Not Engaged Yet

What do you think?

FI and I have decided to get married in July 2011.  So we have plenty of time!  However, we are having a semi-DW.  It will be in his hometown, so it's local for most of his family/guests but requires international travel for my guests.

He's gotten all of the information from the venue we want to use.  It's usually not a problem to book it in as little as 6 months in advance, but they would let up put a deposit down now if we wanted.

Most of my family memebers have already told me that they plan to make the trip.  If I decide to send out save the dates, how far in advance do you think I should do it in order to give them enough time to save for the trip?  Would you send out STDs just to the people who will need to travel and skip them or send them later for the local guests?  Or should I just forget the STDs and give everyone the travel info they'll need?  One more- how far in advance would you book the venue in order to make sure people know exactly when they'll need plane tickets?

Sorry it's long...I just want to get this part over with so I can stop thinking about it for, well, about a year.

Oh and Happy New Year everyone!
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Re: What do you think?

  • edited December 2011
    You have PLENTY of time. You could book your venue anytime between now and a year out, I think. That's still PLENTY of time.

    If guests are traveling internationally, you should start spreading the word now, and send STDs at about a year from your date. Make sure you book your location first! You could send them up to 8 months out, but any less time and that might be putting pressure on, depending on where they're traveling from.

    I wouldn't worry about STDs for local guests. Save your money and just spread the news by word of mouth and send the invites at the normal time.

    I am sending invites to my out-of-state guests about 8 weeks before the wedding, and to in-town guests about 6 weeks before the wedding. Splitting it up is less stressful for me, and gives my family more time to make arrangements. I am not sending STDs, but I think international travel makes it more appealing to do so.

    Good luck and congrats on the date!
    Anniversary
  • edited December 2011
    Oh, and the reason i say book your venue about a year out is because of the international guests. I booked mine 8 months from my date, and I think I have the perfect amount of time for planning. What country is everyone coming from? Is it easy to travel to/from the US from there? You might not need a whole year, you might be able to pull off 8 months.
    Anniversary
  • Ana_2985Ana_2985 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Thanks Jeana!  I was thinking a year would probably be enough time for everyone to plan.  When FI and I visit his family alone, we usually only book the trip 6 months in advance so we can get good deals on flights.  I figured it would be better for people with families to have a little more warning.

    And I think I will skip the STDs for locals.  I got mixed opinions on it, but it just seems silly to me to tell them a year in advance.  Maybe I could do separate STDs for the locals at a different time.  6-8 months out rather than a year?

    I'm hoping we can just book it within the next few months, let people know the date, and hold off on any more planning until we make a trip down there next spring.  It's in central America, btw.  My family all lives in the northeast US.
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  • edited December 2011
    OOOOHHHHHH it's the OTHER way. You guys are getting married in central america! Very cool!

    If you're 100% sure on the location, I think you're good to book whenever you like. Whatever eases your mind. And I really don't think STDs are even necessary for people not traveling far. None of my cousins sent STDs, I'm not sending them.... really, it's just an extra thingy that you can do if you WANT, but no one will miss them if they're not there.

    Also-- start researching marriage requirements in that country NOW, just so you know what to expect. You might need a blood test, you probably have to be there for a certain amount of time before the wedding, they might have seperate civil and religious ceremonies (and you have to do civil in order to be legally married!), and if you get pregnant you may not be able to get married at all until later!

    We were interested in getting married in Mexico at one point, and all those things ended up being a little different than I expected. Just do some research and get your ducks in a row now so that you're not surprised later!
    Anniversary
  • Ana_2985Ana_2985 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_think-2?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:ec010835-42bf-46af-a3be-96420adcac28Post:106fdf78-b560-45bc-8c1b-054af0ecf91d">Re: What do you think?</a>:
    [QUOTE]Also-- start researching marriage requirements in that country NOW, just so you know what to expect. You might need a blood test, you probably have to be there for a certain amount of time before the wedding, they might have seperate civil and religious ceremonies (and you have to do civil in order to be legally married!), and if you get pregnant you may not be able to get married at all until later! We were interested in getting married in Mexico at one point, and all those things ended up being a little different than I expected. Just do some research and get your ducks in a row now so that you're not surprised later!
    Posted by jeanacorina[/QUOTE]

    Holy shiit.  It didn't even occur to me that I might need to think about that sort of thing.  Thanks for the warning!
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