How far in advance to book vendors

S&D23

I'm planning my October 2013 wedding and I'm wondering how far in advance did everyone start booking their vendors? Caterer, photographers, videographers, DJ...
Thanks ladies!!

HobokensFury

Get on it now.  You may be surprised to find that some of the vendors you want are booked already.

GiGiV2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_how-far-in-advance-to-book-vendors?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:ebeb44ca-2d46-425d-8eb8-d366b31db19dPost:062bcfc5-309f-4fa2-a130-e39edb3c395a">Re: How far in advance to book vendors</a>:
[QUOTE]Get on it now.  You may be surprised to find that some of the vendors you want are booked already.
Posted by HobokenBride2012[/QUOTE]

This! I booked some things within 2 weeks of getting engaged.

S&D23

Thanks girls! I agree 100%!! People are making comments every time I mention a vendor, "Already?!" "Why so soon?" "Jumping the gun aren't we?" and I don't think I'm being too crazy! Just wanted to make sure I wasn't being nutty )

HobokensFury

No joke we booked our venue in July 2010 for our March 2012 wedding and they had 2013 bookings already. They are booking well into 2014 right now.

dsimone43

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_how-far-in-advance-to-book-vendors?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:ebeb44ca-2d46-425d-8eb8-d366b31db19dPost:91e73953-6237-427f-9b4e-56a35f2b352a">Re: How far in advance to book vendors</a>:
[QUOTE]Thanks girls! I agree 100%!! People are making comments every time I mention a vendor, "Already?!" "Why so soon?" "Jumping the gun aren't we?" and I don't think I'm being too crazy! Just wanted to make sure I wasn't being nutty :o)
Posted by S&D23[/QUOTE]

Don't listen to them!  Book those vendors as early as you want!  We booked our photog and DJ at 14 months out and it felt so good to cross it off the list!

HobokensFury

People who haven't planned a wedding lately don't realize that it's a competitive industry and especially in Jersey it's common to plan and book things over 2 years in advance.

Angellbabbee

My wedding is nov 2013 n I already booked venue, photo, video, dj n photobooth!!! When I booked I thought I was too early too but I have to say I'm have less stress from worrying n I'm more relaxed thinking about the minor details then the major!

agu101

NOW!  I got engaged in December 2010, and by March 2011 I had all my big vendors booked for my Sept 2012 wedding.  I basically set a goal of booking anything there was only "one" of- ex. the venue, florist, photographer, videographer, makeup artist, hair, band.  You may feel like an overly anxious bride reaching out to these vendors so far in advance, but you'll be thankful down the road.  

Another bonus I found of booking my vendors so far in advance is that I was able to lock in 2010/2011 pricing for many of them- and I'm thankful I did because I'm shocked when I see what many of their rates are now going for since we booked them.  

niolani21

October has become a very popular month for weddings; you can't start too early IMO.

lconoran

When we were searching for vendors for our Oct 2013 wedding, many were booked for certain dates that month already (this was in Dec 2011). The one venue we looked at, only had 1 Saturday left to book. Get the big stuff out of the way as soon as possible! GL

alliecakes85

I agree with the PP... start now!  October is actually the most popular wedding month now and there's nothing worse then hearing that your favorite vendor is booked for your day!!  Good luck planning!

buttrflyah

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_how-far-in-advance-to-book-vendors?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:ebeb44ca-2d46-425d-8eb8-d366b31db19dPost:062bcfc5-309f-4fa2-a130-e39edb3c395a">Re: How far in advance to book vendors</a>:
[QUOTE]Get on it now.  You may be surprised to find that some of the vendors you want are booked already.
Posted by HobokenBride2012[/QUOTE]

<div>This.  I made the mistake of thinking I was too early and lost a lot of vendors I was really interested in because they were already booked.  It's never too early to book vendors.  Now, buying things like your dress, BM dress etc... I'd say those things can wait.  You might change your mind, taste, etc.</div>

FutureMrsN3312

I'm not getting married till May 2014.  We booked the venue in April and the church in June of this year.  We locked in 2012 pricing for our venue.  The Tides is also doing contruction from Dec 2013 to April 2014 so I was afraid dates would book up fast.

rlavach

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_how-far-in-advance-to-book-vendors?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:ebeb44ca-2d46-425d-8eb8-d366b31db19dPost:1feef290-5bd7-4164-b49c-77c5097a7659">Re: How far in advance to book vendors</a>:
[QUOTE]People who haven't planned a wedding lately don't realize that it's a competitive industry and especially in Jersey it's common to plan and book things over 2 years in advance.
Posted by HobokenBride2012[/QUOTE]
Yep, all of this. You'll notice that the people who make these uneducated comments are either older or unwed. Those who are recently wed were the ones commenting on how they couldn't believe I found a venue with a 9mo timeframe!

S&D23

Right on girls!! We booked our reception hall and now I'm working on the DJ (VenueAudio), photographer (Jason Rhee), and videographer (Northeast Horizons). I like knowing I have the vendors I love, and that it's one less stress I'll have later on.

shannyb41

I would start booking things now.  Our wedding is also October 2013 and we booked our venue at the beginning of May and they were already filling up.  September was totally booked and I think they only had 2 Saturdays left in October (evening). 
We also booked our DJ and photographer (who was already book 2013 weddings).  We also locked down the church.  We wanted to do anything that had to do with the DATE as soon as we knew when the date was haha. 
We haven't done the limo's yet because we haven't figured out logistics so we don't know if we need them or how many or any of that.  And we didn't do the florist yet.  But def at least lock down your Venue, DJ, and Photographer.  To me...those are the most important. 

