Six Tips to Planning a Wedding in Less than Six Months

Are you the spontaneous type? Or the couple that are ready to immediately dive in and begin your lives together? A lot of couples who need to have a short timeline, or chose a short timeline by personal choice, may think that the only feasible option is to elope. Now, don’t get me wrong, we are always down for an elopement. Eloping is adventurous, can be friendly on the pocket, and get the job done – but some couples still want to opt for the big, traditional, wedding day event. Yes, it’s possible, but we definitely have recommendations for couples that chose this route for their wedding day. Let’s talk about how to plan and execute your wedding in less than six months. 

01: Hire the wedding planner you’ve always wanted. 
My first recommendation is going to be simple - hire that wedding planner you’ve always wanted. Wedding planners are an option for any bride, but for our last minute brides, or brides that want to tie the knot quickly, hiring a wedding planner would be key to handle all of the details and ensure your wedding dreams are possible. Wedding planners have a network of people. They know vendors personally and professionally and can navigate the short timeline through their network. Not only do they know the ins and out of the industry, but they will support all of the execution, from hiring to coordinating the details on the day of. They will decrease your stress and support you through the process.

02: Book ASAP!
Once you’ve set the date, start looking at venues and book as soon as possible. Many couples book months or even years in advance. You’re going to be in competition with many other couples and you may need to call around for cancellations. Please keep in mind that your options may be limited. You may need to expand your thinking and look into different options for venues. Get creative with your venues and find something that fits your needs and budget. Once your venue is booked, you’ll need to hire your other vendors. Book your most important vendors first, such as photographers, and caterers. 

03: Say yes, to the dress.
Now that the heavy details are complete, start searching for your dress and wedding party attire. Depending on the designer and dress you chose, you may have a few month wait in shipping and delivery time. If you’re lucky, sometimes designers or companies may have a backstock of the dress you chose. Our recommendation is to choose stores that have the opportunity to buy off the rack. Stores like David’s Bridal, or even small bridal boutiques, have the option to purchase dresses off the rack. So, call around and see what is available. Check to see if your size is offered in store and if there is an opportunity to buy the dress off the rack. Once purchased, you can choose to alter in store, or take your dress to an alterations company. Don’t wait to alter your dress, depending on the style and the alternation needs, you may have to have several alterations over the course of a few weeks or months. 

04: Notify your guests. 
Decide and make a plan to notify your guests of your upcoming nuptials. An efficient and quick way to send out save the dates are through digital invitations. Many wedding website companies or invitation companies offer the option to send your save the date via text messaging or email. If you want to send your save the dates and invites the old-fashioned way, through the postal service, there are a few considerations you’ll need to take. First, if you know you’re going to have a lot of guests traveling to your wedding, be sure to let them know as far in advance so they can plan air fare, travel and accommodations. Create your save the dates, send them off as soon as possible. Giving your guests ample time to make arrangements, will most likely give them more of an opportunity and a way to attend your wedding. Now, for your invites, don’t worry about sending those out until six weeks prior to your event. You’ve got time for that! 

05: Set realistic wedding party expectations. 
If you’ve been a part of a wedding party before, you know that there are set expectations if you chose to participate. Not only do you have to purchase the attire for the wedding day, but you are a part of the upcoming wedding festivities such as a bachelorette party and the bridal shower. And let’s not forget if you have to travel to the wedding from afar. If you chose to have a wedding party, before you ask your friends and loved ones, decide your expectations first. You don’t want your wedding party to be slammed with last minute expenses. Be respectful of the financial responsibilities and the time frame. Spending $1,000 may not be feasible for your friends. So stick to a budget and think about your wedding party. The short time frame may be difficult to navigate for some. So be sure to set realistic and budget-friendly wedding party expectations for your wedding party. 

06: Keep it simple!
When it comes to the details of your wedding day, keep it simple. With such a short timeline, you may not have time to plan an extravagant affair. Be precise with your planning and your overall vision for your wedding ceremony and reception. Think about what is actually doable with your time frame, that means having fifty DIY projects may not be in your future (unless you’re Martha Stewart). Talk with your planner and see what is manageable to create and execute for your wedding day. Be sure everything you order can be in advance. You don’t want any mishaps with the decor or false realities in what was ordered. Focus on what is a necessity, order it or purchase it, and make it doable for the day of. 

Now, it is totally doable to plan a wedding in a short time. We’ve even planned some weddings in just a few months. If you focus on the “must haves”, delegate some help, and hire a planner – your dream wedding can and will come true. Just remember to keep it simple, book the venue and vendors first, and knock out the most important details in a timely manner. If you’re a couple looking to tie the knot in less than a year, reach out to a member of our team! We’d love to help you make some magic happen. 

