How much time do you need to plan a wedding?
Good things take time, so does a good wedding. Some couples would say planning the wedding is like having a second full-time job. The bigger your vision is, the more time you will need to dedicate to make it happen. Understanding the preparation timeline will give you some ideas to start your own planning. Here are a few common wedding types and their ideal planning time.
The cozy local weddings
This is the most common choice for couples. It is convenient, economical and you are familiar with the location. As easy as it sounds, 6 months is the recommended time for you to best prepare for a local wedding. A long enough preparation period will prevent you from feeling rush. It will give you enough time to do your research, talk to different vendors and make the best decisions while still enjoying some breaks in between. Besides, if you have your favorite venue in mind, booking 6-month ahead means higher chance of having it on your expected date, especially on the high season.
The fabulous destination weddings
Congrats, you have chosen your dream location for your big day! What are next steps? It might take at least 1 year to plan a destination wedding properly. First, your wedding time will be highly dependent on the destination season. The precious moment of beautiful beach or gorgeous fall foliage will come only once a year. Second, there is quite a bit of logistics that you will need to think about. Working with vendors from afar might be challenging. A good wedding planner will become handy as you coordinate the event. Guests will also appreciate the early notice for a destination wedding as they need to plan their travel and stays.
How about a shotgun one?
“Your ages and the coming years do not match”; “We need to move abroad”; “Family member is getting weak” …. Do those sound familiar to you? If you decide to tie the knot as soon as possible for some reasons, there is no need to panic. It is entirely possible to arrange a wedding in 3 months. You might have to wear multiple hats and work through your checklist with the help of others. The traditional wedding in Vietnam is fairly standard and there are always multiple vendors who are flexible to work on short notices. Many of them collaborate to provide couples with all-in-one packages that cover different elements needed in your wedding day. The key here is to stay calm and having backup options. Recommendations from other couples will be valuable to help make quick decisions.
Final thoughts
Planning wedding might be an overwhelming task, but it can also be very rewarding for the bride and the groom. A good plan will help both of you feel more under controlled and enjoy the process. Note that there is no one size fits all timeline for a wedding. The most important part is for you to feel happy as you are beginning a new chapter of life.