You’ve dreamed about your perfect wedding day ever since you were a kid. The gorgeous venue, the stunning flowers, and an amazing DJ who keeps the party going all night long. But those wedding day visions can turn into nightmares if you wait too long to book your vendors and suppliers.
I can’t stress this enough – booking your wedding vendors and suppliers early is an absolute must! I’m talking a year or more in advance for many key vendors like venues, photographers, florists, and entertainment. This may seem excessive when you’re newly engaged and the wedding feels ages away. But trust me, that time will fly by before you know it.
Think about all the different vendors involved in a typical wedding: venue, catering, officiant, photographer, videographer, DJ or band, florist, baker, transportation, hair and makeup artists, and the list goes on. The best of the best in each of these categories book up incredibly fast, especially for popular dates like Saturdays in peak season.
If you wait too long, you may find yourself scraping the bottom of the barrel for vendors that were your last choice, are out of your budget, or aren’t even available on your date at all. And you certainly don’t want to be stuck paying premium prices for subpar vendors because you failed to plan ahead. Avoid those wedding planning horror stories by booking early!
The Benefits of Being an Early Bird Couple
There are so many amazing perks to being an eager beaver when it comes to booking your wedding crew:
You Get First Dibs on Your Top Vendor Choices
When you book vendors 12-18 months out, you have the full selection of your dream vendors to choose from. Their schedules are wide open, and you can lock in your number one photographer, florist, DJ, etc. before someone else snatches them up.
You Can Actually Sit Back and Enjoy Being Engaged
Planning a wedding is incredibly stressful with so many pieces to pull together. But when you take care of booking the big vendors super early, you can relax and savor your engagement. No last-minute madness of trying to book quality vendors with limited availability!
You Have Time to Craft Your Wedding Vision
It’s so much easier to plan the overall look, vibe, and aesthetic of your wedding once you book your venue and key vendors like your photographers and florists. Their styles and offerings will inspire and shape your decor, attire, color schemes and more. When you book them late in the game, it’s a scramble to pull it all together.
You Can Lock in Pricing and Set a Reasonable Budget
Vendor pricing always goes up over time, so booking early allows you to secure their current rates and package prices. It also gives you a clear picture of your biggest expenses upfront so you can set a realistic overall budget. No hidden costs or sticker shocks!
You Can Take Advantage of Payment Schedules
Most wedding vendors require staggered payments with a deposit upfront and subsequent payments along the way. Booking early lets you space out your payments over time rather than throwing down a huge amount of money all at once right before the wedding.
So What are You Waiting For? Start Booking Now!
I can’t emphasize this enough – don’t become a wedding horror story by putting off booking your vendors until the last minute. As soon as you have your date set and an overall vision of what you’d like, start smashing that inquiry button!
Reach out to venues and your most important vendors like photographers, videographers, florists, entertainers, etc. A general rule of thumb is to book them 12-18 months out from your wedding date, but don’t be afraid to start conversations even earlier than that.
Wedding planning is a marathon, not a sprint. Having your dream team locked in early will make the entire process smoother and far less stressful. Your future self will thank you!