The ring is on your finger, and it’s time to start planning your wedding! Here’s why you should start booking your vendors.
You’ve just joined the best club there is — you’re a Bride of Long Island! Congrats, beautiful BOLI. We know your wedding is going to be perfect.
You may be reveling in that post-engagement bliss, but we’re here to tell you that time moves quickly. Like, very quickly. Even if you’ve decided on a summer wedding two years from now, blink and suddenly you’ll be weeks away from the big day.
So don’t wait to start planning! Here are the major reasons why you should start booking your vendors, no matter how many days you’ve got until “I do.”
Image courtesy of Fade to Black New York
Vendors book quickly
Don’t lie — you were researching venues, photographers, and DJs well before you got the ring. And hey, it’s great to have a few “dream team” vendors in mind! But if you’ve seen their work and know they’re popular, chances are they’re already fully booked for this year, booking up very quickly for next year, and may even be booking dates two or three years from now.
This is especially true for certain vendors that can only take on so many clients per day. Hair and makeup artists are usually the first to fill up, since many are working solo or with a small team. You can’t be in two places at once!
You won’t get a “do over” for your wedding day, so make sure you’ve got your top choice vendors locked down now. You don’t want to “settle” for a venue, photographer, or DJ you don’t really love because your favorites weren’t available.
Image courtesy of EXO Photography and Cinema
Some gowns can take 1 – 2 years to arrive
You’ve said “yes” to the dress, and now it’s time to celebrate! That is, until you realize your dress is going to months or even a year (or more, depending on the designer!) to get here.
While the waiting is hard, it won’t be such a big deal if your date is well into the future. But what happens if your dress isn’t scheduled to arrive until after your wedding day? Unfortunately, it means you’ll have to choose another gown.
Remember, you don’t get a “do over” for your wedding day. Making decisions now will ensure you get exactly what you want when it’s time to walk the aisle.
Image courtesy of RF Films
Booking now will save you money
Price increases: just like death and taxes, you can ALWAYS count on them. So while your ideal venue may be totally within budget now, if you wait until next year to book, that may not be the case anymore.
Think about it: if your guest list is at 150 and your venue’s current price per person is $200, your total would be $30,000 (before any taxes or fees are applied). If that venue’s pricing goes up by just 5% the following year, your new total would be $31,500. And that’s just for ONE vendor. Florists, DJs, Photographers, and other important vendors will also usually raise their prices each year.
Locking in all of your vendors at their current price points can save you beaucoup bucks in the long run — we’re talking in the thousands.
Image courtesy of Solaris Photo and Film
There are only so many Saturdays
Saturdays are popular wedding days for a reason, right? It’s the first day of the weekend, and most of your guests probably won’t have to work the next day.
Here’s a little wake-up call for you: there are a grand total of 52 Saturdays in 2024. Same for 2025 and 2026. If your venue books two weddings per day, that means they have room for 104 Saturday weddings. That’s it. And we’re talking all year, here — not just the seasonal months. And for a further wake-call, there are over 23,000 brides-to-be in the BOLI Facebook group.
So if your heart is set on a Saturday wedding in the summer, we suggest booking your venue tour…pronto.
Image courtesy of Bernard Alexis Photography
There’s a huge influx of couples that are currently planning their weddings (thanks, COVID)
Let’s face it, competition is always pretty stiff when it comes to Long Island weddings. But because of the pandemic, that competition will be even stiffer in the months ahead.
Most couples that got engaged in 2020 or 2021 decided to hold off on any serious wedding planning until COVID was a thing of the past. Now, many vendors are seeing their calendars booked even further in advance than normal. So if you were planning to hold off on hiring certain vendors, you may find that someone else has gotten to them first.
