Tips for planning in a short amount of time?

The very first things you will want to decide on are budget and guest list. Then you'll need to book a venue. With the short timeframe you might be limited on venues but until you have that secured you don't really have a date.

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Hi Veronica, thank you. This is actually wedding #2 for me (I was around these boards in 2018/2019) so I do know the general timeline and order of what to do, just not accustomed to the shorter timeframe yet lol first time around I had a year+ to plan. We have budget and guest list down. Currently on the hunt for a venue. Which surprisingly, we haven't had trouble finding ones with dates we want. I guess because of the smaller number of people. We are having a ton of trouble actually deciding on one though. thank you again!

I'd definitely recommend finding an all-inclusive venue and/ or vendors who can check off multiple boxes. We essentially planned our wedding in 8 months and were fighting the COVID wedding boom, so being able to limit how much of the vendor hunger games we had to take part in was a major help! Our venue provided catering, bar service, our cake, tables, chairs, linens, plates, silverware, and probably a bunch of other things I'm not currently thinking of, our day-of coordinator also did florals and décor, and the company we booked for photography also offered videography services. We checked off so many things with just those 3 bookings.

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This is exactly what I'm shooting for. Not really considering anything that's not all inclusive. I don't want to be bothered hunting down a bunch of vendors there are a ton around here like this I just can't seem to decide on one!

You know, most of the vendor hunt happens in the first 1-2 months. Then there's a lull where you just wait for your attire to come in and you mail out invitations. It's definitely possible. I would rely on the WW checklist, calendar print-outs to share deadlines and duties with your partner, and review wedding etiquette because you don't have to reinvent the manners wheel.

I like the other posters' advice on double-duty vendors. Rely on anything free from your venue and cross it off your list, e.g. linens, place settings, candles, menu printing, cake, parking, valet, etc. Use the internet for browsing, easy ordering, Zoom meetings. But, it's best to stay away from Pinterest and Etsy as these will suck hours out of your life and send you spinning. If you love artistic design (created by others), find your joy in invitations, fashion (incl. shoes), music playlist. If you love food, get creative with your caterer for an inspired menu. If you want romance, write your own vows, invest in candlelight (Amazon or Oriental Trading Co. bulk buys). Try to reduce the amount of "stuff" as anything brought in must be carted out, including DIY. Last, enjoy yourself. Don't worry about creating a "cookie cutter" wedding as every commitment ceremony is unique and special. Best wishes! (*I planned in 5 months during the pandemic, separate ceremony and reception venues, 150 guests with lower final count).

I'm doing a small wedding, too but with less people. I can find a venue but am not willing to pay $3000 for eight people and then have to pay for catering on top of that. What's the point of a small wedding when you still have to pay full price regardless of the number of people. I'm new to this and am not able to offer any help. Hope you'll have much better luck than I am. Congratulations!

View Quoted Comment Michele - wow. Took the words right out of my mouth. We have found plenty of venues. Our favorite, after we just sat down and did the math, would make everything come to a grand total of like 10k. We were hoping to get everything to come to like 5k. I got discouraged and said forget this lol I’ve been focusing on other things because I just can’t fathom 10k for 20 people for one day. It’s absurd. We’re kind of in a place where we don’t know where to go from here now. Considered eloping just us two but I really didn’t want to do it without our families. Ugh. The struggle.

View Quoted Comment Yes, the wedding industry is all about making money....it's the American way. Somebody ought to start a Micro-Wedding venue because there is definitely money there. I'm getting married outside at a mountain. Right now my brother will be there and possibly my fiance's sister. After all that's said and done, we're gonna head off to a nice restaurant for a meal. Back to our AirBNB to cut the cake and toast, then call it a wrap. Its a second marriage for both of us so while all the bells and whistles are nice, they aren't necessary for us. I really hope it works out for you.

Try hotel meeting rooms. It may be a little less expensive and will serve the same purpose.

I found this article on "tiny" weddings that can be planned online and offer ala carte options. Hope this link goes through: NYT 9.5.22

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Thank you Michelle! I'll take a look!

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You’re my inspiration Michelle! lol thank you for your input I definitely agree about avoiding “stuff”. That’s been something I’ve tried to keep in mind. Not having a bunch of signs, no favors, very little decor going to stick mostly to just florals.

When we were married in 1985, we'd been engaged almost 2 years and were waiting for my fiance to become more established in his career, and a few other things. When we finally decided to set the date, it was 8 weeks away. We started with places and people we knew. The ceremony was a Saturday morning in a pretty nearby church where my women's a capella chorus rehearsed in the adjacent hall, so I knew the place and the pastor. We sent out 100 invitations to the ceremony; everyone there was invited to the hall immediately after the ceremony for a champagne, fancy hors d'oeuvres, wedding cake and coffee reception. The church organist played the processional and recessional but the chorus sang a song after the vows (Irving Berlin's "All Of My Life"). They also performed at the reception, and there was our entertainment. After the reception, a few friends and relatives came to our house and we hung out in the back yard (it was a lovely day in June) and our friends made coffee and served cookies. In the evening, we had a wedding dinner for 12 of us family and close friends at a nearby elegant restaurant, in a small room overlooking their garden, which was lovely! My gown was one my friend had bought for a wedding that wasn't, and it fit me so I swapped an air conditioner I'd bought that didn't fit my window for the gown. I had a matching hat and veil made for it at a bridal shop who also cleaned the dress, then got shoes dyed to match the ivory color. My one attendant, MOH, was my brother's wife who wore a lovely print dress she already had. Hubby's friend was Best Man. Hubby's parents owned a neighborhood bar and bought the 2 or 3 cases of champagne, and a friend recommended the caterer for the hors d'oeuvres. The cake was from a local bakery & we delivered it to the hall ourselves, and the topper was a Precious Moments Bride and Groom figurine we'd gotten as a gift. We had a limo, arranged by a friend who drove one for a local funeral home, which transported us to and from the church. My inlaws drove us to the dinner in their Lincoln. We decorated the church hall ourselves. The flowers - the men's boutonnieres, and bouquets for me and the MOH were silk, made by a friend of my in-laws who had a florist/gift shop. She made fresh flower corsages for the moms. We stayed our wedding night in a hotel where an organization we belonged to was having an annual convention so we got the room at the group rate. The photographer was only there to take photos at the house and at the church. We saved a fortune and had a really lovely wedding.