Is 3 1/2 years too long to plan a wedding??

It's never too early to research. But remember trends change and so do your tastes so I wouldn't commit to anything yet.

I would agree with Jamie and wouldn't set anything in stone quite yet! It's always fun looking at dresses, veils, shoes... I would just set a budget and start an account for now that's wedding only! I wouldn't start to plan anything until a year or so from now! So if you do change your mind, you have time to make adjustments!

You'll probably be hard pressed to find anyone who will get excited about a wedding 3 years from now. I mean there's no harm in mentioning that you're gonna do a big vow renewal for your 10 year, but I would wait on the planning. You'd probably end up wasting money because in three years you will change your mind about things soo much.

its what works well for y'all!

I dont think it is to long and its a significant date you are working for. I would just plan a budget and start saving, and really think about what you want for your wedding. I wouldnt put anything in stone until you get closer though...

I agree with Ms. L about mentioning now that you're planning to do a vow renewal. I wouldn't worry about booking a venue until 18 months from the date of your ceremony... if you want something smaller and at a venue that isn't in high demand, you can wait even longer.

But I agree - research a lot and budget as much as possible. If I had started planning my wedding and booking things the moment I got engaged, I would be miserable now. I was upset at first that "life events" were keeping FH and I from setting a date at the place we wanted... but now I am SO glad I didn't dig myself into a ditch like that.

I disagree somewhat. Even though I wouldn't commit to anything in terms of deposits, it's think its never too early to plan. I am very decisive though so once I like something, I like it - regardless of trends or anything. Some of the big items you can probably start researching - like a venue and also what style dress you like. How big you want it, who will be invited etc. Also, I would mention it to some key persons from now, but likely not EVERYBODY you plan to invite.

Wedding planning has been so much fun for me it will almost be anti-climatic when it's over as I have been planning from day 1 almost of my engagement which was almost two years ago.

Have fun with it.

I'm with Zahra on this one, we had originally wanted to get married shortly after being engaged. We didn't buy things for the wedding, we did call around and see what pricings were like. Its good to plan out the big thinhs like a venue because you guest list determines what you will be spending. I know for us, I wish we would've saved even more than we we originally have and we are now down to the year left!

It is not too early to start saving, the earlier you start the easier it will be. I would not start booking vendors just yet, a lot of companies will come and go in 3 1/2 years and you may end up losing your deposits. Saving and budgeting is a huge start, it means that when the time comes you will be in great shape.

Trends, styles, prices, venues, colors, etc. change every year so you may want to be careful with planning too many details so soon. You don't want to end up kicking yourself because you bought something but saw something better with the new year's trends. I would do a "Possibility Book" where you just write things down, cut pictures out of magazines and put it all into a big book. This way you can SEE your ideas but if things change it's easy to re-do in paper form. You can tell people but I wouldn't get into details because again it's too early. Just say "We are going to plan a nice 10 year celebration" I am not even married yet and I know we will do something special for our 10 year. Biggest thing is start a separate account where you can throw money into to save for the event. This is where the 3.5 years is a plus!

I don't think it is too early to research in terms of budget, type of venue, and theme/style. If you know you are going to have a certain theme, you could start buying things now and putting them away. But, you need to be certain that is what you want. For instance, since you are doing it in the winter and want winterwonderland, you can shop clearance after Christmas. It helped us enormously to shop the fall clearance sales.

However, I would def not buy a gown because styles change, and sometimes they change drastically. With he royal wedding, I strongly suspect 2012's designs will have a strong impact on design trends. I am often surprised at the late 2012 brides who have bought their dresses already without seeing the new season's offerings. Of course, if you are going with a style that is a classic, than it is okay.

Good luck with the vow renewal planning!

Hot color this year is honeysuckle (a rosey pink). Will probably look dated and overdone by 2014.