Wedding far off but wanting cost estimates in advance

I would start looking at exactly what you want, then approach suppliers for costs

If you are getting married in peak season then you might need to book some things now, to get the supplier that you want - thinking venue, Church, possibly florist

I would start looking for a venue - until you have some idea of what that is going to cost and can factor that into your budget, there is no point looking at anything else. Once you've found your venue you can then set your date as well - even a year in advance, some venues will be fully booked so you do need to get moving really x

I totally agree with BekkiJane. Also, you won't know what to factor in until you have a venue - for example, our wedding package included all sorts of extras like postage for the invitations, DJ for the reception, wedding breakfast plus tasting evening and lots of other bits, but it didn't include decoration of the venue. We had to find somewhere that would decorate the venue to make it weddingy!

x

We're getting married December next year and have got quotes for pretty much everything and even booked the big things such as caterers, photographer and cakes. I would email multiple suppliers to get a range of quotes and attend some wedding fares as you can chat without being committed to anything. Although I would start looking at wedding venues as originally we were going to have a summer wedding but almost all the venues we looked at were near fully booked and opening dates for 2016

100% agree with the others that you need to be booking now for next Summer, especially the venue as these get booked up way, way in advance. Some venues won't commit to prices but will give you a good indication whereas other suppliers will already have their prices set and taking bookings for Summer. A lot of people don't put prices on websites because they don't want the competition knowing what they charge. Personally, that's never bothered me. I'm a big believer in putting prices on and have them on my website. I know how frustrating it is myself when you see something you want and they won't tell you how much it is unless you fill in forms or send someone round. Although some suppliers won't put prices on, they will have a price guide they can give you.

WOW! Thank you all so very much for the advice and tips! I forgot to specify that my OH is Italian and we'll be holding our reception at his family villa, plus a councillor friend has agreed to marry us so those two, fairly stressful elements are taken care of as long as we stick with this plan. I do appreciate that prices will be very different over there but your advice is all very appreciated. Also, if hitchers or their friends have done their weddings in Italy (Lombardy lakes area) would be awesome to get hints. Planning is fun, I have to say, so excited :-)) xx