When to buy the little things?!

I started ordering all the "extras" and little things about four months beforehand. I think that was plenty of time for shopping around, shipping time, etc. A lot of it I had researched beforehand so more or less knew what I wanted, but was just leery of ordering too soon given COVID.

I feel like you can order these things at any time before the wedding. It really just depends what kind of planner you are!

I like to have things checked off and done lol. So I already have my bridal party gifts for the day of. We also have blankets for our outside ceremony. I've already bought Thank You cards. I'm going to start printing off our table signs soon, but will wait till after we get an accurate guest count for table numbers and the table chart/place cards. I also plan on getting our alternative guest book within the next few months. (either framed photo with white border for signing, or a wooden sign with our last name on it)

It just puts me at ease the more I have checked off lol. It's nice to know that I don't have a large list of things to get when the wedding date gets closer!

For the little things that you don't need to rely on guest count for (such as, the sand for the unity ceremony), those can be purchased well ahead of time or whenever you're ready to buy them so that it's one less expense later on and one less thing on the to-do list. For anything that relies on guest count, check to see the estimate on how long it would take to receive it once you place the order, and use that timing to determine when to order (probably give yourself at least a 2-3 week buffer just in case of delays). Use your best guess of guest count at the time you order (if it's before RSVP cards are due back).

View Quoted Comment I agree with you on that! That those are what im thinking for a guest book alternative too, just want to make sure its big enough for everyone to sign. I guess i was just wondering if there was anything that had to wait until i had RSVP’s back?

View Quoted Comment

I think for like the favor tags you could wait till you get a more accurate head count!

View Quoted Comment Ok thanks! That makes sense if it doesn’t matter about the guest count. I was fine til now but the little things have me stressing a little bit lol

I've just ordered things over time! One of the Etsy shops I love had a sale on signs, so I've ordered those pretty early. If I see something while I'm just browsing, I'll buy it now! Some little things should probably wait, like name plates for dinner if you are doing those - just so you'll have a final guest list to go off of! Little decorations here and there are totally fine to buy further out. If I see a good deal, I'm buying!

View Quoted Comment It's always the little things, lol! Before my fiance and I postponed our wedding from our original date, I never realized how many "little things" we still needed to buy. So we were like 2 months out before the wedding, and I was scrambling around, suddenly remembering everything we still had to find (table numbers, vow books, miscellaneous signs, etc), and it felt so overwhelming. Make a list of everything you still need, and slowly start acquiring everything and crossing things off the list. That helped me keep organized and less overwhelmed. You've got this!

View Quoted Comment Sorry you had to postpone it. Yes, I should make a list! Thank you! Is there anything you DIY? Like ceremony programs if you did those or anything?

View Quoted Comment We DIYed centerpieces, but that was pretty much it. We were going to do ceremony programs, but then realized after we attended a family member's wedding that so many people just left them on their chairs after the ceremony, and since our ceremony is outside, we didn't want paper littering our venue's lawn. There are a lot of templates on Etsy for the ceremony programs though - check them out! You can always print them yourself or at Staples or somewhere. That should help keep the costs down.

We started buying the little things pretty early. If I knew we were going to need it, I went ahead and purchased it so 1- I didn’t forget and 2- it spread out our spending. I did not want to wait until the last minute and dish out a bunch of money at once.

As far as thee tags for favors, how late can you order those and receive them one time? If you can get them in time, I would wait until you have your RSVP’s in.

So I guesstimated and ordered everything upfront; my wedding is July 5th. I have the favors already, the stationary I am ordering this week. The only think I need to get is the placement cards, and we are doing acrylic ones so those are based on the guest count. Try and get as many things as possible upfront— things are going to add up on the back end and at least these would be out the way.

Get them as soon as you can I started last fall and I swear my inventory list feels like it’s never getting smaller 🥴 also things go out of stock so quickly right when you need them and it’s the worst.