If you’ve started on the fantastic journey of planning your dream wedding, you might be wondering how early is too early to start planning. While every couple has their own unique needs and desires for their big day, it’s safe to say that starting to think about your spring 2023 wedding now and booking solid dates is a wise move.
Give yourself enough time to plan and choose what you both agree on and feel good about your choice of venue and other vendors that will make your wedding day a success. Those key early decisions will leave you enough time for other important stuff later in the year like picking out bridal party dresses or planning your honeymoon and first dance!
Here are some of the ideas to start planning now if you’re getting married in the spring of 2023.
1. Partner Up on Research & Inspiration
One of the greatest things about planning early is that you don’t have to feel rushed and make last-minute decisions. Instead, you can just take your time and do your research. Check out sites like Pinterest together as a couple and jot down a list of things that you’d like to see make an appearance on your big day. Things like the floral blooms you want to use, colors for the linens and bridal party attire, maybe a hairstyle or veil you like. You can also find lots of information on upcoming color trends, dress styles and even themes to consider for 2023. Once you have some solid ideas you can start reaching out to vendors such as venue, florist, makeup artist, photographer, and others to discuss how they might be a good fit for you to make your vision come to life.
2. Book Your Venue
Perhaps one of the most important items on your list to get squared away early is the venue. It’s not only the place where you’ll be hosting your big event, but it will also determine the size of your guest list, your budget and even the day you’ll actually be getting married. Take the time to read online reviews, do your own research and book appointments to see the venue location and talk to the caterers and event staff to ensure you feel comfortable. Sample the food and service. The best venues offer tastings or “mock weddings” and having great food and service are essential to make your day truly memorable. Keep in mind that many of the most sought-after locations will book-up fast and far in advance so if you want a chance to host your wedding at an exclusive and elite venue, you need to give yourself enough time to book it.
3. Start the Guest list
Another big part of the wedding day planning that’s going to take some time is the guest list. Once you have your venue, you’ll know how many guests you can invite. Then you can start big and edit, tweak and solidify the guest list. As a general rule, 80 percent of guests will accept your invitation. It’s best to start that early on the process. Between seating charts, ordering the invitations and handling RSVPs and food choices, there’s a lot that goes into making your wedding guests enjoy your big day as well. The sooner you start to think about who you’ll invite and manage that list, the less stress you’ll have as the big day inches closer.
4. Enjoy the Ride
Once you have some of these bigger items on the list squared away, you can actually clear your mind and focus on enjoying the ride a bit more. After all, this is the day you’ve been dreaming about your whole life. You want to be sure you cherish every moment of the process.