Minnesota-Minneapolis and St. Paul

When did you start planning?

FI and I will coincidentally be married one day shy of a year from the day he proposed.  (we didn't do this on purpose or even realize it until FMIL pointed it out - ha)  Anywho we didn't start planning til about 2 months later (so 10 months out) and now we're 8.5 mos out.   A lot of the planning seems wayyy too early to be doing, but at the same time our To-Do list is gigantic so I feel like there's SO much to do.  We've definitely got some major checks completed (dress, venue, WP etc) but I am just curious how far out everyone else started planning?

Re: When did you start planning?

  • Enchanted616Enchanted616 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011

    Well, we have a pretty long engagement.. FI proposed last oct, and since its gonna be a gigantic wedding, we arent getting married until sept 24, 2011.  So thats pretty much two years.  I'm waiting on a lot of things, like dress and stuff, but we reserved our day at the church and about to book the reception hall (as soon as we finish saving up with $4,000 deposit.. gah!) so I don't have to worry about it.

    Of course, I've been dream-planning since the day he proposed.. and have started really starting to put some stuff together cause I'm doing pretty much everything DIY.  I'm a huge details person, so thats fun for me. 

    I'm kinda jealous of 8 months though!  A year and three months feels like forever!  But at the same time, I'm probably gonna need all the time I can get..


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  • amberh0515amberh0515 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I started at 13 months. I got most of the big stuff done right away (dress, location, photog, bm dresses) and then moved down the line to invites (DIY) and other stuff. Now that it's getting closer, I'm so glad I started earlier. It seems that I still have so much to do!
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  • edited December 2011
    We got engaged on 2/2/10 but had to wait for FI's brother to get his deployment date so we knew when we could do it before he left, so we didn't start planning until mid-April and didn't really get into it until about a month ago after we'd gotten our homebuyer's refund.  But since we've got our sites and photographer nailed down, we're going to start getting everything ticked off hopefully beginning next week with deciding on colors and getting our e-pics done so we can make our STDs.
  • edited December 2011
    17 months, but I started casually planning when we went ring shopping (3 mos prior to that, so 20 months... whoah). It's been nice to have lots of time to work on my to-do list (it never hurts to do your research and start early vs. being rushed and stressed) but now that it's under 4 mos away I'm wishing it was October like RIGHT NOW.
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  • KnibletKniblet member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We planned for 18 months total, on purpose.  It made it easy for us to get everything done on time.  Our planner laughed at us for a long time because we did everything so early, but she did admit that she loved having a couple that didn't need to be reminded and hounded constantly.

    And since I was told vendors book so far in advance, I think we had all of them booked about 13 months out.

    I know people can plan weddings in 6-9 months but my sanity was more important.  LOL
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  • VeittobeVeittobe member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We have a 10 month long engagement.  Our wedding is in early October.

    We had the venue, DJ and my dress selected 9 mo before the wedding.  The rest we have slowly added as time goes by.  The bridesmaid dresses were selected and ordered about 6 mo before the wedding.  Photography about 5 mo before.  We just did the Tuxes today (3 mo before).  The invites are in the printing process now but we've been looking at options for a while so I'll say around 4-5 mo before.  I'm working on FI's wedding band now (3 mo before - yikes) Cake was about 4 mo before. 

    I'm forgettting the rest...

    I'd recommend keeping an eye on The Knot wedding timeline.  Or watch your month board for when others getting married that same month are scheduling their stuff  There's not much to do in the very beginning, but the more you can do right away, the better you'll feel when it comes to crunch time. 
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  • edited December 2011
    Oh man, you're idea of planning "far out" is nothing! I've been engaged since April 3, 2009 and will be getting married September 3, 2011. I started planning and researching almost right away. I'm still a little over 14 months out and have a big chunk of stuff done! Sure, we get teased by family, friends, and vendors for being so proactive, but I'm going to be so much less stressed the last couple of months and I'm enjoying having plenty of time to plan and enjoy being engaged
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  • kristigileskristigiles member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I got engaged in May last year and we pretty much started planning that night!  I really wanted to get things done and out of the way early to try to avoid as much of this stress at the end as possible.  The stress of course happens anyway, but I do feel more organized and more knowledgeable since I've had so much time.  GL!
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  • edited December 2011

    It's never too early!  We got engaged in December and set our date about a month later for June 2011.  I figure when you start early you can do more research and get what you want at the best price!

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  • edited December 2011
    We got engaged Christmas Eve, 2009 and I booked the Church the end of Feb. for May 28, 2011. But then didn't start booking things until Mar. Apr so 15-16 mos. out. I wanted to get the church so bad and I was lucky since 3 weeks later May was booked solid.