S&D23

Well hello and congrats to my fellow October brides! Glad I'm not the only one booking already. Some people were really making me feel bad!

LADY324

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_how-far-in-advance-to-book-vendors?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:90Discussion:ebeb44ca-2d46-425d-8eb8-d366b31db19dPost:1a699907-5aba-42a7-b78d-1c298b2122c2">Re: How far in advance to book vendors</a>:
[QUOTE]Right on girls!! We booked our reception hall and now I'm working on the DJ (VenueAudio), photographer (Jason Rhee), and videographer (Northeast Horizons). I like knowing I have the vendors I love, and that it's one less stress I'll have later on.
Posted by S&D23[/QUOTE]

Book now!  We are using Jason as well he is awesome you will love him!

S&D23

LADY324- did Jason also do engagement photos for you?

LADY324

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_how-far-in-advance-to-book-vendors?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:90Discussion:ebeb44ca-2d46-425d-8eb8-d366b31db19dPost:2694fa94-07a9-4fb7-88e3-0d53d55a00e0">Re: How far in advance to book vendors</a>:
[QUOTE]LADY324- did Jason also do engagement photos for you?
Posted by S&D23[/QUOTE]

yes he did we did them in central park they came out great!  My siggy pic is one of them.

GiGiV2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_how-far-in-advance-to-book-vendors?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:ebeb44ca-2d46-425d-8eb8-d366b31db19dPost:e00482b3-2a0f-424b-8e41-064e26614e14">Re: How far in advance to book vendors</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: How far in advance to book vendors : yes he did we did them in central park they came out great!  My siggy pic is one of them.
Posted by LADY324[/QUOTE]


I'm a Jason bride too! LOVE HIM!

mpaone24

I booked my venue (the brownstone) and photographer (abella studios) and our wedding isn't until April 2014.  One venue I looked at told me that they had an appointment later in the day for a bride who wanted 2015.  Right now my focus is on the DJ (any recommendations would be great!  LOL) but I'm going to hold off on the florist for a bit.  I'm not having a videographer so I'm not worried about that but if I change my mind my photographer also does that.

shannyb41

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_how-far-in-advance-to-book-vendors?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:90Discussion:ebeb44ca-2d46-425d-8eb8-d366b31db19dPost:8ed4dd7c-aae9-4834-b21f-e92e39d830da">Re: How far in advance to book vendors</a>:
[QUOTE]I booked my venue (the brownstone) and photographer (abella studios) and our wedding isn't until April 2014.  One venue I looked at told me that they had an appointment later in the day for a bride who wanted 2015.  Right now my focus is on the DJ (any recommendations would be great!  LOL) but I'm going to hold off on the florist for a bit.  I'm not having a videographer so I'm not worried about that but if I change my mind my photographer also does that.
Posted by mpaone24[/QUOTE]

We are using Anthony over at Premium Entertainment.  We are getting a DJ and MC for I think around $1300.  We aren't doing any uplighting since our venue doesn't need it and it would take away from the charm (Lake Valhalla Club).  He has been great to work with so far and totally shared our "vision" I guess you could say haha.  We only took 1 day to think about it and got back to him to sign the contract.  We interviewed other DJ's that were going to charge almost 2k for the same service.  We also know other people that have used him and had nothing but great things to say. 
<a href="http://www.premiumdj.com/index.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.premiumdj.com/index.html</a>

mpaone24

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_how-far-in-advance-to-book-vendors?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:ebeb44ca-2d46-425d-8eb8-d366b31db19dPost:098aa4fc-6a0e-4047-a8f1-e6782b18dc3b">Re: How far in advance to book vendors</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: How far in advance to book vendors : We are using Anthony over at Premium Entertainment.  We are getting a DJ and MC for I think around $1300.  We aren't doing any uplighting since our venue doesn't need it and it would take away from the charm (Lake Valhalla Club).  He has been great to work with so far and totally shared our "vision" I guess you could say haha.  We only took 1 day to think about it and got back to him to sign the contract.  We interviewed other DJ's that were going to charge almost 2k for the same service.  We also know other people that have used him and had nothing but great things to say.  <a href="http://www.premiumdj.com/index.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.premiumdj.com/index.html</a>
Posted by shannyb41[/QUOTE]

<div>
</div><div>Thanks!  Yea, we don't need any enhancements either.  The Brownstone actually doesn't allow lighting LOL.  It's in the contract.  I will def check them out.  Thanks again!</div>

S&D23

MPAONE24: Check out my DJs - venueaudio.com they rock! Always emailing me back asap. Justin is great to work with and very accommodating. He's been awesome with pricing too.

S&D23

P.S. they give $400 off for booking a year in advance

abunger

It is never too early to book - especially the venue and photographer.

mrsR12

everything that's said.  book as many things as you can.  and you can def lock in the prices.  

We recently sat down for our final menu selection and many of the items that are included in our package when we booked over 1 year ago are extra now, so we're able to not only locked in the price but also the high end food items also.

i'm also a Jason Rhee bride