How early is too early?

I would look at venues and photographers. You do not have to book them now but I will say some venues I have heard can book even two years out in advance. I would say the first thing you can plan now is the budget so you know how much to save and that can help determine how big of a guest list you can have. Do you both want a local or destination wedding? I would say consider those things now that really impact your budget.

View Quoted Comment We already have our photographer. And we know our budget as well. And our number of guests. We have two wedding venue tours in March and will book in December as they told us that’s when they will have their pricing.

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That is a good start. If you are type A like me you can go ahead and set things up or at least have an idea of who you want to work with (make up, DJ, etc...) but careful giving money until closer to in case something goes wrong or you find something else.

10-12 months before the wedding is the best time to ask your bridal party. Even the strongest relationships can change quickly. You’ll find tons of posts here on WW where brides are stuck with people in their wedding that they no longer have a good relationship with.

View Quoted Comment Great idea. I’m hoping to find a good DJ that I can possibly see a demo with.

I second Caytlyn. I thought I had a really strong bond with one girl, but we have drifted apart and I would hate to be stuck trying to keep her part of the wedding party out of etiquette.

View Quoted Comment True. I’m just worried if I ask only a year out my friends will feel they didn’t have enough time to save money as we’re all starting off in our careers

View Quoted Comment Understandable. I just know weddings can be expensive and I’m worried that money may come into play if I only ask a year out. A lot of my friends are slightly younger than me and when I will be getting married many will be finishing up their degrees

I asked 18 months out. If it’s family or someone you’ve known a long time I think it’s fine. If it’s a newer friend or a sibling’s girlfriend etc and you’re not sure, I would wait.

View Quoted Comment My maid of honor is someone I’ve been friends with for 4 years now and my one bridesmaid is my fiancé’s sister! Otherwise the one is a girl I’ve been friends with for 6 years, the other Is my fiancé’s best friends girlfriend (they’ve been together for 6 years) and I’m lost on who to ask last. Trying to have a bridal party of 6 girls due to symmetrical pics lol

View Quoted Comment I see what you're saying! Honestly, if they're your really good friends then you could probably give them a heads up so they have time to plan. You also have plenty of time to save up so it's not as expensive for them - you can find them a decent dress from Azazie and gift them hair and makeup. There are ways to make weddings cost effective, and the brides here have tons of tricks for making it all maneageable.

View Quoted Comment Did you use Azazie? I loved a lot of their dresses but wasn’t sure if they were worth it

View Quoted Comment We used David's Bridal, but a lot of brides have positive reviews of Azazie. I also got a dress for our rehearsal dinner from there. They have try at home options and lots of flexibility.

View Quoted Comment You should ask their dress budget so that they don’t feel pressured to save money that’s out of their means.

View Quoted Comment So smart!!

It’s honestly never to early to plan! I’m getting marry in February 2020 and I already started looking at venues and all the fun stuff! It’s nice to know exactly what you want because time flies. I would recommend using 2021 to simply let all your vendors know what exactly you want so they can execute it. Same with your bridemaids. It’s a great idea to ask them early. I’m still unsure who I want in my party otherwise I would do the same. Everything get book so fast!

View Quoted Comment Yes everything does book so fast it’s crazy!

The up side to booking things early is that most vendors will have your date available and it gives you more time to pay them. Some people choose bridesmaids early on you'll read here on Wedding wire sometimes its good, sometimes it goes bad. I think giving your girls time to plan and buy there dresses is awesome. It obviously up to you when to choose to ask them, I asked my girls with over a years notice. good luck planning!

View Quoted Comment Thank you !

My wedding was originally in 2022 too! But we moved it up...!


Regardless, I would start asking for price quotes from venues and caterers! The only issue I ran into was that some venues didn’t have their 2022 prices set yet. In that case, just ask them for 2021 so you can try to build your budget!
I definitely don’t think it’s too early to ask your bridesmaids! I just asked mine recently and this was before we changed the date. Number one thing is to build your budget. There’s so much to plan so don’t stress too much about it since you have a little time. Use this time to figure out how you and your partner are going to save money. Good luck and congratulations!