This might sound funny coming from a wedding planner, but it is possible to organize a fantastic wedding in just a couple of months. My husband and I, in fact, planned our wedding quickly. Sure, we had the advantage of established connections in the industry, but given the right timing and organization, this rapid turn-around is possible for anyone.
To start, I suggest following the schedule we outlined in our planning series, keeping in mind that there are two big differences if you want to move quickly. The first is to get married in the off-season from mid-October to mid-May, since during peak season the best vendors are usually booked months out. Second, stick close to your priorities, since you won’t have time to indulge every little ideal.
Some crucial tools that facilitate quick planning would be Evites and other virtual invitations such as a wedding website since you need to know how many guests to expect before you can book a venue and some of your vendors. Another great tool for a rapid turnaround is our new French’s Point App, which lists all of our preferred vendors and is downloadable for free from iTunes.
With these expedited celebrations, the availability of the dress can be one of the biggest challenges for last-minute weddings. You have to find one, which is doable, but then you have to make sure you can get the dress & get it altered before your wedding day. The other big challenge is to secure your key vendors – especially popular performers and photographers. Vendors being booked up can really stymie your plans, but the good news is that if you catch a vendor on the off-season, you’ll often get off-season discounts. On top of that, if you book just weeks out, vendors will often offer lower rates to close holes in their calendar. Keep in mind, though, that the latest you can usually book vendors is three weeks before the wedding. Anything closer than that and you’ll likely be out of luck.
So, for an eight-week wedding, I suggest following my planning tips, aiming for the off-season, and making sure right away that your key providers are available. From there, you should be able to move quickly to put all of your pieces in place for the big day, and you will be enjoying wedded bliss in a hurry!