Engagement length and wedding planning

Continued...

So basically I just want to hear some of your experiences. How long of an engagement did you have? If you had a shorter engagement, were you really stressed with planning and wish that you gave yourself time? If you had a long engagement, did you find that you didn't need that whole time to plan and wish you would have gotten married a little sooner? Is 9 months (although going on 8 months now) enough time and am I just getting overwhelmed and freaking myself out over no good reason?

I was enagaged 5/30/10 and am getting married 6/16/12. At first I was like you, I didnt want to wait, but after much much much debate we decided to have a long engagement and I am thankful we did. We have had a TON of time to plan, save, etc and because we were so far ahead we got our choice on all vendors - reception venue, photographers, florists, etc because they were free

However my best friend was engaged 2/14/2008 and was married 8/30/2008 She had a small wedding (70 ppl) and it was definitly more laid back (no professional florist, photographer or DJ - all family/friends) but it suited her personality and she wasnt stressed at all. I think it varies on what you want and what your expectations are.

I want a big wedding (always have) so I knew it'd take me a lot of time and more money so I benefited from the longer engagement - others want opposite things.

Oh I should also mention - the past year and a half has FLOWN by!

We're having an 18 month engagement. We had been living together for over 1.5 years before my FH proposed. Our families couldn't understand why we wanted to have such a long engagement, but I'm glad that we did. We're planning a wedding that is 2 hours away from where we live which has made it difficult to meet with vendors as often as we'd like. Also, 4 couples in our circle of friends had already planned on getting married between August and December. We wanted to give everyone a little bit of a breather so that they'd be more likely to be able to/want to attend our wedding.

If you're planning a wedding where you live, I think that it's entirely possible to plan one out 9 months in advance. You'll just have to start putting down deposits asap.

That's the thing, we aren't getting marred where we live. We live in Boston. I'm from Jersey and he's from Maryland. Right now I am looking at venues in Maryland and visiting a couple places in a couple of weeks with my mom. Unfortunately my Fi can't get off work so I'll be taking lots of photos and video for him to see the places. I think that is where a lot of my stress is coming from... the out of state wedding factor of it.

We got engaged on July 2.... and we're pretty much like your relationship. We'll be together for 4 years in November... living together for almost 3.

We are not getting married til next October... as much as I would like to get married like... yesterday lol... we are holding it out. We are also paying for the wedding ourselves so this gives us plenty of time to pay things off for the wedding.

Just figure out what you think is best for you and your fiance. Are you the ones paying for the wedding? If so, is June of next year enough time for you two to pay for it?

We got engaged August 3, 2008 and married October 6, 2009. However, I really did not start doing much in the way of planning until March of 2009. So yes, it is quite possible to plan a wedding in nine months.

The biggest issue will be finding a venue that is not booked, especially since June is prime wedding season. I would just start calling around and looking at venues as soon as possible. If you can find one you like for June 2, then you shouldn't have a problem. You can consider postponing later, if you just can't find the right venue on that date.

A lot of that depends on what size and type of wedding you want to have. We put our DW together in just a few months. A large, elaborate wedding takes more time.

My FH and I have been together 6 years in January and living together for 4, We've moved to a different city together, have a dog, take vacations and do pretty much all the things that you mentioned. We are having a 16 month engagement by the time our wedding rolls around. I like the extra time because it gives me more time to save and be comfortable and give me peace of mind that if/when i do get things done early i don't have to worry about them and i can just enjoy my engagement. :-D.

It's not a problem at all, the hardest part will be to find a venue, we planned my friend's wedding in a month back in february, I didn't think it was possible but we did it, got her dress and our dresses in on time, the hardest thing to do was find a venue, once we did everything came in place.

It's plenty of time to plan a wedding within 9 months, it's more than enough, you can definitely do it.

Hey wedding date twin!!!

I got engaged 7/30/11 & well we are getting married june of next yr. I have a venue that takes care of everything the only thing i have to do is go inthere & meet with the ppl & tell them what i want. But the only downer is if i bring my own glasses for the reception & other things then someone outside of the wedding party would have to bring that & all.

My parents will be paying a good portion. We will also be supplementing in certain areas (example, my dad would probably keel over when he hears the photography prices but my photos are something I'm not willing to settle on and unfortunately good wedding photography is expensive, so we'll probably end up paying for a good % of it) but it the financial aspect isn't a burden for us.

