Only 2 Months to Plan...

alysonkw17

Is it even possible to plan a wedding in 2 months or under? If so, do I have to omit the fun before parts such as bachelorette parties and registering for gifts? I'm a military fiancee, so everything needs to get done quickly. Even if I succeed in planning things in 2 months, there is no guarantee my fiancee can even get leave to attend. I know about wedding insurance and plan to invest in that. But yes, main question: is it insane to even think I can plan a successful wedding in 2 months? Any tips from those who've survived it? Thanks ladies!

mandysmear

Talk to fishy.  She's golfing right now, but you might get lucky and catch her on here in about 4 hours, if not you'll probably get her in the morning.She planned a wedding in 3 months.

tidetravel

#1 - assuming you're a woman. it's fiance#2 - isn't the whole groom being present kind of a critical part of the whole wedding process?

mrsLesGrossman

I think most of the work is done in two months.  I would start with venue and insurance.  You can buy a dress off the rack.  Take a look at the knot checklist and see what applies to you, delete what doesn't.  You'll have to get invitations out very quickly. 

Andrea_Lea

gee tide, that's presumptuous - maybe she is marrying a woman and knows the difference between fianceé and fiancé. HAH :PAlso, yeah ask Fischey.

tidetravel

no guarantee my fiancee can even get leave to attendI might not know anything about military leave, but I'm pretty sure that in order to have a wedding, you have to have a groom.

tidetravel

gee tide, that's presumptuous - maybe she is marrying a woman and knows the difference between fianceé and fiancéThe military allows that?  I thought it was still don't ask, don't tell...

ac_in_dc

I think you can do it.  Your friends may not have time to plan a bach party for you, but the rest should fall in OK. Just book the major vendors ASAP, and don't screw around interviewing a million folks.  It's not rocket science, it's a party If you have a lot to do in terms of your job and don't have any support from family, though, it may get tricky.How many folks do you want to invite?

NicoleSahara

It would really suck to be able to pull this off and then the groom couldn't come. To answer your question, yes, you can pull it off, but there's no time to procrastinate. Figure out where you want the ceremony and reception, then get invites out as soon as you can.

ggmae

Ah yes, I was a military fiancee as well but we got married after he got out of the Army. I did have to plan a wedding when he was deployed and it was hard to do it on my own. To answer your question, it IS possible to plan a wedding in 2 months. After moving our date up, we planned ours in 6 months, but our venue fell through 5 weeks beforehand and we were able to fix that quickly. First of all, figure out guest list and budget. Then start calling around to find someone to marry you - we found our JOP 4 weeks before the wedding. Then call venues and asking about prices. (I'm not sure if you want to get married in a church, but we found it much easier to get married at the same place we had the reception. Just easier for everyone involved.) Then figure out photog, entertainment, attire (you can definitely get a dress in 2 months, but you may need to rush it if it needs to be ordered.) Then decide what you'd like to do for flowers, if anything. Really, venue, photog (if you are having one) and entertainment of some sort are the biggest vendors to get out of the way. You could probably get that done in a week or 2 if you start calling tomorrow. Make a list and put things in order of importance. Get a folder to organize your receipts, contracts, etc. It's a lot easier that way!

ggmae

And ditto Nicole. Invites need to go out ASAP. Also, you may not be able to have a shower or b-party due to time constraint, but don't worry about it. If your friends/family want to do that for you and find them time, then it'll happen but what's most important is that you marry your fiance. I really hope it all works out for you. What branch is he in? I've never heard of someone not being able to make their own wedding, unless of course he is deployed or is set to go to a mandatory training school.

ac_in_dc

BTW, my good friend got engaged july 4 and is getting married Oct 17. She's pretty busy, but it seems to be going fine. Just don't stress out over the details.

Leah&Christian09

A friend of mine planned her wedding in 2 months last year.  Her big issues were that 1) all the dresses had to be off the rack, NBD, she found a sample she liked and the BMs wore cocktail dresses, 2) OOT people didn't have enough notice to travel, and 3) she couldn't find a venue she liked that was available on a Saturday and ended up having to do a Friday wedding.  You probably won't have first or second choice on the big things like venue or photographer, but it can be done.  All you need is a bride, groom, and officiant to get married.  Everything else is just fluff.

engaged2Q

My fiance and I will have been engaged for about 10 months by the time we get married.  There are moments that I wish we would have done the whole thing in just a couple of months...I occassionally have found myself annoyed with details in the past month or so, despite having enjoyed much of the planning process.  The whole point is to get married and start that phase of life, not have every detail fall perfectly into place. Depending on where you live and if you are feeling pretty flexible about the entire event, then it's doable in two months.  Just be organized.

vicmo5

I think I could have planned my wedding in two months.  However, everything is very simple.  I bought a dress from Black House White Market off the rack and it fits perfectly.  And I found invitations on Etsy that were inexpensive, fast and adorable.  You definitely have time to register for gifts and if you're bp is any good they can throw something fun together for a b-party.  Out of curiosity, does wedding insurance cover the bride or the groom not being able to attend?

Kristin789

Sure. We are teachers and really didn't make plans/sign contracts until I got the ring in June and then we were married in July. Here's what we did: Venue - 5 days: Spent three days researching getting married on a cruise ship before a cruise - decided that was NMS esp because you have to use their photog and their standard cake design, and you get a corner of the dining room for your reception with other brides&families in the other corners having their own receptions at the same time. Visited two local places in one day, went to the third place the next day - liked it - signed the contract that day. Invitations - 5 days: Looked at various designs at various places one day, made the decision the next day to go DIY and bought the kit, the next day I asked a retired secretary from work if she'd print them on her computer, picked up printed invitations two days later, worked with mom to address/stuff/seal/send, mailed them the next day. Dress - 1 day: Went to biggest bridal chain store first thing in morning - hated it, went to most popular local boutique about 11:00 - hated it, went to Dillards about 3:00 and bought dress off the rack about 6:00. Cake and Flowers - 1 day: There is a large multi-service grocerty store chain where I live that is very well known for its super bakery that does wonderful wedding cakes, and well known for its inexpensive but beautiful floral designs. So mom and I went and ordered the cake and flowers in one visit. Photography - 1 day: My mom works at a museum that uses a professional photographer who is newly retired from doing wedding photography full time. I called him, mom and I met with him and signed the contract the same day. Officiant - 1 minute: I have always said that if I ever married, I'd like my friend's husband - who is a judge - to do the ceremony, and I joked that we'd all go to their house for dinner and the judge could do the ceremony between dinner and dessert. So when I showed my friend the ring, she instantly said, "Do you want Dave to do the ceremony?" and I said yes. We had no wedding party - just walked down the aisle and got married. My mom and FMIL wore dresses they already owned. FI wore a suit he already owned.

heather_7081690

check out www.chachabella.com for bridal/bach gifts and your jewelry they do an incredible job! Very affordable for the high quality! Best Wishes!!!

alysonkw17

Thanks for the advice ladies. It seems I might have a little longer than expected now We're doing the courthouse route when he graduates from Dive School in October, and then planning our real wedding for when he better knows his amount of leave and deployment schedule. Some may find this tacky, but it's common in the military community and we're very excited!! Thanks again