How to Plan a Wedding 12 Months (or Less!)

Planning a wedding in under a year?

Yes, you can!

Planning a wedding in less than a year isn’t only possible; it’s a great idea! Think about it: while your friends and family have to wait two years for their wedding day, yours is right around the corner. (And so is your honeymoon!)

I booked my own wedding venue in May and was married the following September. Yup. Just four short months later. So when I tell you it can be done, I’m speaking from my experience as a bride and a wedding venue owner and manager. Read on for some wedding pro tips and tricks on how to plan a wedding in less than 12 months.

Summary

• Don’t let a short wedding planning timeline scare you. You can plan a wedding in just two months if you have to!
• Commit to making decisions quickly.
• Consider getting married on a weekday; you’ll have more availability.
• Book your wedding venue, wedding planner, and photographer first.
• When looking for wedding venues, take advantage of virtual tours, then select a few favorites to visit in-person.
• Ask your wedding venue for a list of preferred vendors to make your wedding planning journey easier.
• Hire a professional wedding planner and rely on their expertise. You got this!

 

How Long Does It Take To Plan a Wedding?

Ultimately, planning your wedding will take as long as you allow yourself. If your ideal venue’s first open date isn’t for 18 months, your wedding planning will take 18 months. Having a longer engagement might mean less stress over making choices, but it can also mean you go back and forth on your choices too much if you’re not careful.

Most wedding planning checklists allow roughly 12 months until the big day, so planning a wedding in less than a year is totally doable and usually the norm. You just have to get started a little sooner and be flexible with your choices.

While there are some engagements that last years before the big day, most couples walk down the aisle anywhere from 12-18 months after popping the question. No two weddings (or couples) are alike, so there really is no “perfect” amount of time.

Some couples might want to speed things up because they just can’t wait to be husband and wife. Others may need to work around military deployments, school, or other scheduling issues. A tight deadline is daunting, but it can also be just the thing you need to move your wedding planning along.

Whatever your reasons, trust me when I say that you can plan a gorgeous wedding in just a few months. You just need to know a few tricks of the trade.

 

How To Plan a Wedding 

Whether you’ve got 18, 12, 6, or just two months, planning a wedding is a daunting task. But don’t worry—you can plan your dream wedding in any amount of time if you stay organized.

Let’s talk about how to plan a wedding in six months or less. 

Yikes! Do people really do that?

Yes, all the time! What’s more, they plan beautiful weddings in less than six months that their guests talk about for years to come.

The first thing to remember is that you don’t have all the time in the world, and it’s better to get started earlier. Get as much done as early as possible so you have some wiggle room if you need it.

If you only have six months before the big day, go into it knowing that some of your vendors might already be booked. Don’t spend too much time lamenting about this; just move on. There are lots of excellent and professional wedding vendors who can help bring your vision to life. 

When planning a wedding in under six months, get advice from your wedding venue on what vendors to use. Many have a preferred vendor list full of vetted, experienced companies that they’ve worked with many times before.

The shorter your engagement, the more imperative it is that you stick to a planning checklist. Book your most important vendors—wedding planner, caterer, florist, games and entertainment, photographer—as soon as you can. 

A wedding planner is crucial for a short engagement because they’re the most experienced when it comes to working on a deadline.

Planning a wedding in under six months might also mean you forgo a few items. For example, go with digital save-the-date cards or even digital wedding invitations for an easier RSVP process. 

Finally, keep “forever” in mind. It’s so easy to get bogged down with the details that you forget to keep your wedding in perspective.

Remember, this isn’t just a party; you’re marrying the love of your life! How awesome is that? Whatever happens, as long as the two of you are together, that’s all that matters. 

 

Tips For Planning a Wedding…Quickly!

Whether you’re planning a wedding in 12 months or six (or even two!), you’ll want to maximize the time you have. Following these tips (and booking vendors in the right order) will help you get more done in less time.

1. Book Your Venue First

Booking your wedding venue isn’t just about having an address to put on your invitations. This simple step creates a domino effect that helps a lot of your other wedding planning decisions fall into place.

While finding the best wedding venue in Texas is a task, these tips should help you on the right track.

Schedule venue tours to make sure you find the right one (venues that offer a virtual tour are a plus!), and once you have a venue, you now have a wedding date (something your other vendors will ask for), a list of preferred vendors, a dress code, and more.

Another reason to get this done first thing? Wedding venues book up fast! In fact, you might be able to narrow down your venue options right off the bat based on your preferred wedding date alone. 

Plus, your venue will have a big say in your décor needs. Maybe the venue you choose has such stunning natural scenery that you can save money on flowers.

2. Be Flexible

As we always say here at Kendall Point, “Don’t fall in love with the date, fall in love with the venue.”

By this, we mean, “Don’t be afraid to get married on a Friday or Sunday!”

Saturdays are always the first to book up. In fact, it’s not uncommon for couples to have to wait upwards of a year to get a Saturday wedding at their chosen venue. If you’re open to an alternate day, you can get in much quicker and save some money while you’re at it.

Because of this, Friday weddings are growing in popularity and we are HERE for it! Not only will your guests be able to get an extra day off work, but they have the entire weekend to party with you.

But it doesn’t stop there. If you’re having a smaller wedding, think about getting married on a Monday or Tuesday. Prices will be even lower and venues and vendors have more availability. 

3. Hire a Wedding Planner

Trust us. A professional who plans weddings for a living is worth their weight in gold.

While a day-of coordinator can coordinate vendors and help you stick to the timeline, they won’t help streamline the wedding planning process. A wedding planner’s help is invaluable when you’re planning a wedding in 12 months or less, and they only become more useful the less time you have.

Ask your venue which wedding planners they’ve worked with in the past and use that to start your search, and be sure to ask if a venue coordinator is included in your package as well. Someone who’s familiar with the venue’s rules, layout, and contracts will be able to hit the ground running!

You can always ask your friends and family members to help you with some of your wedding decisions, but that can quickly turn into a “too many cooks” situation. An experienced professional is the way to go.

4. Book Vendors Fast

The less time you have until the big day, the less availability there will be for wedding vendors (i.e. florist, photographer, DJs, etc.). Fortunately, your wedding venue can help here, too!

Ask for a list of preferred vendors that you can use to jumpstart your search. The vendors list can include everything from caterers to wedding dresses, so you can get a lot done in one fell swoop.

We suggest booking wedding vendors in the following order:

1. Venue
2. Planner
3. Photographer (don’t forget to ask about engagement photos!)
4. DJ/Band
5. Videographer
6. Hair and Makeup Artist
7. Catering & Bar Service
8. Florist
9. Cake
10. Everything else!

5. Simplify

With unlimited time—and inexhaustible budget—anyone could plan the wedding of their dreams. But if you’re planning a wedding in a short amount of time, take a deep breath and make sure your head isn’t in the clouds.

Start off by identifying what’s the most important to you. Perhaps it’s the photos you’ll spend the rest of your lives looking at. Maybe it’s the hair and makeup or your color palette. Perhaps you’ve got your heart set on having a beer burro. The choice is yours!

Now, identify those things that are nice to have but not exactly a priority. That’s your “don’t sweat it” list!

Focus on what’s important to you and simplify everything else to fit your budget.

 

Ready…Set…GO!

Planning a wedding in 12 months or less doesn’t have to be a mad dash to the finish line.

Kendall Point has helped hundreds of couples have their best day ever, even with just a few months of prep work. When you choose our San Antonio wedding venue for your big day, you’re not just benefiting from our amazing scenery and gorgeous ballroom. You have access to our full network of wedding professionals throughout the area.

Ready to book your tour? There’s no time like the present!