One of the first questions that comes to mind when couples begin talking about starting their life together is "when should we start planning the wedding?" Well, it is never too early to start. Here are a couple of pointers if you're curious about it.
Let's start talking about your likes and dislikes. Nothing stops you from pinning away some ideas on Pinterest for the sake of inspiration. If you never planned a wedding before, you may have no idea of your own preferences when it comes to weddings. If you are not involved in the wedding industry, even answering questions from vendors may be quite overwhelming so websites like Pinterest, Zola , Offbeat Bride and Junebug Weddings are a good place to start. There, you'll see many photos of real engagements and weddings along editorials that will expand your horizon when it comes to how awesome your special day can be. And oh, let's not forget about Instagram! A great source to find vendors and planning ideas! Just search for a hashtag relevant to your wedding planning and voila!
Are you a fan of data and numbers? Here is an infografic from Zola to help convince you it is always a good time to start planning your wedding.
As you can see 60% of couples start their wedding plans before getting engaged. This is 2019, do you really want your engagement to be a random surprise or would you prefer your future to be something you and your partner discuss so you know you share the same life goals and values? An engagement is a decision both of you should make together and so are the details about your wedding and more importantly, your marriage. Another reason to start early is that the most popular vendors are usually booked with plenty of advance. If you're dreaming of a wedding during peak season catered by top vendors, you must start early. I for one, receive constant inquiries and book weddings up to 2 years in advance. Some top wedding professionals may have their calendars filled quicker than you expect. If you don't want to settle for whomever is available at the date of your choice, do your homework, shop in advance, set aside time to think about your planning decisions so you don't rush into anything.
Here is one exception to the rule: elopements. Amazing intimate weddings and elopements are super trendy right now and may be a little bit easier to plan in a short notice since it may happen pretty much any day of the week and you likely won't need as many vendors as a traditional wedding would. Yet, if you have the chance, make sure your learn what you can about how to make it as dreamy as possible to score some rad photos of your special day regardless of how many guests will be attending.
It is a great idea to hire a photographer for your proposal or engagement as you definitely want to capture the moment forever. However, I am also a super fan of truly spontaneous and genuine moments which may not leave a lot of room to get a photographer to hide behind the bushes pronto (sometimes literally) while you propose. So what are your options? I recommend an engagement session with the wedding photographer of your choice. E-sessions are often included in wedding photography packages, but even if they aren`t, you may be able to get a special rate when you book the wedding with the same photographer. For these photoshoots you get to plan your outfits, discuss location options with your photographer, sample their work first hand and get comfortable in from of the camera using it as a warm up/practice for the wedding day. Another awesome advantage is that you get to use the photos in wedding details or in your save the date. A good tip is to book an engagement shoot at least 2 months before you need to have access to the images. While sometimes you may be lucky enough to get sneak peeks in less than 24 hours, during high wedding season, it may take several weeks to get the photos back and be able to sort through the gallery to choose the best images to use. As a matter of fact, I love when my clients book me for their wedding and immediately choose a date, location and style of their engagement session after our consultation. As I said, I love spontaneity, but booking things ahead allow me to plan it properly, lowering your stress levels (and mine) so we have plenty of time for all the fun stuff.
Lastly, a major question couples have is what should I book first? I`d say, first decide on an approximate date/timeframe for the wedding to happen and narrow down your dream venue. Your wedding date will likely depend on the venue availability and if you are absolutely firm on the date, you may have to be flexible about your venue options. Spring and Fall tend to be peak seasons for me as a photographer and for many venues due to the mild weather and either beautiful flowers or unique leaf colors outdoors and it may be hard or nearly impossible to hire your preferred vendors if you wait until there are less than six months until the wedding. For traditional size weddings, I would recommend start looking for vendors from 6 months to 2 years in advance. The sooner the better. Once you have your date down and the venue booked, is time to lock in your favorite photographer! And hopefully, it is me! Wink Wink... Time to email frykmanphotography@gmail.com to get your price guide and get the ball rolling. Book your engagement session (complimentary with most wedding packages) and head to Zola.com to design your wedding website now!
Sources: Zola.com
Photography: Nathalia Frykman Photography LLC
Photographed by Nathalia Frykman Photography LLC
Nathalia Frykman Photography LLC is a team of photographers specialized in wedding photography based in the Atlanta area, GA, USA. Photographing alternative, destination and intimate weddings and elopements is what we love most! Follow us on www.Instagram.com/frykmanphotography and www.facebook.com/frykmanphotography to see more and learn about our specials. Our studio is currently located in Roswell, GA and consultation appointments are available upon request. We value our multicultural clients and are proud LGBTQ+ allies.