I have had so many questions lately about booking wedding vendors and the confusion many of the websites suggestions. The bottom line is, you want to book them as soon as possible! Don’t think that every vendor you want will be available on your wedding day! You want to hire the best, but so does every other bride! I am booking weddings for 2013 already….. So the early bird does catch the worm (although I am in NO WAY referring to wedding industry folks as worms lol!!!!)
I went to the a few planning websites to see what timelines they are suggesting to brides. Some of what I found made sense, but certain parts of each “wedding vendor checklist” didn’t seem to match reality. I’ve broken them down their advice by vendor type, and added my two cents as well.
Wedding Planner:
The Knot: 9-11 months
Wedding Wire: 9 months
Brides.com: 11 months
My suggestion: 12+ months
Notes: There is a general rule of thumb that you can follow when booking your wedding vendors, “If it requires a specific person, do it as soon as possible.” Certain wedding vendors provide products (like cake, flowers, and invitations) and can provide those products to multiple couples in a single day. Anything else needs to be secured as quickly as you can, because they are a scarce resource. Wait too long and the one you want will probably be booked. A wedding planner will have the greatest amount of utility to you and can help with the rest of your purchases, so start here. If you’re not sure if you need (or want) a wedding planner or coordinator you may want to schedule a consultation (ours are FREE) and find out more. I highly recommend hiring one — you’ll thank me later.
Wedding Venue (Reception Site):
The Knot: 9-11 months
Wedding Wire: 9 months
Brides.com: 11 months
My suggestion: 12+ months
Notes: ASAP. This is another scarce resource, and some reception venues will book up to two years in advance of a popular date. Contrary to popular belief, simply saying a date is your wedding date does not mean that is your wedding date — unless it doesn’t matter to you where you have your wedding. You do not have a wedding date until you put down a deposit on your ceremony and reception sites. Without a firm wedding date, you can’t hire any of your wedding-related services. Hence, this is the place to start.
Wedding Caterer:
The Knot: 9-11 months
Wedding Wire: 9 months
Brides.com: 6 months
My suggestion: 9-12 months
Notes: Catering may be included at your reception venue, so you may be able to skip this one, but if it isn’t , you will want to book a cater once you book the venue. Every caterer has a limited number of events they can do on any given date, and booking early ensures that you will be able to choose the one you want. I would also advise you not to wait for a tasting if it’s more than a month into the future — you should be able to get a clear picture of a caterer’s quality and their style of food from their website and reviews. This is another area where a wedding planner can help a lot. They have probably worked with every good caterer in your area and know who is good, who is not, and who will fit your budget.
Wedding Photographer:
The Knot: 6-8 months
Wedding Wire: 6 months
Brides.com: 6 months
My suggestion: 10-12 months
Notes: NO NO NO NO!!!!!!! I was actually surprised by the “expert” timelines on this one. Six months? Really? Most couples think the photographer is an important part of their wedding, and I can tell you that most of the top-tier wedding photographers are going to be long gone at 6 months to go. In my opinion, you should include the wedding photographer in the group of vendors you hire immediately after setting your wedding date. The top talent will book first, so hiring a wedding photographer close to a year before your wedding is a good idea.
Wedding Disc Jockey:
The Knot: 9-11 months
Wedding Wire: 9 months
Brides.com: 6 months
My suggestion: 10-12 months
Notes: This was one of the services that the timelines didn’t seem to agree on. The same rule from above applies to your wedding DJ as well — you are hiring a specific person to be your disc jockey and the top talent in your area will be the first to get booked. Waiting too long to book your wedding DJ will leave you with a limited number of available DJs to choose from.
Wedding Videographer:
The Knot: 6-8 months
Wedding Wire: 6 months
Brides.com: 6 months
My suggestion: It depends.
Notes: If you’re going to hire a wedding videographer (and I SERIOUSLY think a video is a cherished gift years down the road), you need to decide how important the wedding video is to you. If a fabulous, amazing wedding video is a high priority for you, then you need to treat the videographer the same as the photographer and book them as early as possible. If it’s a low priority and you’re just going to hire the cheapest person you can find, it can probably wait until later.
Ceremony Officiant:
The Knot: 9-11 months
Wedding Wire: 6 months
Brides.com: 11 months
My suggestion: 9-12 months
Notes: I personally think that finding the right ceremony officiant is crucial, assuming that your ceremony site doesn’t come with a pastor/priest/rabbi included. A really good officiant can make your ceremony magical and since you’re hiring a specific person, the same rule applies and I recommend booking them early in the process. This is yet another area where a wedding planner (as well as your photographer, videographer, and disc jockey) can really help – we’ve all seen great (and not-so-great) ceremonies and can offer suggestions based on what type of ceremony you want.
Wedding Florist:
The Knot: 6-8 months
Wedding Wire: 6 months
Brides.com: 6 months
My suggestion: 6-9 months
Notes: Now we’re getting into the wedding vendors who can do multiple weddings in one day. Most florists can handle a few weddings at a time depending on the size, so booking one at a year before your wedding isn’t as crucial. That being said, I think that it also depends on how important the flowers are to you. If you have your heart set on a certain florist or a certain style, then I say pull the trigger and put down a deposit. The really good florists in our area still sell out during the busy season, so you can’t wait too long.
Wedding Cake:
The Knot: 6-8 months
Wedding Wire: 6 months
Brides.com: 6 months
My suggestion: 6-9 months
Notes: Most wedding cake bakeries can do multiple wedding cakes on any give date, so you’re safe waiting for a little while. I highly recommend visiting multiple cake shops and sampling their cakes. Note that some cakeries may charge for a tasting (that may or may not be applied to booking with them!) Plus, you’ll end up making a better decision if you shop around a little bit. Not everybody has the same palate so multiple tastings are a good idea!
Wedding Invitations:
The Knot: 6-8 months
Wedding Wire: 6 months
Brides.com: 5 months
My suggestion: 6 months
Notes: Since you’re not going to be mailing your invitations a year before your wedding, you don’t need to buy them that early either. However, I do recommend sending “save the date” cards to your guests as soon as you secure your reception site and wedding date. Find a good stationer in your area that carries the styles and brands you like, and use them for both. They will save you time, offer suggestions on confusing wording, send you a proof and take care of errors!
Wedding Transportation:
The Knot: 2-3 months
Wedding Wire: 2 months
Brides.com: 6 months
My suggestion: 5-6 months
Notes: Seriously? TWO months lol? If you are going to hire professional transportation (limos, shuttle buses, whatever), then you need to hire someone good and you need to do it more than 2 months before your wedding. Any wedding planner will tell you that the wedding vendors they have the most trouble with are limo drivers. The good ones will provide you with a clean, great looking ride and get you to the church on time. The bad ones will show up late (or not show up), get lost, and make you late for the wedding you’ve paid so much to plan. My advice is to do this about 6 months before your wedding, and pay a little extra to hire the best company you can find. Ask your wedding planner for advice on who to hire, chances are she’s had a bad experience with more than one of the limo companies in your area.
***Additional note: If you are getting married from late April through the beginning of June, you really need to jump on your limo situation. Most brides don’t think about it, but its prom season — most limo companies will completely sell out on Fridays and Saturdays.
As you can see, the “experts” don’t even agree on the wedding planning timeline. The best advice I can give is: a) hire a wedding planner, b) book your reception site and set your date immediately, c) book anything that requires a specific person as soon as possible, and d) do your homework when you hire your vendors!
