How is it already the middle of January? Ahh! Now planning a wedding in less than a year might sound a little overwhelming for some, but it’s totally doable if you have the right mindset and you know what you want. After a few years of watching people plan weddings in such short time frames, here are my top tips to help you cross those to-do’s of your list in no time!!

Number 1. Be flexible.

Now with such a short timeline, you won’t have the luxury of changing your wedding style, ideas and things such as venues, vendors etc every 5 minutes. Be flexible with your wedding date BEFORE you tell everyone you’re getting married. Give yourself a handful of dates that you’re happy to work with and give those to your vendors. Your favourite location, florist or caterer might be already booked and you need to be flexible with dates if you want it to all work together.

 

Number 2. Make up your mind.

I know how easy it is to scroll Pinterest and Instagram for hours looking for inspiration, only to find you like 10 different hair styles, 5 different wedding themes and so on. I highly recommend making a wedding mood board to help be a constant reminder of your theme or style. Now DON’T make this board on Pinterest!!! Step away from your phone! Instead, head down to your local newsagent, pick up as many copies of wedding magazines that you can find like (Hello May, Modern Wedding etc), buy yourself a cheap book, some glue, scissors and get cutting! Those magazines are still filled with all the good stuff you find online but it’s not so overwhelming to look at (and it’s so much prettier FYI)

Carry this book around with you everywhere! Scribble down notes you think of during the day and refer back to it when you need a little reminder. Pinterest is great don’t get me wrong but it’s way too easy to get distracted.

Number 3. Assign tasks and ask for help

I know how much you want to be that awesome bride that does all the DIY, always has a smile on her face and has her shit together 100% of the time. But let’s face it, wedding planning can (and might) suck sometimes. You need to learn to ask for help and let’s be real, no one expects you to do it all yourself.

Now if you’re the DIY type of bride, organise a few nights at home with your girlfriends and get them to help you create a few things together. Do you know someone artsy? Maybe they can help with signage design, or wedding invitations. Assign someone to be in charge of grocery shop/Macca’s runs on the morning of getting ready. Ask a few trustworthy (maybe not heavy drinker) friends to help clean up the venue the day after. Sometimes the venue requires a big clean up to be done ON THE NIGHT… this is the last thing you want to be worrying about. Oh and write it all down. If you’ve asked someone to do a task, give them a deadline and make a note of it (in your mood board book?!) so you don’t forget who’s doing what.

 

Number 4. Reply to your emails!

Okay, i’m guilty of doing this, leaving an email for a few days and forgetting to reply but this is a big one you brides and grooms. You’re already working with such a tight timeline and wedding vendors usually book out months/years in advance so don’t leave them hanging for days or weeks on end. This also increases your chance of getting exactly what you want if you’re quick to respond and help maintain communication!

Try to reply within 1-2 working days. The quicker you reply and make a decision, the better they can help make the day amazing for you! Think about your florist, who may need to pre-order flowers months in advance, or your dress designer who has a deadline for shipping!

Oh and the same rule goes for them too, if you haven’t heard anything within 1-2 weeks, leave it and move on, you don’t have time to wait weeks for an answer. There’s plenty of people out there who want your business and want to help create an unforgettable day for you and your partner. Remember rule 1, be flexible! Don’t get hung up on a wedding venue if they’re not replying or they’re too difficult to deal with, be flexible and move on!

Number 5. Stay local

Okay I might be a bit biased here but try and stay local as best you can. Small business’ are always willing to help you out that little bit extra if it means they get to be a part of your big day. Especially with a tight deadline (less than 6 months or so of planning) it’s a bit easier for them to bend the rules to help make it work. Your business means so much to these smaller people and chances are they’ll also give you a much more personalised and unforgettable experience (which you deserve anyway!)

Need some ideas? If you’re giving wedding favours, think about local handmade products (shop at the markets), help source or suggest local produce for your caterer, think outside the norm for your venue, your favourite park in town maybe? Oh another tip, local is often cheaper anyway!!! Bonus!!

Here are some of my favourite local-ish business’…

Pieces and Paper – beautiful handmade candles
Coach House Flowers – local florist, stunning arrangements!
White Moth Studios – print and graphic design, think custom wedding invites!
Kats Whiskers Cafe + Catering – catering and yummy goodness
Courabyra Wines – wedding venue and the most delicious wines.. mmm
Wagga Event Hire – styling, event hire
Lucid, Kombi Cafe – a cool old school kombi, converted into a cafe on wheels
Yarrangobilly Caves – beautiful venue in the Koscisuzko National Park
Dough Re Mi, Wagga – custom hand baked cookies!

PS, want your business listed up there? Let me know!

Roslyn xo