What's your opinion on ...

Hmmm dodgy as most of the venues get booked at least 2yrs in advance. There is a website that advertises Last Minute Bookings for Venues but this way you might not get the venue you want.

Personally, I wouldn't leave it that late to plan things. It would be difficult to plan things without having a date so for me, it would be out of the question. How many months would it leave to plan things? I don't think it'd be impossible to plan though - I know a few people who have planned their weddings in a short space of time.

No I wouldn't risk it. You can't book anything important like photographer, videographer, band etc and leaving those sort of suppliers until the last minute might mean you end up with having very very little choice as all the decent suppliers would probably be booked especially if you are getting married in peak season.

You couldn't even get your invitations done and most people send their invitations out 8 weeks beforehand so everything would be very last minute. Even down to your flowers if you want fresh ones, cake if you want it delivered and set up is all going to be up in the air.

Registrars also need a lot of notice. It just isn't worth the risk in my view, sorry. What if you couldn't get your dream venue and were left with no where?

Hi ladies - this is my argument with my OH but I think he's a bit deluded about the time it will take to organise everything as I will be the one doing it all!!

I'm not gonna lie it does scare me a bit!!

Waaaay too high risk for me! What happens if they're fully booked so you can't get the venue and then nowhere else is available either?

I would keep looking - although you think that is the perfect place, there are so many beautiful venues I'm sure you'll find something else in your budget and then you can crack on with all your planning

I think its a bad idea, there's no guarantee they'll have any availability at the last minute. If you've really got your heart set on that particular venue could you consider waiting a bit longer to get married to save the extra money? xx

Definitely wouldn't do this! If it's not available, what will you do?

Speaking as a guy here, I didn't realise how much was involved in it all either - we're sharing most of the arrangement making (apart from dresses which she wants to do alone in the traditional manner) so I'm trying to do what I can, in the early stages, as I'll be feeling a bit left out when she starts going off and trying on dresses and stuff like that. We designed the invites between us, ran them by her family, but I did most of the 'computer work' involved and duplicating, then I stapelled them together on the kitchen table whilst she hand-wrote the names in the 'invitation book' and then envelope-stuffed. By utilising both of our best skills we've done quite a good job so far

I would tend to agree with everyone else - too big a risk to leave it. We looked at 2 venues, booked up appointments to see both on the following weekend, and when we got to the second one we found it had got a booking on the date we were thinking of in the week and a bit since we arranged to go there - although it didn't matter as we all agreed the first one was more suited to our needs and was free on that date.

Wedding planning in a hurry is not the smartest of moves if it can at all be avoided, regardless of how efficient you (both) may be normally. You'll find all the best people and places book up in some cases 2 years in advance - so the sooner you can book registrars (if not a church), venue, reception venue, photographer and flowers the better. Remember too that some dresses take 6 months from time of order to be delivered.

It's not the time that it will take that would be issue I don't think, it's the fact that suppliers simply get booked up in advance so you are limiting your choices. You could end up with the dream venue and NO photographer for example. Ok no photographer is unlikely but would your h2b like to have to pick just any photographer last minute regardless of the fact he might not like their style, personality or even their prices! That is a real possibility because it's a fact the good suppliers are booked 2+ years in advance. It's alright saying you'd have the dream venue but a wedding is much more than just a venue.

You really would be running the risk of having no venue or registrar.

Hi there

I would definately agree with most of the others above, in that it could be risky to leave it to the last minute, please do be careful, and possibly look into similar venues that fall within a more affordable price if you can...all the very best x

Thank you all so much for your honesty, I really am so worried about all this. I have put my foot down (which I'm really no good at!!lol) and have given an ultimatum either we book our venue by the end of this month (giving us another pay day) or we look at cheaper alternatives now and book that by the end of this month. So am hoping that by the beginning of nov we will have our wedding venue.

It doesn't seem to have sunk in but I am hoping it will!!

Many thanks xxx

Hi Guys,

You will all be pleased to hear that we have decided to postpone by another year so now looking at a 2012 to ensure that we have enough time to save up and get the venue and everything else we want. I am a bit deflated in a way as I would have loved to get married next year but hey ho - can't magic the money out of nowhere can we!!

So I guess I'll have to hold fire for a while on the planning front .... what am I'm going to do with my days now!! lol!

xxxx

You can still plan all the little details...we got engaged last xmas, hoped to marry this august but postponed to save more and it feels like overnight my ticker has gone from forever to 9months!!!!

it will fly by!!

Thank you - I hope so - its horrible when you get you're heart set on something isn't it

xx

It's your wedding day and personaly i wouldn't want to rush the planning stage but i think it is do-able! I mean, the guys on don't tell the bride do it in 6 weeks lol x Good luck x

Do-able in the time-frame, yes - in the way that you probably imagine it, no.

DTTB spend £12k on theirs in 3 weeks but we never see the outcomes of things like the photos...

I think that people are saying that yes, you can arrange a wedding very quickly, but you may not have a very wide choice of suppliers (and imo unless they have had a cancellation, most suppliers worth their weight will be booked up early.)

I'm afraid I wouldn't and couldn't leave it until the last minute.... all on the proviso of saving a little money?? The other thing to bear in mind is, if you are getting married at the venue, you can not guarantee the registrar will be available for that day. Am getting married in 2012, and already where we live all the "major venues" have a large quota of bookings.... Is it really worth the risk? Or, is there another venue that is on an equal standing if not better? We saved just under 1k on our wedding package by booking it all now.... and paying the bulk of it off... also takes advantage of the lower interest rate.....

Good luck

x x