4 Steps to Planning a Wedding With A Short Engagement

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10 February 2016

You got engaged over the holidays—congratulations! If you’re one of the 19% of brides and grooms that heard The Magic Question pop in December, don’t feel like you have to wait eighteen months to have a summer wedding. You can still plan your wedding quickly.

Some reason for a short engagement:
• One of you would elope, but the other has wedding dreams
• You really want a specific family member or friend to be at your wedding and they’re ill, about to move out of the country, etc.
• You have an aversion to the idea of a long engagement just plan a wedding
• You have a “why wait” kind of mindset
• Pregnancy

So, with all of that being said, you might have less than six months to plan a wedding. How in the world will you plan a wedding in six months or less (the June bride isn’t a myth)? Don’t worry—you will still have a beautiful wedding, even if you’re planning a wedding with a short engagement. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Figure out your funds.
Who’s footing the bill? What kind of funds do you have to work with? You need to know this kind of stuff before you just go signing away contracts.

2. Pick your priorities.
What’s most important to you: having a certain photographer or deejay or a certain venue? Lock that vendor down—if you want to be married in July and you haven’t set a date yet, your date will likely be determined by what that desired vendor has available (be sure to have a few back-up vendors in mind).

3. View your venue.
Unless this was part of your #2, call venues ASAP. Grab a local bride’s guide (or if you’re in the greater NYC area, click here) and see which venues are available in your area. This is where knowing your style will guide you best. The options for venues are endless: parks, historical sites, restaurants, hotels, music venues, theatres, old homes, your own backyard, anything can work.

4. Get your wedding gown.
It’s suggested that you order your dress 6 months ahead of time, but when you have a quick engagement, you don’t always have that flexibility or luxury—no worries. Pick a day (not a Saturday, those are the busiest at bridal shops) to try on dresses at three or four local shops. Many shops have dresses in house that you can purchase in house, but before you bank on that, be sure to notify the shop that your wedding date is around the corner so they can help guide you to dresses they have in stock (or dresses that don’t take forever to order). Also consider places like Ann Taylor, J.Crew, ModCloth, eShakti, or other boutique retailers that have wedding lines as well as formal white dresses that might as well be named wedding gowns.

Your invitations, accessories, food, cake, favors—all of that can come together easily once you’ve narrowed down these four main components of wedding planning.  If you found this post helpful please share this or send us a note.  We love to hear your wedding planning story and connect with you.  Happy wedding planning!