My Wedding almost 3 years away

Well, since it is so far away, the budget is a great place to start, especially if you want a big wedding. I don't think any venues, or service providers will be willing to book so far in advance, but now is a great time to start, choosing colors and decor, as well as scouting out different venues and providers.

Congratulations to the both of you!!!

Definitely starting with a budget is a great idea! Set aside a set amount every month into a special "wedding account" at the bank...not to be used for vacations, entertainment, etc...just for the wedding :-) Search sites on line for color schemes, decorating ideas, venues in your area. Visit bridal shows in the area to get more ideas. Most venues won't book more than 2 years in advance (besides, your style and wants may change by then!) but you can visit them during open houses, etc. April in our area is a VERY rainy time (NE Ohio), so an outdoor wedding wouldn't be the best bet for us, but that depends on where you live, average temp and rain amounts, etc. Check into area rentals of tents, consider cost of tent, chair, table rentals vs indoor venue that may have garden area access. Now is a great time to do some price comparison :-)

I agree that budget is a great place to start.

Definitely research as much as possible. I got engaged on 1/1/11 and the wedding i am planning now (after 4 months of research) is fairly different from my original ideas. I learned a lot about saving money and alternatives to ideas that I had that I now actually like better, and so on in these last 4 months.

Also don't underestimate how early you may have to book some venues. FH and my favorite location books up 18 months in advance, so this month our first official wedding decision is choosing a venue. Good luck!

I would start with budget and browsing around at venues.

Dbl post

I think it's really good that your planning far in advance. lol look at my date! Since i've allotted so much time we have gotten to choose and pay for everything we wanted. Good luck, def start with a special bank account and put money in it every week

I agree with planning early.... I am currently trying to find a venue I like that will take my 2013 date super hard!!

But get budget down and get inspirations look at everything you can

I just asked the same question. My wedding is in 2014. So we just started our budget and I've been browsing like crazy for ideas and colors. I really don't know where to start myself.

Budget is the first thing you should start on. Decide on a budget and then sit down and figure out how you are going to come up with that money. Are you getting help from your parents or his or are you guys having to pay for everything yourself? If you are having to pay for it then figure out how much you will have to put away each month so that by the time the wedding comes, you will have your budget amount. If you are receiving help then you can always subtract the amount of help you are receiving and then figure a budget out based on what the difference is between your help and your budget. If you are not sure if you will receive help then it is best to act and save like you aren't and then when the time comes, if you do receive help - it can be used for your honeymoon or add-ons and upgrades. Maybe even a down payment on a house.

Your wedding isn't until 2014 - most venues wont book any farther in advanced than 18 months. More popular ones may allow 2 years in advanced.

Also, researching vendors isn't a bad idea. Find ones that you like and write their information down/bookmark their site... but pay no attention to their prices because they can change between now and then. Also, they probably won't be interested in booking for an event so far away. BUT atleast you will have some vendors you like and want to check out ready to go when your wedding does get closer.

erfect time to start looking around on the internet and start saving pictures and/or printing them out of different things you like / would want to do or have at your wedding. How about colors? Theme? These things could all change between now and then if your tastes change.

Guest list... you can start now, but a lot can happen between now and then. You may lose some friends and you may make some new ones so this is something I feel that you are going to editing on from now till then. BUT you can decide on the number of guests/your wedding size. This will help also with budget.

Thank you all so much for the advice.