The Order of Booking Your Wedding Vendors

Experienced planners know the best vendors to hire, and they can score you great rates and negotiate watertight contracts.

Your venue will set the overall tone and look for your event. It can influence everything from your budget and guest list to smaller details like your menu and floral decor. You’ll want to reserve your venue ASAP, especially if your wedding is in a major city, where dates can book up as much as 1 (or even 2) years in advance.

Most of wedding dresses are custom-made. It may take 9 to 12 months to order. And once your dress arrives, it’s going to have to be altered — usually several times.

If you are considering a special officiant, you will want to book him or her as soon as you have a wedding date to make sure he or she is available.

Many of top photographers are in high demand and they can only work one wedding in a day. It’s a good idea to look at photographers early in the planning process since some are booked a year or more in advance.

Many couples book their wedding venue and caterer in tandem with each other, since they often take up the largest portion of the budget. And many caterers can only handle a limited number of weddings in a given weekend.

A band or DJ can only do one event in a day so the good ones will get booked early. They play a significant role in getting guests’ energy up and ensure that the dance floor is packed all night long.

Most of couples will meet with florists anywhere from a year to 6 months out. By this point, they’ve decided the budget, selected wedding date, venue, and theme. These components can significantly influence the types of arrangements they ultimately choose.

Couples should book their cake backer about 6 to 3 months in advance, which ensures that they have booked all the other main details and definitively decided the vision of their wedding day.

You’ll want to begin searching videography at least 6 months before the wedding to ensure you have a range of options available to you.

Popular stylists can book up 6 months to a year in advance, so if you have a great recommendation or have been admiring an stylist’s work, reach out now.

If you’re getting married in May or June, then you may have to book your transportation sooner, as you’re competing with proms and graduations around that time. Most couples book their limo about 3 months from their wedding date.

There are usually plenty of ceremony musicians available so you can wait until about 3 months out from the wedding, unless you have your eye on a particular ensemble that might be in higher demand.

There are so many invitation vendors to choose from and you can plan to do this later in the planning process. However, if you are having invitations custom designed, you want to start the process about 5 to 4 months from the wedding date.

Most of lighting companies can handle multiple events in one day and they set up ahead of time, their availability is not very limited.

Most rental companies will have enough items in stock to accommodate your wedding, so you shouldn’t have problems making a reservation closer to the wedding.