Lori Losee is the owner of Elegant Affairs, a Seattle Wedding Planner with over 17 years of experience. We create awe-inspiring experiences—Events filled with meaning and refined elegance. Behind the scenes, our experienced team collaborates on each stage of the process, executing your vision and a wedding, celebration, or corporate event that is unique to you.

The Backup Plan

You may or may not be the backup plan kind of a person. Maybe you’re the person that flies by the seat of their pants, or just worries about problems as they come. Or hey, maybe you work better under pressure. But, take it from our team, you’re going to want a back-up plan, or a plan b for your wedding day. Even though you’ve planned all of the details out to a tee, things happen. We’ve been in this industry for almost two decades and we’ve seen our fair share of turn of events. From sudden downpours, lost wedding party members, or late vendors - it’s vital to have a plan b. Let’s talk about some of the most common wedding mishaps and options for creating a backup plan, and most importantly how to execute it. 

So, you’ve planned your wedding ceremony and reception for July or August. You’re thinking that summer weather should be beautiful and there should be nothing but blue skies and sunshine. Well, the weather is unpredictable. That sunny event that you have planned, may have a last minute summer storm, or you may need to quickly call vendors to patch together a bad weather plan. And to be honest, this is one of the most common back up plans that we have to execute on the day of.  If you’re planning an outside ceremony, at any point of the year, be sure to ask the venue what your options are for bad weather. Many venues may have options for back-up plans, such as moving the event inside, or using the same space for ceremony and the reception. Another option is building a bad weather option into your initial plan. Hiring a vendor that provides tents can be an easy fix. You can plan to have your reception tented and if the weather takes a turn for the south, you can easily move the ceremony inside the tent and flip the room if necessary. If there are no other options and your wedding will be held outside no matter what, prep a few items to help in case rain decides to make an appearance. Preparing towels, umbrellas, and blankets and having these items on hand will make sure that your guests, and you, can still enjoy your wedding day as dry as possible. 

Some of our couples chose to have their ceremonies and receptions in different locations. Sometimes they are in the same neighborhood, other times they require a commute to get to and from each venue. Plan your transportation carefully and look at traffic trends for the day of the week your event is on. We’ve had wedding parties get lost on the way to ceremonies or receptions, and we’ve even had folks go to the wrong location. You’ll want to sit down and address any transportation issues that may come up. Check out the route prior to the wedding to eliminate any confusion for the day of. Use applications such as Waze to nail your timing down and be sure to communicate clearly with your guests, vendors, and wedding party. Also, be sure that your city or area has accessible means of transportation for out of town guests. Some towns, such as Austin, don’t have ride sharing programs accessible in all areas. Be sure your guests and wedding party know the options for transportation prior to the day of. 

Now, one of our worst fears is having a vendor be late or an act of God occurs with a vendor we’re working with. We’ve had weddings, where we’ve had vendors make honest mistakes, and overbook, have the wrong dates, or just get lost. We cannot stress enough, communicate with your vendors a few weeks out to confirm. Then, confirm again one week out and then the day before. When you confirm with your vendors, confirm the day of the week, date, time, their expected time of arrival, and who their point of contact will be for the day of. Oftentimes, vendors are working multiple events and send out different members of their staff. You want the contact point for who will be working your event and ensure there is a way to effectively reach them. There are simple fixes for some vendors, such as using your personal device or bluetooth speaker to DJ the night away. But, some will definitely take some creatively. So, to avoid a plan B, be sure to confirm, confirm, and confirm! 

Last, communicate all of the details with your wedding party and your wedding coordinator. You want to make sure that there are people working behind the scenes, to solve any problems that may come up. You don’t want to be the point person who handles all of the details on the day of. Print off your timelines, have your vendor contact list printed, and hand it over to your capable helpers. All of the vendors should talk to your point of contact on the day of, not you. You don’t want to be handling a mishap before you walk down the aisle. And to be honest, one of the biggest perks of hiring a wedding planner or coordinator, is you have a point of contact person and you will have support to handle any minor or major disasters that happen along the way. 

Whatever backup plans, or plan b you may develop, ensure that the decisions are made and there is a date set where all decisions need to be made by on the day of. You don’t want to delay the ceremony or reception due to scrambling to figure out a plan. Or stress yourself out, over work your team and or wedding party, leading up to the joyous wedding day. So, when your wedding day begins, if you have any inkling of changing plans last minute, set that deadline and make your decision. Most importantly, stick to that decision and don’t change it up at the last minute. This can cause confusion and chaos for your guests and vendors. So, create that backup plan and be prepared for what can happen. Be firm and set deadlines on the day of. And don’t forget to breathe and have fun - you’re tying the knot after all! 

