You have a ring, a fiancé, and a new planning journey ahead of you. (WAHOO!) the hardest part can sometimes be just knowing where to start, so here goes nothing.

Read on to see the top 5 vendors to book first. These are also the vendors we recommend making sure are available before solidifying a date.

1. A wedding planner of course! (11+ months out)
Now as professional wedding planners, of course we’re a little bias. But let us tell you WHY:

A wedding planner will get you venue rates and will set up venue tours for you (another priority vendor as you’ll see below!)
Hiring a Wedding Planner is investing in peace of mind that nothing will be forgotten, mishaps will be resolved, friends and family can relax on the day, and your time leading up to your wedding is not spent on the nitty gritty details that stress you out.
We’ve been chatting for months, maybe even a YEAR. We know the exact layout of your wedding, who is supposed to be where and when, that you wanted a memory bouquet right by the gift box, we know who is dismissing your tables, the order of the toasts, we’ll communicate with vendors so you don’t have to answer calls in the middle of getting your hair done, and we’ll solve a problem before it’s a problem yet.
You probably have a million people asking to help - and you want to involve them! You have the helpers, we have the delegation skills.
You may not be able to get into your venue before the big day - and trust us - time seems to evaporate that day! Don’t fret - we’ll do 124 run-throughs of your venue to ensure the placement and measurements are perfection.

If you’ve outlined your budget, and it only allows for a Month - of Coordinator – that is okay! We do still recommend booking them as soon as you can.

psst - download our FREE wedding planning checklist to help guide you through planning until we meet back up before the big day!

2. Venue (11+ months out)

3 big reasons on why you should prioritize this vendor :

1. These suckers book up FAST. Especially if you’re getting married in the peak of wedding season (May - October)

2. The venue is a huge part of your budget. Getting this established will guide the rest of your budgeting. (don’t forget to ask about a bar fee, security, cleaning fee, tablecloths rates etc. Ask for a breakdown of what is all included)

3. Your venue will affect the overall style of your wedding day! We highly recommend brainstorming the style and color palette of your wedding before choosing your venue. This will save you money in the long run – you don’t want to spend more to alter the venue’s style!

3. Photographer and Videographer (10-12 months)

It’s important to book vendors that have a specific person since they can only take one wedding per day. Do your research (or pay us to get you rates!), take into consideration their style, price, and personality – and when you’re ready, BOOK EM!

4. Catering (8-10 months)

Let’s give the people what they want – FOOD. If catering isn’t included at your venue, you’ll want to get to researching some local caterers. It’s also important to consider how important food is to you for your wedding – if it’s a low priority, stick with the more affordable options. If it’s important to you, find your favorite option and ball out! This is crucial to consider because the food can drastically increase your budget, especially if you have a lot of guests. Just be careful who you put in charge of delivering your food.

5. Floral and Event Design (8-10 months)

Now this is where the beauty really comes together! The design vendors for your wedding can be a large portion of your budget, so be sure to get a breakdown of what you’ll be renting and any other design costs. Does your rental decorator charge to design your day for you? How much is it for them to set up and tear down the wedding? Can you get into your venue the day before to decorate yourself, or do you need to pay someone?

You may be able to wait on meeting about specifics with your florist until it gets a bit closer, but we do recommend meeting with your wedding designer/rental decorator upon booking to see exactly what rentals you’ll want.

We’re partnered with Art and Andy Vintage for full wedding design. We LOVE their work, my oh my! Ask us about our referral discounts we can get for you.

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Once these vendors are booked, sit back and celebrate! You’re on your way to a beautiful and well-planned out wedding day – we can just tell you’re a smart bride if you’re reading this.

Want someone to do all the research, price negotiations, budgeting and timeline for you? Reach out and chat with us! Happy planning, almost Mrs.!