The query ‘how long does it take to plan a marriage?’ can’t be answered with one easy number, and varies greatly at Elegante by Michelle from as little as two months all the way in which as much as almost two years. The principal thing you must know is that, from our perspective, any of those timeframes are perfectly doable and we’re pleased to work inside any of them – so, should you’re starting to panic that you’ve gotten left it ‘too late’ or haven’t got every part booked yet, you don’t must. We’ll guide you thru every part you must learn about short notice weddings and planning over longer time spans, so you recognize exactly what to anticipate in your wedding planning journey.
How long does it take to plan a marriage? What you must consider.
Now, having said it’s perfectly plausible to plan a marriage in only a few months (we’ve even done it in six weeks up to now!), there are some caveats to take note. It’s necessary to do not forget that popular months, days and dates will all the time get booked first, so flexibility is vital when working with a brief timeframe. A few of these dates are;
- Saturdays, year-round and in all countries (Sundays should you’re planning a Jewish wedding)
- June and September, particularly for destination weddings in Italy
- Full weekend buyouts of venues within the UK and overseas
Which means, if you need to get married on considered one of these premium dates, you’ll need an extended time span on your planning. In case you’re prepared and capable of be flexible on if you get married, including the day of the week, we are able to work with much shorter notice.
The identical logic applies when fascinated with where you need to get married, and will sometimes must work out whether it’s more necessary to have your first alternative of venue or your first alternative of date. Let’s get into how we plan short-notice weddings…
Planning a brief notice wedding (6 months or less)
In case you’re asking ‘how long does it take to plan a marriage?’ since you’re considering of getting married in the subsequent 6 months, I would like to begin by saying that this is completely no problem – we are able to still deliver a magical, memorable celebration with all of the creativity, show-stopping design and exquisite, personal details of 1 planned over a 12 months or more. We’ll still find you essentially the most wonderful suppliers to deliver the dream, you’ll still have our signature ‘hug, not a handshake’ experience, and also you’ll thoroughly benefit from the whole process.
We’d also wish to allow you to in on a bit secret…we actually love short notice weddings! Sometimes, the longer you give yourselves to plan, the more you’ll be able to begin to query and doubt your decisions over time. It could actually often be higher to make a choice after which need to persist with it, relatively than having time to wonder should you must have chosen something else. Somewhat little bit of time pressure works wonders for decision making! In this fashion, short notice weddings are a present because decisiveness is vital. So, should you’re reading this and considering of planning your wedding over just a number of months or less, here’s what you must know:
- It’ll only work should you’re prepared to make decisions, persist with them, and act quickly
- You’ll must dedicate an excellent portion of time to your wedding planning during this expedited process, because we have now the identical amount of choices to make but compressed into less days
- It’s eminently doable to plan your wedding this fashion, providing you’ll be able to be flexible; in your date, together with your suppliers, and with one another
It’s good to remember that we may not all the time find a way to secure your first alternative of supplier in any of the categories (e.g. florist, stationery designer, photographer…) but we’ll find you a wonderful alternative – our aim is to make sure it never feels like another! Many wedding suppliers get booked up an extended time upfront or close their books for brand new bookings after a certain point, so should you’re absolutely dead-set on a certain someone then chances are you’ll must compromise in your location, venue or date.
You’ll also must make quick decisions on the subject of booking your suppliers. We are able to’t afford to lose them, and since it’s short notice they’re likely to just accept bookings more quickly and never hold dates open for as long. Which means, even should you’ve enquired, another person may snap up your date just by deciding more quickly that they need to go ahead. We don’t say this to pressure you into making panicked decisions, relatively to encourage clear-headedness and a gradual vision that you just’re willing to work with us to drag off.
We’re also very conscious that planning in a shorter time-frame has connotations of being rushed or cutting corners – but we’re dedicated to planning weddings that aren’t just generic Elegante by Michelle J celebrations. We are able to still achieve a highly bespoke, creatively designed, detail oriented experience by working quickly and with our signature flair and receiving snappy, concise feedback from you.
So, should you’re considering getting married in the subsequent 6 months or so, we’re greater than pleased to assist. Get in contact sooner relatively than later and we are able to get this show on the road!
How long does it take to plan a marriage far upfront?
Many Elegante by Michelle J couples are with us for greater than a 12 months, from the time of booking to the marriage date. Our principal piece of recommendation is to do not forget that it’s a marathon, not a sprint – should you come to us with greater than a 12 months until your wedding, you shouldn’t expect to be full-steam-ahead working on it to get every part planned contained in the first month. We intentionally phase your planning journey, based on our years of experience working with couples such as you, ensuring that we plan in a way that isn’t overwhelming and addresses each task at the suitable time. It’s almost like a funnel, starting with the large picture after which working right down to the granular details.
We’ll begin with the ‘macro’ tasks reminiscent of securing your perfect venue, finding a caterer and dealing on putting together your dream team of suppliers. At this point, we don’t must worry concerning the finer details – you shouldn’t get hung up on the indisputable fact that you haven’t decided what you wish on your principal course yet when saying ‘yes’ to your caterer, for instance. We frequently liken our role as wedding planner to being the director of a play, which is able to come to life with no rehearsal! Identical to the director we start with the fundamentals reminiscent of set design and who’s involved, and step by step work through every minute stage direction, cue and extra detail.
The wonderful tuning of your wedding will happen once we’ve finished with our previous season’s weddings. We all know our couples appreciate this because, when it’s your wedding 12 months, you’ll want our undivided attention too. For that reason you ought to be aware that we’ll aim to lock in your key suppliers fairly early in your planning journey (for instance your venue, photographer, caterer and any others of great importance to you) after which there will likely be a lull in proceedings. At this point, be prepared to take a bit pause out of your wedding planning while we concentrate on our more immediate weddings. Do not forget that, once we’ve booked your suppliers, they’ll also take a pause in communications with you until closer to your date. For instance, for every of our 2026 weddings their suppliers are currently absolutely and totally immersed in 2025 – they’re unlikely to want to have interaction in detailed conversations concerning the finer points of their 2026 bookings at this stage, and can revisit this within the autumn.
Bear in mind, then, that should you’re seeking to plan further upfront you’ll must consider this ‘break’ in planning. Be assured that it’s not because we or they don’t care; it’s the other. Great wedding planners and suppliers know where to allocate their time and a spotlight throughout each of their clients’ journeys, ensuring the experience feels seamless and enjoyable at every stage.
What else is there to plan once suppliers are booked?
Sometimes couples come to us having already booked all their suppliers, believing that this implies they don’t need our full planning service and wish to book something ‘lighter’. In some cases our premium wedding day coordination service, Elegante Piccolo, is the proper alternative for them, but as a rule we respond that they still require a ‘full plan’. It’s because, truthfully speaking, booking your suppliers is barely the start – probably about 5% of the general wedding planning journey, whether we’re talking a couple of 2 month or 18 month plan.
What takes more often than not, the lots of of hours, is all of the meticulous and detailed logistical planning. That is the part that begins in earnest once our previous wedding season is over, where every detail is pored over and the non-public touches are infused into every corner.
Hopefully now you’ll be able to see that ‘how long does it take to plan a marriage?’ has many varied answers, however the takeaway is that nearly anything is feasible should you’re prepared for it. Get in contact to investigate about our availability on your date, and to have us lay out exactly how we are able to make your wedding vision a reality in whatever time-frame you’ve gotten for us.
Explore: the right way to plan a marriage in 6 weeks.
Images by 515 Photo Co.
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