A Tale as Old as Time: Taming the Wedding Planning Beast

Hello Gorgeous!

If you’ve been planning your wedding for all of about 5 minutes and you’re probably already overwhelmed, you’re not alone. Planning a wedding can feel like a whole new beast, but one of the best ways to manage (besides working with a CWP) is by chunking tasks into bite-sized pieces so that they’re easier to manage. Whether you’re newly engaged or you’re literally just a girl who’s dreaming of the perfect day, having a realistic timeline helps ensure nothing is missed. Add a wedding planner who knows where to start, and now you’re cookin'! Let’s take a look at a basic timeline for a 12-month engagement, with notes on which vendors go fast (especially here in Memphis).

Every fairytale love story deserves a beautiful beginning. Let’s step into the planning process and start creating a wedding that feels timeless, intentional, and entirely you.

12+ Months Out: Your Story, Your Setting & Your Storytellers

The first step in wedding planning is all about the celebration of your love! You’re planning this wedding for a reason, and it’s not for The Gram (although highlighting your love is definitely Instagram-worthy). Enjoy all of the excitement pouring in from those around you, and then once the confetti lands, it’s time to start figuring out what you want your day to look like and locking in those pieces that are gonna bring it to life.

Most timelines will suggest that you find your venue first, which makes sense from a logistical point of view. But there are many factors that go into choosing a venue other than how pretty it is, and it can be overwhelming if you don’t know what you need or what your options are. The best way to avoid questioning your every move is to hire a wedding planner first. Planners know the right questions to ask you in order to save you tons of time and energy.

“The best way to avoid questioning your every move is to hire a wedding planner first.”

Now, your perfect venue can be dependent on a few numbers, such as budget and guest count. Memphis has some of the most stunning, classic, and historical locations- but they book up fast, which is why it's so important to spend your time wisely and lock in your wedding date as soon as possible. Once your venue is booked, everything else has a place to fall.

With a venue secured, it’s time to talk shop- photoshop, that is. In Memphis, wedding photographers are often booked 12+ months in advance, especially during peak wedding seasons (spring and fall). Photos are one of the only tangible things you get to walk away with, so this is a vendor that should be at the top of your priority list.

9-11 Months Out: Beauty and the Feast

Because hair and makeup is a “day of” item, many brides leave it towards the end of their planning journey. But it’s actually really important that you book your beauty team as soon as possible for a couple of reasons: 1) Hair and makeup artists in Memphis are in high demand. If you have a specific artist in mind, don’t wait. 2)Your wedding day timeline and overall vibe starts with your beauty team. Hiring the right team can jumpstart your magical day in a way you wouldn’t believe! Make this a priority.

This is also a great time to start looking at your wedding attire- for you, your fiance, and your wedding party if you have one. Make it a fun experience, tease each other with sneak peeks, and don’t forget to be in the moment. Remember that customized designs and alterations can take 6-8 months, so starting early helps relieve any time-related stress.

Your next big vendor is catering. Start exploring your catering options and scheduling tastings- make it a fun date for you and your partner! Remember that guest count and catering budget go hand in hand - you’ll see this very clearly around this part of the planning journey.

5-8 Months Out: Be Our Guest

The guest experience is one of the easiest things to visualize, but actually making it happen is a different story! Most venues have tables and chairs, but when you want to create a memorable experience for yourself and your guests, rentals go beyond that. Linens, soft seating, dance floor- do you need a stage or tent lighting? Are you a live music couple or a DJ couple? It’s a lot, I know. Don’t worry though, your Certified Wedding Planner will know exactly how to take your vision pieces and put them together for a stunning and cohesive look (& within your budget)!

Something you know that your wedding planner doesn’t? Your guest list. These are your favorite people, so of course you know them! This is a great window for you to create your wedding website, send out save the dates, and start thinking about invitations. If you’re hosting a destination wedding or have a lot of out-of-town guests, you might want to start thinking about travel accommodations and hotel blocks so that you can put that information on your website and in your invitations.

You’ve made a ton of decisions at this point in the process, and you might be losing momentum. That’s where you schedule something fun, like your engagement photos or a cake tasting. There probably isn’t anything as sweet as your love for your partner, but getting together to taste cake and discuss your magical day comes pretty close.

1-4 Months Out: The Finale

One day, you’ll look at your calendar and see that your countdown has gotten so much smaller! The day is almost here, and you’re down to the nitty-gritty details. It’s time to choose menu selections, finalize rentals, and confirm your design plan. Begin scheduling final fittings and beauty trials, if you haven’t already. Invitations are going out, and people are hounding you about a timeline for the day of. (But really, that’s what your wedding planner is there for, right?) Your CWP is also there to have those final meetings with vendors and confirm details, item counts, drop-off and pick-up times.

Suddenly, all that’s left for you to do is head down to the county clerk’s office with your sweetheart and get that marriage license!

A month out from the big day, you should be able to relax. Schedule a couples massage or go down memory lane together and get ready to celebrate like never before. Lean on your Wedding Planner and feel confident that everything is handled.

Like we mentioned earlier, wedding planning is a beast. And each wedding is so unique to each individual couple, that it’s hard to have a “one size fits all” timeline. Hiring a Wedding Planner will help curate a customized experience for you and your partner, allowing you to fully embrace the “its OUR wedding” mentality, and avoid decision fatigue and overspending.