We are doing (at this point in planning... I haven't gotten a list from future mother in law for the family on his side) a smaller wedding. Ideally in my head 80ish guests, no more than 100.

I have found some venues that are top on my list that are available for the time frame I have had in my head. There is one place, which is one that I am visiting in a couple of weeks, that has very slim pickings for 2012 in general (assuming I want to stick to a Saturday wedding) so if I absolutely fell in love with that place that would push us back to 2013 due to availability.

FH proposed Nov 2010. We are getting married Oct 2012. We decided to wait that long because we are paying for the wedding ourselves cash and wanted to allow time to enjoy being engaged. Best decision made. It also allowed me time to research and see when the best times are to purchase certain items.

Happy planning!

We got engaged 3/31/11 and we went one year out with our date. We wanted enough time to save money for the beach wedding where we wanted! I was all done planning and paying deposits two months after, now it's just save to pay everything off! We have been together 2 and half years. We also live together, we are raising my four small nieces and nephews, have two dogs, a cat and a bird...so needless to say we feel married already!...Lol! We have friends that have been engaged forever (10years) and say they are married. I didn't want to be like that!....A year for us gives us a stress free engagement and the wedding of our dreams!

We were engaged 1/29/11 and are tenativtely set for 7/28/2011. Medical issues are getting in the way of our savings right now so we are looking at possibly pushing back until the fall.. We are still considering being wed legally this year and having the "wedding" later when we can afford it with no crazy bills hitting us or keeping it low-key. It's rough and I'm not ready to take action yet in case things start looking up so for now, I say July 28th. We too have been together for almost 4 years (friends for much more) and it seems hard to wait It's all for the best though really. Weddings are expensive, you shouldn't rush into it unless you feel like rushing in to debt.

We had a long engagement (15 months). We were engaged in June 2010. We knew we wanted a fall wedding, near the beginning of October so it would possibly be warm enough to have the ceremony outside, and 3 months was WAY too short a time to plan and save for a wedding, so we made it the next year.

We really needed that whole 15 months to save up the money, and even having that much time the last month has still been crazy hectic, so I'm glad we gave ourselves the time.

That said, my BFF had a 6 month engagement and her wedding turned out to be one of the best weddings I've ever been to.

Depending on where you're located, vendors may be booking up for next June already. You can definitely plan a wedding in 9 months if you have the funds, but I would get on the ball about finding a venue, to make sure you get what you want.

We got engaged April 19, 2011 and the wedding is September 24, 2011. We met Decemeber 4, 2010. We knew from the day we got engaged that we would be on a strict budget to save for the wedding as we are paying for it ourselves. Our wedding budget was 10 000 and we'll maybe be 8500. Pick your budget and just stick to it. You can do a 9 month engagement. Think about 60 years ago when people were engaged for a month or two. Anything is possible if you want it bad enough.

Best of Luck and enjoy each moment of planning. Its a wonderful time

We were engaged 2/4/11 and I am so glad that we have had the time to plan, save, research. Like 2d brides said I think the hardest part will be the venue. It depends where you are but in our area there is nothing left for June or July. We are having a DW but an at home reception the month after and we had to settle on that date. Good Luck and enjoy the roller coaster. It's only just begun.

I got engaged on August 14, 2011 and we are getting married on July 7, 2012. So we had about 10 1/2 months to wedding plan when it all started. I can tell you that I have not been worried about our timeline at all. As long you are somewhat flexible with your date (we wanted a June wedding, but settled for early July), you can pull it off.

Depends on the couple. Some say a shorter engagement is less stressful because you don't have time to second guess yourself. My cousin got engaged in December of 2010 and got married in June of 2011. He was not even stressed and his bride was so laid back. They booked the church and reception hall in January, got a photographer in Feb, and then had everything else fall into place. She said she loved it because she didn't have to stress about anything for a year. A decision was made and they moved on since they didn't have time to go back on it.

Our engagement is longer and I wish it was shorter. We got engaged in Nov. 2010 and aren't getting married until Sept. 2012.

Engaged: 12/4/10

Wedding: 6/9/12

I would make sure the venue that you want is available before you say this is my date.