cda0adb65">Re: Is this happening to other Metro Detroit brides??</a>:
[QUOTE]Have you booked your venue(s) yet? Or are you just talking about DJs, photogs, etc?
Posted by acaponi87[/QUOTE]
Right.  I am talking about planners, DJs, photogs, etc.

vk2204

So far that hasn't happened (knock on wood). Our wedding date is 4-13-13. We have our ceremony site, reception venue, photog, videographer, and DJ booked as of right now.

Meegles4

When I called a year prior to my wedding, I had issues with the first 2 photographers I called being booked. I would definitely say that a year out is when the really popular local vendors start to book. That being said, my friend was engaged last April and married in October, and I don't know that she had a huge problem. It really depends on who you're trying to book and how popular they are.

angNnic

I lterally called 25 venues which were ALL booked. My date was over a year away at the time! Once I found one.. I booked everything else right away!! I was so surprised! 

zantster

@angNnic Geez!  25??  That must have really been a downer to run into so many brick walls.  It definitely gives me that feeling of losing at a game of musical chairs even though I know I shouldn't take it personal.  I guess the whole popularity thing must be the overriding factor.

mpickl

I have definitely run into this with venues. We got engaged in March. Originally I wanted an August 2013 wedding, but the venue we fell in love with was all booked when we saw it in April, so we went with a September date instead (bye week for Michigan football - 9/28/13). As soon as that date was picked and confirmed with our church, we booked everything else ASAP.

The weird part is, now that I am working on booking the "smaller" vendors, like florists and bakeries, they are all looking at me like I am crazy for planning this far in advance???? I am just like, "Reserve the date, PLEASE!" So that is kind of weird.

Good luck! 

sparkles776

I got engaged last August and we are getting married in June 2013. So really I had a year and 10 months. I didnt start contacting anyone until October- All the venues I was interested in were available. I waited a little bit on a photographer- I started looking in March- more than a year ahead of time, and the first 3 I contacted were booked. I agree with the other ladies, I think it just really depends on how popular the vendor is.

lauraprevost

I got engaged May 2011 and am getting married June 2013. I think I booked my venue in September and at that time they had other inquiries about June 2013 weddings but no one had booked yet. When I booked my DJ and photographer a few months ago, they were already booking 2013 weddings but no one had inquired about my date yet (luckily).

ermjdecember2015

When I first got engaged, I knew there was no way we could have a 2013 wedding and be able to get everything we wanted. I didnt want to settle, so we decided in order to get what we wanted we'd wait until spring 2014. So far Ive been able to snag every vendor I wanted and theyre happy as could be to have bookings already for 2014. So I hope you figure everything out and get everything you dream of, good luck!

spartybride3

I got engaged in December & am getting married in a couple weeks. I had virtually no issues with any vendors. I had a couple photographers that were already booked, but that was maybe 2 or 3 people. Our wedding is also on a Friday, so that helped with cost & availability too. 

Meegles4

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_michigan-detroit_is-this-happening-to-other-metro-detroit-brides?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:88Discussion:fd4d6bcb-adcc-4d72-ab07-94432dbf1950Post:9b5fcc61-8659-4071-b1ff-8e045a4a5829">Re: Is this happening to other Metro Detroit brides??</a>:
[QUOTE]I have definitely run into this with venues. We got engaged in March. Originally I wanted an August 2013 wedding, but the venue we fell in love with was all booked when we saw it in April, so we went with a September date instead (bye week for Michigan football - 9/28/13). As soon as that date was picked and confirmed with our church, we booked everything else ASAP. <strong>The weird part is, now that I am working on booking the "smaller" vendors, like florists and bakeries, they are all looking at me like I am crazy for planning this far in advance???? </strong>I am just like, "Reserve the date, PLEASE!" So that is kind of weird. Good luck! 
Posted by mpickl[/QUOTE]

From a baker standpoint, my baker (Josef's) said that they do 10-15 weddings a weekend. Cakes really aren't that important because a full-fledged bakery can do multiple weddings in a day as opposed to a photographer who can only do one a day. The florist thing is a little weird, but again, if you're looking at larger florists, they may be able to swing multiple events in a day.

That's why we say book the photogs, DJ, venue, etc. first because those types of people are individualized services that can really only do one event/day. But, if you go with a DJ company like Mike Staff, you might have more luck because they employ multiple DJs. When it comes to the smaller stuff like flowers and cake you don't NEED to do that stuff super far in advance, but hey, if you're proactive go for it!

hjewell29

Sorry to hear about the issues some of you have had. I got engaged in Feb and my wedding is this Oct, but I only looked at one venue and it comes with most of the vendors. I did have two photographers and a hair/makeup person tell me they were booked, but so far so good, fingers crossed. Good luck!

zantster

This is definitely the best board on the knot!  Thanks so much to all of you for helping me stay calm and not panic.  I am sure that if I just take it one day at a time it will all work out.  A two-year engagement must be lovely for saving up and getting whomever you want.  But for me the horse is out of the barn now with deposits so I gotta stay the course, relax and breathe.

entropicbeauty

I got engaged Sept. 2011 and my date is Sept. 2012 and I haven't had any issues. I feel like I really lucked out though and I'm not using overly popular vendors for things and doing a LOT of DIY.

Ophelia0326

Our favorite venue - Colony Club - told us they were already booked until November 2013 when I asked a few weeks ago. I couldn't believe it, and felt like I was already so far behind the game (even though I have more than a year to go, we're hoping for a September/October wedding). On the other hand, it was a good reminder to me early on that not everything is going to turn out exactly perfectly perfect the way it was in my mind. And that that's okay, too.

MMRoberts11

I've been engaged for about 20 months and we started looking for vendors nearly right away.  I didn't find any of our top vendors to be booked on our day and we booked everything at least a year out.

michgirl8

I got engaged this memorial day weekend and we started looking right away for our Jan 5, 2013 date.  The only vender that was booked was Amanda Williams for photography.  Every other photog/venue was available.  Winter weddings definitely make vendor shopping easier. 

drandreasalazar

Arnaldos banquet and Amanda Williams was booked for my 9.28.13