Wedding advice needed

1) You should ask your bridesmaids/MOH 6-8 months before the wedding. Too far out and you run the risk of changes in relationships.
2) Save the Dates should also be sent 6-8 months before the wedding, but can be pushed out to a year if you’re having a destination wedding or tons of out of state guests. I say 9-10 months is safe all around.
3) You should figure out how much money you can save each month after you’ve paid your bills and put money into your savings. This will determine your budget. Don’t overextend yourselves for an optional party by having a wedding you can’t afford.
4) Planning a honeymoon would be just the same as planning any other trip/vacation. It doesn’t need to be taken right after your wedding. I know people who have done theirs months later.
5) Look up some templates online to help you. Remember the vows are what you’re promising to your FS, so feel free to make them personal, but also sincere.

These forums have great ideas all around, so feel free to reach out! Good luck!

1. When do you ask your bridesmaids/MOH? I asked at our engagement party officially, like 2.5 months after getting engaged, but my best friend knew it was coming. One of my MOHs is my best friend of like 20 years and the other is my cousin so I wasn’t worried about relationships changing. They have both been super helpful and supportive and willing to help so much, I feel so blessed.
2. When do you send out save the dates? I plan to send them out about 10-11 months in advance because every person invited has to travel 2+ hours to the venue and will need overnight accommodations, so I want everyone to have time to plan. Typically people suggest 6-8 months for local 10-12 for destination.
3. How do you put money aside when you have bills ontop of everything else? Budgeting realistically and cutting extra costs. FH and I rarely go out to eat, Which has been one of the biggest things for us saving over the past couple years. I used to be very much of the “I have money and I want it” mindset, and I’ve had to prioritize.
4. How do you plan a honeymoon and do you have to go right after youre married? We will just do a short trip near where we are getting married for a couple days after the wedding and plan to do a longer honeymoon in a couple years. Focus on what kind of experiences you and your FH want and go from there picking a destination. FH and I aren’t beach people and FH hates cruise ships, which are the typical honeymoons I see people plan. Do whatever you two want to do. My FH’s dream trip is a road trip to visit all of the major league baseball parks. My dream trip is Ireland and France. We’ll make it to both eventually 😉.
5. HOW TO WRITE VOWS? So my method for writing anything when I feel stuck is to just get everything out- words, phrases, it doesn’t need to make sense just write down everything that comes to mind. Once you get everything out you’ll start seeing patterns and things that obviously go together and you can rework your ideas into sentences. I’m not opposed to being inspired by other people’s vows, but the point is just to make sure it’s from the heart, so if it helps to see how others have arranged things Pinterest has tons of examples.

1. I would ask them now so they have a year to save and plan. I asked mine almost a year and a half in advance.
2. I would send them out soon as well. We are getting married June 2020 and are having out e-photos done the beginning of Sept. and they will be going out as soon as I can (hopefully the end of Sept.)
3. Its tough. But you should plan the wedding you can afford. Some people I know took out a loan or have a "wedding credit card" so they could pay for their wedding and are still paying for it. I am lucky enough to be the oldest/ only daughter and the first of the grandchildren and first to marry so my parents and grandparents are paying for most of it. I have an Etsy and Amazon wish list for things I want and as I find I have extra money I purchase them. Its all about budget.
4. You don't have to go right after your married. We still haven't booked anything yet because we cant decide where we want to go! lol
5. We are not writing our own vows. We are having a friend officiate and are going to have him write something funny and sweet. We aren't really sappy people and don't like to public speak so we opted not to do it. Its probably for the better we would be crying trying to say them lol.

Welcome to the WeddingWire community Sabrina! It’s so great to have you join us!

Congratulations on your engagement!

So you have already gotten some great answers to your questions and I really hope that they are helpful to you!

Just to reiterate, you can pretty much ask your BMs to be in your wedding party at any time from now going forward. Have you made a final decision about who you would like to stand with you?

There is a great article in the Ideas section that will be able to help you out with your Save the Dates - When to Send Save the Dates

There are so many great articles here so you should definitely check it out and poke around it!!

You certainly don’t have to plan your honeymoon for the minute your wedding is over! You have plenty of time to figure out a plan that suits you and your SO’s timeline! Have you given any thought to what your dream honeymoon would be?