How long does it take to plan a wedding in the Manawatu?
How long does it take to plan a wedding in the Manawatu?
This depends totally on you – because your wedding day is all about you and the one you are marrying – I challenge you to keep that at the forefront of your mind through the entire process.
Planning or organising a wedding can be as involved and lengthy, or as simple and soon as you want it to be. It really comes down to what is most important – to you and your partner. Is it about the season you want to get married in, the photographer you must have, or you’ve decided let’s do this soon?
The first question I ask when meeting all couples, particularly if they’re not sure where to start, is – what is most important to each of you? What are you top three-four priorities? And it doesn’t have to be the same for both of you! This is a good place to start – get some ideas on the table, sorting the “must haves” and the “not so important” elements.
Weddings are a celebration of love. Its not about how pretty
everything is, it’s about the people and their story.
Let’s do this soon….
If you want to keep your wedding day reasonably straight forward – doing it soon can make it easier, provided you’re not dead set on certain vendors or locations. The reason it makes it easier, is there are less options available within your timeframe, therefore less to choose from, less decisions to make. Speakeasy Events offer a “Pop Up Wedding”, that can be pulled together in as little as six weeks.
Their package includes a venue, celebrant, photographer, bridal bouquet/buttonhole, cake, décor, music, and bubbles and canapes for 20 guests. There are optional extras that can be added in: suites to get ready, transport, live streaming and recording, extra flowers for bridesmaids etc, and additional guest numbers. You turn up ready to get married, and the Speakeasy team are onsite to run your celebration for you – just like a day of wedding coordinator.
The “must have” photographer…
If you have your heart set on having a specific photographer (or venue, or vendor) for your wedding, planning will be based around their availability. For some people, a specific vendor is important to them, and if that means waiting two years to get the photographer or venue of your dream, all plans will point to that.
Since the disruptions of COVID-19, the traditional wedding season, between September and April-May isn’t quite as it used to be – the wedding season seems to continue all year round. If you’re not too worried about getting married in the height of summer (and let’s be honest, no-one can guarantee the weather for their special day), you may find the photographer or venue is available outside of the traditional wedding season.
Seasons are important to you…
If you’ve always wanted to get married in a specific season – this will dictate the time of year you plan to get married, and therefore may mean you have a 12-18 month lead in time. Similar to seasons, flowers are also a consideration – if you have a specific flower that you want to incorporate into your wedding florals, and it is one of your priorities, it will pay to check which months it is available – you may be surprised!
The financial element….
One other very important consideration, that will impact on the timing of your wedding, is the somewhat awkward topic of budget and how this spectacular event is going to be financed. Have you been saving forever – and you’re here for it, or do you need to save the money to create the wedding budget – again this will impact on the timing of your wedding, and is a very important consideration. Its probably a conversation you need have sooner rather than later. This, coupled with some research around costs, will help with deciding on your budget.
I’ve discovered I’m actually planning two weddings – the one
inspired by Pinterest and the one I can actually afford.
When discussing the concept of planning a wedding, and how long it takes, we sought advice from George & Co’s Lauren, who is a seasoned professional at this wedding planning gig. George & Co offer a number of services including On Day Coordination, Planning and Bar Services. She shared that George & Co typically see a wedding planned/organised in 12-18 months to ensure couples get the vendors they really want and don’t miss out. Lauren also indicated if vendor selection isn’t as important, or you’re getting married off season, they’ve had clients pull it off within 3-6 months.
To summarise, I haven’t really defined how long it takes to plan or organise a wedding in the Manawatu, or in fact any location. Hopefully I’ve given you some insight into the elements that will help, when it comes time to make decisions about your special day.
While you’re checking out the Hitched website, look through our superb line up of local vendors on our Directory.
Keep an eye out for future blogs – we’ve got some great wedding related topics lined up to share in the coming months.
If there is a particular topic you’d like us to cover off, reach out – we’re always keen to chat and help.
Happy planning!
Photo credit goes to Zoe Nicole Photography