Is there a better time to get engaged than over the holidays?

You’re surrounded by the people you love and spirits are already high due to all of the holiday cheer. A wedding proposal makes for a beautiful cherry on top of your end of year festivities.

For most couples, excitement gives way to the hubbub of wedding planning. Brides are especially in a hurry to start gathering information – for good reason. Venues book out quickly, especially if you’re planning a Saturday night wedding. As a result, it’s not unheard of to plan up to two years out in terms of booking the venue of your dreams.

From the catering perspective, a quarter of that time will be sufficient to secure your perfect menu. We recommend signing a catering proposal at least six months out – with more time being better.

Just like wedding venues, caterers also book up fast. But unlike venues, caterers can be more flexible in terms of the exact deliverables you’re agreeing on. This means that you’ll have the opportunity to switch up your menu specifics even after locking in your caterer.

Ideally, you’ll chat with a caterer before booking your venue. The reason? You might otherwise get locked into an inflexible arrangement.

So many people fall in love with a venue because that’s where they started the wedding planning process. Before you sign on the dotted line, make sure to look through the venue’s list of approved caterers and find out if that’s going to result in another large expense.

Caterers are a great place to start when it comes to establishing budget because they have all the numbers regarding details that include cost per plate, rentals, staff, and various other odds and ends that you may not have considered. Caterers work with venues and can provide a more complete picture while you’re going through these early planning stages.

If you share with them your overall wedding vision, your caterer can provide the service of saving time and explaining the differences between venues and how they work. Caterers are like wedding coordinators in their own right and can help direct people where they need to go.

Of course, before you book a specific venue or caterer, you’ll want to start thinking about the date of your event. September and October have replaced May and June as most sought-after wedding months. Part of the issue around securing a date is competition in terms of other events (galas, benefits, and industry events) during those times.

Here’s the thing:

It’s easy to get so caught up in planning that you miss the opportunity to bask in this major life milestone.

So take a moment and enjoy your engagement before digging into the planning. It’s the holidays, after all! Enjoy your time with your family. Taking your time also gives you the opportunity to chat with your family to create a vision for your wedding before starting the planning process.

When you’re ready to get started, we’re here. Contact us to start planning your wedding!