You’ve just gotten engaged, or maybe you’ve been engaged for a while now. The thrill of the engagement photoshoot and the engagement party are now behind you, and you have one question on your mind.
When should you start planning your wedding?
While wedding planning varies from couple to couple, most wedding planners advise starting 16 to nine months after getting engaged. Of course, you might decide to start earlier, especially if you want to get married sooner. For those who prefer a longer engagement, you might put wedding planning off for a while yet.
Even if you start your wedding planning in good time, you may end up in a situation where you need to pull off a last minute wedding.
What Causes a Last Minute Wedding?
When people hear the phrase “last minute wedding,” they likely think of the couple that tends to be late and procrastinates. These two have a lackadaisical attitude towards arranging anything, so their wedding planning happens too late and leaves them scrambling.
Even the most organized of couples are sometimes faced with a last minute wedding situation, however. This says nothing about the couple’s ability to plan and organize. What often happens is the venue calls and cancels at the last possible second. This might happen to you too.
Now you’re left scrambling to find another venue that’s both available on your date and one that will coincide with the other arrangements. You’ll need to contact all of your vendors and may even need to rejig some of the plans.
Plan from the Start
If you were aware of this possibility when you started your wedding planning, you may have built several contingencies into the arrangements. For example, you may have picked décor that could be moved almost anywhere.
You may also have kept a list of several venues. If your booked venue cancels on you, start calling. You can work your way down the list of preferred alternatives. With some luck, one of them will have an opening for you. If you can, leave this task to the wedding planner. They should have a good idea of venues in the area.
Call in the Reinforcements
You need to tell your vendors about a change of plans as soon as you can. For one, they’ll need to know where they’re going on the day of. Can you imagine if your caterer didn’t show up because you’d forgotten to tell them the venue had changed?
The vendors will also want to get in touch with the new venue. They’ll want to verify details. Your caterer may want to know if there are kitchen facilities on site. The photographer might want to scope out the area for new picture-taking opportunities. The DJ may need to know if there are any licensing fees to be paid.
Next, you’ll likely want to meet with several of your vendors. Meeting with your caterer is especially important. You may need to completely revise the menu due to the space change. If the old venue had kitchen space but the new venue doesn’t, a revamp of the menu may be in order.
If there are tasks you can turn over to the vendors, do so! They’re experts, and their skill and expertise will help you weather this sudden change in direction.
Stay Calm
The most important thing you can do when you need to suddenly change your wedding plans is to stay calm. Create a checklist and go through it. What tasks will you need to look at again? Visit the new venue, and call on your vendors, friends, and family for extra assistance.
Having your venue cancel last minute can make the already-stressful task of wedding planning even more overwhelming. With a few deep breaths, some level heads, and excellent advice from your vendors, you’ll still have a magical day.