    I/We have ::::
    -- /> Taken our e Pics
    -- /> Finalized the Guest list
    -- /> Ordered and Sent out STDs (lots of family out of state and family that need to save and with it being a holiday wknd wanted to get them out 1yr out)
    -- /> Booked the Church
    -- /> Booked the Reception Site (Hotel)
    ------ Which Includes
    ------- Caterer, Bartenders, Linens, Tables, Chairs, Dishware, Room Blocks, Morning after Brunch
    -- /> Booked Ceremony Musicians (4 String Quartet)
    -- /> Booked DJ for the Reception
    -- /> Booked Photographer
    -- /> Booked Videographer
    -- /> Booked my hair and makeup artist
    -- /> Bought my Dress!!!!!!
    -- /> Bought my Veil
    -- /> Picked our Wedding Colors Deep Purple and red
    -- /> Bought some decorations (Antique Candle Holders, lanterns and Sea Glass all purple) so excited for them to come!
    -- /> Bought bubbles for guests (on sale at Walmart)
    -- /> Bought Unity Candle Holders
    -- /> Bought Picture Matte for guests to sign (x2) for VIPS and Family
    -- /> Bought a memorial candle for my Dad
    -- /> Made a pendant with his picture on it to attach to my flowers
    -- /> Bought Flutes with our Names and wedding date
    -- /> FMIL has offered her Cake Cutting set and Ring Bearer Pillow

    -- /> Picked Bakery for Cake (Calling them next week to book them)
    -- /> Picked Florist (Calling them next week to book them)

    To Do List :::
    -- /> Pick BM dresses (apt on Monday)
    -- /> Find a Flower girl dress
    -- /> Find shoes for me -- looking for blinging flip flops
    -- /> Decide what I want for jewelry
    -- /> Chair Covers
    -- /> Fabric to drape at Reception Site
    -- /> Anything else I am forgeting

    I am pretty Organized and Planner and I knew a lot of what I wanted so I just started booking things.
  • jtothelee216jtothelee216 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Our engagmenet was 16 months.  We started looking at venues and planning that same week. lol

    I thought I'd have everything done so early because of the long engagment.  But, that really wasn't the case.  There are some things that just can't be done until a week out.
  • drdifabiodrdifabio member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We started planning about a week after we got engaged- which was in Jan 2009 - so I have been planning for about 1 year and 5 months now. By the time Oct rolls around, the total planning will be 1 year and 9 months.
  • laura_fettlaura_fett member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I guess it depends on what your idea of planning is. I was on the knot peaking around since we bought our e-ring, which was about a year before we got engaged. We will have been engaged 26 months when we get married, seems like a long time, but it has flown by.

    We didn't start booking anything until about 18 months out, but I had bought our favor boxes before then. For me, I thought the more you get done ahead of time, the less stressed I'll be. There does seem to be a lot I stll have to do though, it didn't work out as nicely as I had hoped.
  • edited December 2011
    Our engagement will be 18 months long by the time we get married. We started planning right away. And although I felt like some things couldn't be done until it was closer to the wedding, it was nice to have all these thoughts in my head, because it gave me time to mull over all the details and change what I thought didn't fit anymore.
  • debbieupperdebbieupper member
    5 Love Its First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We got engaged last August 29th and our wedding is this October 16th, so I guess that's about 13 months. That's been good for us because the planning isn't rushed, but at the same time I'm not stuck with WEDDINGWEDDINGOMGWEDDING on my mind for more than about a year. :)
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  • LittleSweetieLittleSweetie member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Engaged 5/27/07, married 6/20/09, so almost a 25-month engagement.  I took it slow and booked something every couple months.  I couldn't do it all at once - florists, DJs and bakers would pretty much laugh in my face if I said I wanted to book for 2009 in '07!!  (Some did.) 

    Our long engagement was good and bad - good that we could save and get deals on booking in advance, bad because it drug out - I was antsy to just get it done, and I'd change my mind on so many things over the course of it all!
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  • tpender13tpender13 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    My FI just proposed this month, and we both knew we didn't want a long engagement, so we started planning pretty much right away.
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  • edited December 2011
    aww LS, you're still around!

    We got engaged 12/16/09 and will be married 11/7/10, so just shy of 11 month engagement.  We have, however, been dating almost 6 years so a lot of "what if" wedding planning was done.

    We booked our venue right away (early January.)  I also got my dress in January.  By maybe March, we had all the other big stuff chosen.  Now it's just down to the DIY stuff and invites and the boring wedding stuff.
  • ogrady88ogrady88 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011

    We got engaged on Feb. 19th (GMT) so our engagement will be about 16 months.  FI had a big event at work the following month so we really didn't start any of the major planning until about 15  months out.  It was actually nice to enjoy the time as a newly engaged couple without any of the stress of planning.  I've found it slightly interesting as I've been the type of girl who has planned her wedding since I can remember...now I have to consider another persons plans as well.

  • newlyseliskinewlyseliski member
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Hi shan87!  We're date twins and almost proposal twins!  You have a heck of a lot more done than me :) 

    My fiance and I got engaged Christmas day (12/24/2009), met our deacon at Mass the following Sunday and got a date at the church saved (5/28/2011) the following week.  We booked a reception site two weeks later, I bought my dress... we took about a month and a half researching photographers... 

    We've been dating for 4 years and would have been married 2 years ago if it weren't for all sorts of family drama and the fact that my fiance went back to school. 

    Now we're on caterers, scheduling an engagement session, NFP classes, "pretend" registering online...  It still feels too early for a lot of stuff for us, but hopefully the time will fly!
  • AmberDerekAmberDerek member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We got engaged on 5/17/08 and were married on 1/30/10.  We had our reception venue booked a week after we were engaged, but had known we were going to choose that location before we were even engaged. 

    Like other posters have said we booked all the big vendors within the first few months: reception, church, photographer, DJ, Transportation.  We also purchased unique items we loved: cake topper, charm for bouquet, guest book, aisle runner, unity candle, favors, things of that nature.  In the end we were happy we had so much time because when we finally got married everything had so much thought put into it.
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