Lori Losee is the owner of Elegant Affairs, a Seattle Wedding Planner with over 17 years of experience. We create awe-inspiring experiences—Events filled with meaning and refined elegance. Behind the scenes, our experienced team collaborates on each stage of the process, executing your vision and a wedding, celebration, or corporate event that is unique to you.

What's the difference?

Seattle Wedding Planners Tiphany and Lori at an open house

You’re engaged- one of the first things a lot of people ask – are you going to hire a planner? In the wedding industry clients hear a lot of the same buzz words, such as wedding planner, wedding coordinator, day of coordinator, and on-site or venue coordinator. When couples begin the planning process, there can be some confusion on what kind of person you will need and what level of support you will need to have a successful day. You may be unsure if you will need support with planning or just on the wedding day. So, let us break it down for you. Let’s talk – what’s the difference between it all? 

The classic decision maker in the wedding planning process, is a traditional wedding planner. Think Jennifer Lopez and the wedding planner – going to venues with the clients, handling phone calls, working closely with the couple, and handling all of the details on the wedding day. The wedding planner is essentially your right hand gal or guy. A wedding planner supports your decision making, from large details - such as your wedding vendors, to minor elements, like searching for a cake topper. Oftentimes, wedding planners can work on design aspects such as florals, invites, layouts, and guest accommodations. Wedding planners also work directly with managing your overall budget, handling communication between vendors and couples, and coordinating all of the details on the day of. So, in reality, JLO’s duties are parallel to what a wedding planner really does. A wedding planner handles it all from start to finish. From creation of budgets, themes, details, to making sure your day is perfect. A wedding planner is the full package. 

Now, a day of coordinator, or a wedding coordinator, focuses on the logistics of your day. Most of the time, companies offer a day of coordinator as an alternative to a full blown wedding planner. A day of coordinator is meant for the couples that have all, or most, of the planning and details organized, but they need some extra hands to coordinate the affair. Coordinators focus on logistics, how the day will run, creating and executing a timeline for the day and making sure that all of your details come together on the wedding day. Yes, coordinators can have contact with your vendors on the day of, but typically wedding companies have parameters set, to ensure that they are only used for logistical or execution purposes leading up to the day of and on the wedding day. That being said, there is a large price difference between a wedding planner and a wedding coordinator. Wedding coordinators can be more accessible and affordable for couples, or for couples that just need extra support with “making it all happen.” 

Most venues have an on-site coordinator or a day of coordinator. Now, we highly advise that you ask your venue on the exact duties of these individuals. In our experience, we’ve met many on-site coordinators over the years. And let me tell you, their levels of support vary from venue to venue. Some coordinators are there to simply open the door, turn on the lights, make sure the venue is intact and close the doors at the end of the night. Other on-site coordinators will help with setting up decor or room arrangements. While some venues offer services that support arranging decor and flipping the room between ceremony and reception. These in-house coordinators may have varying levels of support, so be sure to ask your venue and read your contract for further clarification. 

Now, when it comes to deciding what level of support you need on the day of, there are a few factors that come to mind. 

  • How hands-on do you want to be?

    • This is the key question. Some of our clients want all hands on deck, with every detail and project. These couples may need more logistics support rather than planning support. If you’re the couple that wants to sit back, relax, and let someone else handle the details for you, hiring a full wedding planner may be the way to go. So, think about how involved in the process you want to be and determine the level of support that you will need. You can always book a smaller package and then work your way up to full planning if need be, but be realistic with what you are able to accomplish. 

  • Who can realistically help?

    • When they say it takes a village, it takes a village. Weddings can take multiple hands and a small community to run. As you think about what type of individual to hire, and what level of support you will need, think about the support you have in your current circle. Will you have support with going to meetings, purchasing and creating a theme or details? Will you have support setting up on the day of? Sometimes, we have clients that have friends and families who are fully willing to help every step of the way, therefore they only need us to execute the day off. Other times, we have couples who need support throughout the process. 

  • What can your budget afford? 

    • Yes, you need to create a section of your budget for wedding support. This will help determine what level of planning you can afford. Wedding planners can cost significantly more than a day of coordinator. Ask for a consultation and to view the company’s packages and determine what you are able to afford. 

The good news is the industry is filled with various levels of support. At Elegant Affairs we always tell our clients we are here to help you with as little to as much as you need. Packages can always be adjusted to fit the needs of clients, because we are here for you. So, as you begin your journey, think about the level of support that you will need and what you feel is necessary so you can sit back, enjoy, and RELAX on your wedding day. 

Lori Losee is the owner of Elegant Affairs, a Seattle Wedding Planner with over 17 years of experience. We create awe-inspiring experiences—Events filled with meaning and refined elegance. Behind the scenes, our experienced team collaborates on each stage of the process, executing your vision and a wedding, celebration, or corporate event that is unique to you.