5 Tips to plan a wedding with a short engagement
Watch Hill Engagement Session, Westerly RI
How to make the most of your time when planning a wedding with a shorter engagement
In the last few months, I've booked weddings with couples who've been engaged for just a few months. Thanks to the incredibly excruciating experience the world has been through with the pandemic (THANKS CORONA VIRUS!), many couples choose to say "carpe diem!". They're just saying their I-Dos as soon as they can. Now I will also say that while most couples take at least a year or more to plan their wedding, sometimes life transitions or job changes require couples to have a much shorter engagement. Or maybe you just don't want to wait to say "I do" to the one you love!
Whatever the reason for keeping your engagement period short, you definitely need to get organized to get the job of planning your wedding done. Here are some tips for planning a wedding in just a few months.
Get very organized
I was not kidding about the organization part. As a wedding vendor, I can tell you that there are a truck ton of moving pieces in planning a wedding. To make sure nothing important falls through the cracks, you need to get and stay organized. That's key - STAYING ORGANIZED. Whether you prefer a physical organization method like a binder or something digital like a spreadsheet, it's essential to keep all your wedding-related information in one place. This includes all your vendor contact information and your itemized wedding budget.
Hire a wedding planner
Should you decide that the organization part is too much for you, then definitely consider hiring a professional wedding planner who will take most of the stress of planning your big day off your shoulders. Chances are, in addition to planning your wedding, you are also working and managing other life's responsibilities. With a short engagement, you will have even less time to turn your wedding vision into a reality. A great wedding planner can really make all the difference to enjoying your wedding planning process. After all, you're planning to do this just once, so do all you can to enjoy your wedding journey. The right wedding planner will help you find the right vendors that will bring your wedding vision to life. Your planning will also ensure that all your planning stays on track and everything goes smoothly on your wedding day too!
Be willing to compromise.
So - this is the moment you need to get honest with yourself. If you have particular wants for your wedding day, then a short engagement just may not work for you. For instance, a photographer or venue in high demand (like me!) may require that you book well in advance of your actual wedding date. This is something a short engagement just does not allow you to do. If you plan to have your wedding quickly, then flexibility and compromise must become part of your profile. Have your top-tier vendors and then a second-tier so that you have options to fall back on in the event your chosen vendor is unavailable.
Consider opting for an off day or season.
If you're willing to compromise on your choice of a vendor, then odds are you'd be willing to compromise on your choice of time of year. If seasonality does not factor heavily in your dream wedding, then consider having your wedding in a less common month, like the wintertime. I hate being cold - with a passion that burns like a million suns! So I don't book weddings in the winter. However, I've photographed winter weddings because 1. The client and I have just clicked, and I can't imagine saying no to them, and 2. Because during the winter, I get a creative itch, and I need to photograph a wedding or two to itch it. If seasonality does factor into your planning, then consider having your wedding on a weekday. Many venues offer a discount to couples who choose to have their wedding on a weekday, making this a great way to cut costs. P.s. I don't offer discounts for weekday or off-season weddings.
