When you first get engaged, it can be easy to want to just revel in this exciting time in your life (and you should!) If you and your new fiancé have any kind of timeline for getting married that’s within a year or two, there are a few things you’ll need to start on right away. While you’re popping the champagne and showing off your new bling, check out these wedding details you’ll want to book early on in your planning!
Venue
Your number one priority when you’re booking your wedding vendors should be your venue. Before you do anything else, you’ll want to find a venue that can host your day, whether it’s just for the reception, or for the ceremony as well. You can’t do much other planning for your wedding until you have your venue locked down. You’ll want to make sure to choose a venue that has your desired date in mind and can fit all of your guests, so research your options. If you don’t have a specific date set, you can work with your venue to see what they have open and pick whichever date works best! Historic Oakland is a beautiful option for your venue, with so many different options that will fit right into your wedding style. From the 1811 manor house to the back-patio tent, you’ll find the perfect backdrop for your special day. You won’t be disappointed with your choice of Historic Oakland.
Wedding Planner
There are a lot of details that will go into planning your wedding, so you might want to consider hiring a wedding planner to help you sort through the process. A planner will be able to help organize every aspect leading up to your wedding and will help things go smoothly day of as well. Hiring a professional wedding planner might have more benefits than you realize, as they might have connections to other vendors in the industry, and they’ll have experience working with the best of the best. If you decide that a wedding planner doesn’t fit into your budget or you just want to do it on your own, consider at least having a day-of coordinator who can help if little things happen to go wrong throughout the day. It’s good to have a point person who can handle it so you don’t have to. Your venue might also include a day-of wedding coordinator, so be sure to ask!
Caterer
Once you’ve got your venue, you need the food to feed your guests! If your venue allows you to have your own caterer, you’ll be able to decide which food you want based on your tastes and preferences. Make sure to schedule tastings with your choices to get a sense for how their food tastes and if it’s something you feel good about serving to your friends and family. Make sure to ask each caterer you meet a list of questions so you can get an idea of what they’ll be like to work with. Ask your caterer if they can prepare a variety of foods to satisfy your own cravings as well as your guests. Maybe consider a vegetarian or vegan option, or gluten free dish to cater to those with dietary restrictions.
Photographer and Videographer
While there are endless vendors you’ll need to book from now until you say “I do”, the people documenting your day should be researched and booked very early on! Amazing quality photographers and videographers are going to be coveted by everyone else getting married around the same time as you, so it’s important to jump on the ones you love. Search for wedding photographers and wedding videographers and take a look at their work on their websites and social media pages. Once you have a list of the photographers and videographers that you really enjoy, set up meetings so you can interview them and see if you’d like to work with them. Once you know for sure, book them so no one else can snag them from you!
Honeymoon
You might think that your honeymoon is something you should wait to book until a few months before you get married, but you might want to reconsider. Your honeymoon is something you can look forward to, so you’ll want to look into your options and decide where to go at the beginning of your planning. You may want to Book a cruise with Virgin Voyages where you and your new spouse can enjoy some sun and fun all in one place. Whether you want to relax during the day, party with the entertainment at night, or enjoy the stops along the way, a cruise is a great option so that you don’t have to worry about a thing besides getting on the ship!
If you’re currently engaged and looking for a wedding venue, please don’t hesitate to contact us and schedule a tour!
-Content provided by Alexis L.
