You’re not down with this whole ‘year long engagement’ thing - you want to get married now! Is it even possible to get a wedding planned in less than 3 months? Or even 30 days?
The answer is of course, yes it can be done. But there will be compromises. Here’s a how-to for some of the key areas of your last minute planning!
These two are arguably the most important tasks you need to sort out first of all. Finding a venue that can accommodate you last minute can be done, but you will be limited. Most prime wedding venues book up six months to a year in advance, though some may have last minute availability deals. Ask around, you may be surprised, but you may also need to compromise on your dream venue by getting married midweek or perhaps on a Sunday.
How many guests are you inviting? Keep in mind if your wedding is super short notice, you may find lots of people aren’t available, especially if you're planning a midweek wedding. Speak to your key people as soon as you have some date options to make sure at the very least your nearest and dearest can make it, then send out your invites as soon as possible.
If you’re hoping for a legal wedding on the day, speak to the venues about civil ceremony locations and sort out an officiant as soon as possible. If you want to get married beforehand in a small, legal ceremony - call as soon as you decide to at your local registry office to find out which dates are available.
Typically, a bride would order her wedding dress six months at least before the wedding date, to allow for shipping and alterations. If you don’t have that luxury, sample sales might be a good option. Speak to a few bridal shops about what you can buy off the shelf and how quickly you can arrange for alterations. Alternatively, lots of high end high street brands have some amazing ready-to-wear dresses that aren’t technically wedding dresses but can be just as beautiful - explore your options carefully before spending lots of money on something you ‘sort of like’ for the sake of your schedule!
A wedding planner would be your saving grace for a last minute wedding, doing all the legwork for you quickly with our professional shortcuts and expertise to help. Finding good suppliers who are available on your date is tough but not impossible, you just need to cast a wide net and be flexible. Prioritise your caterer, florist, photographer, hair/makeup and band/DJ first, then start looking for whoever else you need once you have those in place.
Once those major milestones are out of the way, you can then focus on the rest of the planning tasks in your final weeks or months. Things like ordering your rings, your bridal party outfits, your honeymoon, decor, ceremony order, cake, dinner menus, and the rest. It all comes down to how you want the day to look and feel!
Happy Planning!
Val x
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Photography credit:Martin Neeves Wedding Photography
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