So, you recently got engaged and what an exciting time for you both!

There are so many things to do in order to prepare for your BIG wedding day and yet, there is a question that just about every couple thinks about of faces, how far in advance should I book my wedding vendors?

Today, Carole and I would like to answer that and give you some great advice on how best to deal with it.

How far in advance should I book my wedding vendors?

Plan on booking your vendors within the first 1-3 months of your engagement.

Planning early by booking vendors will often times allow you to pick from the best of the best rather than having to settle as time get closer.

Why book early?

The more time you have to plan the wedding, the better prepared you will be for the big day.

The longer that you wait to book wedding vendors, the less likely the top-quality vendors will be available.

You’re not the ONLY couple getting married on your wedding day.

One of the other key reasons why you want to book your vendors early is competition, not from vendors, but from other couples.

Take Virginia for example.

In 2019, according to the Wedding Report, roughly 55,000 couples got married last year. That averages out to about 147 couples every day or 441 couples a given weekend.

That should tell you that when you are looking for wedding vendors, you’re competing for those resources, so booking early allow you more flexibility to get better vendors in your region.

What is the average length of a wedding engagement?

In the United States, the average time is about 13 month according to Wedding Wire which gives you just about a year or so of planning.

What are the BEST times of the year to book wedding vendors?

If your region of the US has an off-season, that’s the best time to book vendors. Not all locations have a season and off-season, so it’s something to be aware of when wanting to save the most money.

In Virginia, the wedding season is usually late March through October.

In Nevada, it’s year-round.

In Florida for example, there really isn’t a wedding season as temperatures are warm just about year-round.

So, it generally depends on location, but if money is your primary concern, then book during an off-season.

If quality is your top concern, book those vendors as soon as possible.

How do we go about booking our vendors?

Something we educate couples on is the very first step before you book a venue, date, or anyone else, have an overall budget.

Going into the wedding process knowing how much you want to spend will help you determine the ballpark ranges of each vendor and what you should be spending.

We developed a great little online tool that can help with that, just input the total amount you want to spend below and the calculator will show you approximately how much you should be spending in each of them.