Am I running out of time?

[Mish11]

I'm getting married on 11 feb 05, so it's in about 6 months. So far I have booked a venue for the ceremony, reception and have got caterers. I keep meaning to call a wedding planner, but always seem to leave it till "2morrow". Now everyone is stresssing, telling me that i don't have enough time1 Any suggestions to help get the ball rolling?

[sarahomalley]

Is is really necessary to you to have a "wedding planner"? The biggest things are out of the way. Reception site, ceremony site and caterers. What about your dress? Mine's in 8 months and I haven't found one yet. But I've got a little time yet. Flowers, guest list, invitations. You just have to do it. Get your bridesmaids to help out some too. That's what they're there for. To help with things you need help with. Everything will fall into place as it should be. Your fiance and family I would think would be more than willing to help. Good Luck! If you'd like to talk about anything my email is sarahomalley99@hotmail.com

[CarlosHoney]

All you need now are dresses, a florist, cake, the inviations, your registry, favors (if you are having them), programs (also an if), any decorations that are not provided, and your hair/makeup.

I've probably left a few out, if anyone wants, ad them on. But, honestly, you don't need a wedding planner any more than I need a pint of Ben & Jerrys. Though I would like one.

Save yourself the fee-do it all yourself for free!

[LaceyinPgh]

You have most of the big stuff out of the way. How long it takes to plan a wedding really depends on where you live and how picky you are. Around here, things start to book up 18 months in advance. I would recommend that you get your photographer and florist out of the way now too. They book up very fast and will usually only do one event a weekend. You want to splurge on the photographer because the pictures are what you are going to have forever. Also, you need to start looking for dresses. A custome made dress can take up to 6-8 months to come in. If you give them enough notice they can rush it but it is more expensive and they need time for alterations.

The little stuff, invitations, favors, seating charts need to be thought about too. But, you can get some help with those. As for the wedding planner, eventhough you have a lot of the stuff done you still need to call them if you want them. They can help you organize, get everything else done, keep you sane, and make sure that things run smoothly on your wedding day. And, it is nice to get a phone call once a week where you just get to talk about your wedding with someone who actually cares.

[wedbyjean]

Wedding Planners (aka Wedding Consultants & Bridal Consultants) offer more than just locating and choosing the different vendors.

We play many roles, including finaicial advisor, mediator, negotiator, etiquette expert, and organizer. We make sure that all of the details and little pieces fit together and look like they belong together. We take away stress and take care of a lot of the leg work. We can be the go-to person on your wedding day to make sure that everything & everyone is in the correct places, and that the day goes precisely as YOU want it to, so you, your FH, MOB & MOG all can enjoy yourselves. We take care of the behind-the-scenes things that a bride shouldn't have to mess with on her wedding day. We make sure the magic happens.

Wedding Planners offer different levels of service -- from minor consulting and planning to full planning and day-of supervision. Contact planners in your area, meet with them and find out what they offer.

Beware -- this is a business that legally requires NO training or certification. Simply put, anyone with the notion to be a Wedding Planner can do so just by saying "I'm a Wedding Planner". Ask about training & certification, you'll want to make sure that who you talk to is trained and really knows weddings, and isn't just a 'hobbiest' playing around because they watched "The Wedding Planner" and want to be like JLo.

[sstark1218]

As everyone else said.. save yourself some money! You have all the major things out of the way, so you wouldn't need a planner at all. Just go dress shopping and order some free catalogs to look at invitations and things like that and everything will fall into place just fine. Good Luck!

[Irie_Bride]

You have gotten great advice. My question to you is...do you enjoy planning your wedding? We are hiring a wedding consultant on the day of to help guide us and our vendors from the start to finish. I think that's where I'm going to have the problem if I try to do it myself. Everything else I'm doing myself. Good luck!

Tanya

[Mish11]

Thanks for all the advice :) i'm getting the wed planner becos i just don't have the time to plan all the little details and i want someone who can take all the stress off of me and my wed party so everyone can enjoy the day. She's a friend of the family and doing it as a favour, so it's not costing me anything to enlist the help of a professional...

i've started looking for a wed dress, but just can't seem to find one i really like. Also i'm really short (5ft) so i don't want to look to dumpy.. any suggestions on which styles i should look at?

[CarlosHoney]

Opt for a floor lenth, and nothing really super clingy. Anything that is below the knee will also isn't a good idea. That makes short look shorter. Other than that, just try it on and get a second opinion. The people working at the dress store will know what will elongate your line and what will shorten it, and they'll have sudjestions too!

[Mish11]

Thanks guys :) Think i found THE dress... strapless, a-line, fitting on the top but not round those hip areas, very plain and very ME! (not that i'm plain mind you :wink: ) But the dress just spoke to me the moment i saw it! So it seems like everything is on its way... now just to sort the bridesmaids out.... Any ideas for a really nice gift for the MofH? She's my "not-so-baby" baby sister and best friend so its really important to get a fab gift.

[bnd94]

Well what does your sister like? Jewelry, tote bags, a personalized keepsake box.....? Does she have any special interests so you can get her something that would be usefull to her? Or do you want to get her like a plaque telling her how much it meant to have her by your side?

[Nique]

You've gotten all the really hard planning out of the way. Once you get you gown, the rest will fall into place.