Planning a wedding from far away..

Welcome to weddingwire...I am new here too!

We are planning a lot of our wedding from far away (wedding is in seattle, but we live in new york!)...and I actually found the search on weddingwire's homepage to be useful

Sometimes I think it is better to have a short amount of time because you get through all the difficult stuff quickly...it is definitely possible :-)

I live near Seattle and got married down in Oregon. Not as far as what you're having to plan, but out of state is out of state. It's a little more of a challenge, but definitely doable.

Since you may not be able to meet with the vendors in person, ask them for references of past clients who you can call. This will give you a good idea of how they work. For vendors like your photographer, DJ and coordinator (people who you'll be around all day), ask questions that include

Where they on time?

Where they flexible?

How would you describe their personality?

How easy was it to get ahold of him/her?

For the photographer: how good was he/she about staying in touch with you after the wedding?

What did you like about him/her? Not like?

Did you like the quality of the work?

And, of course, would you use them again?

Most importantly, since you're doing this long distance - get everything in writing to make sure you're all on the same page.

Good luck!

I agree with Dawn...

Absolutely it's possible, I have clients that do it all the time.

You might consider hiring a wedding coordinator to help narrow down vendors and act as a liason for you. While this is often seen as a luxury, a good wedding planner can save you so much time and even sometimes money that you will quickly feel that this was a very necessary expense.

As an example, you might spend 20 hours looking over photographer websites, playing telephone tag, etc. to narrow down to actually interview three on your own. By spending an hour with your planner, she will know enough about what you're looking for to bring three qualified businesses to you.

Thank you all for your advise!!

Hi Anahi,

I just thought of another suggestion for you. If you have any family/friends in the Florida area you can always ask them to meet your favorite vendor or taste cakes for you if you're not able to make it over there. That might help to give you a little more "inside info" from someone you know and trust. And since they know you, they can see it a bit from what you would like, too.

Good luck!

-Dawn

DLHG Photography

Congratulations! I've heard of more and more people planning their wedding at a location that is not near where they live, so it's definitely possible. I think one of the key things that they've done is try to find a wedding coordinator or friend/family member at the location to help them out. Happy planning!

It's definitely possible! I live in Washington, DC and got married in Miami, Florida. Basically I used websites such as Wedding Wire to locate vendors and talk to area brides. Referrals from area brides I talked to on-line ended up being the key to my planning success!

Good Luck!

Victoria

Anahi,

You already have received such great advice but I would like to add a couple of things. Have sample swatches prepared and ready to send to vendors you may be doing business with. It is so much easier to discuss colors when you have a swatch in your hand. Also create a portfollio with pictures of what you would love to have in your wedding. After all a picture is worth a thousand words!

Good luck