WHO SAYS YOU NEED A WHOLE YEAR TO PLAN A WEDDING?
Planning a wedding can often be a monumentally stressful time for a recently engaged couple. Simple questions like, “How to choose a wedding venue?” and “How to book catering for a wedding?” quickly begin to complicate into “Which venue in Portland, Oregon can accommodate 143 people on a Saturday in November?” and “How many pink drink umbrellas do I need for cocktail hour?”. Now give yourself only a few months (or even less) to plan. Sounds like a recipe for a lot of stress and some possible meltdowns! Sometimes couples do not have the luxury of an extended amount of time to plan - which leads to the dire question:
“How can I plan a wedding on such short notice?!”
Our team at Abernethy Center’s answer: “Quite easily”
The key to planning and hosting an elegant wedding in a short time frame is knowing what to prioritize, what to simplify, and utilizing a team of wedding professionals with a proven track record for success. Choosing a short engagement shouldn’t mean you have to sacrifice a beautiful, intentional celebration if your love is too great to wait!
Here are our best tips to plan your ideal wedding without the ideal time for planning.
Start with the 4 F’s.
Funds. Family and Friends. Focus.
PHOTO: MERCEDES LOU PHOTOGRAPHY
FUNDS
Set a budget and stick with it. It sounds blunt and over-simplified - but it is the necessary first step when planning under a time crunch. It is SO easy to get bogged down with pricing. Mulling over price comparisons and constantly re-evaluating how much to spend quickly eats away precious time you could be using to make critical reservations. Setting a maximum budget should always be the first step. Making the most of your budget, however, is accomplished by a primo wedding planning strategy.
You may find yourself with a higher or lower budget than what you initially thought as your wedding planning progresses, but dwelling for too long on the hardest decision (for some) first can stop engaged couples dead in their tracks on their wedding journey.
FAMILY AND FRIENDS
While you have probably known who you have wanted at your wedding for a long, long time, you don’t have a long time to come up with a guest list. This gets even trickier when you begin to account for travel time and guest availability with the services you are trying to get booked on a time crunch.
Our suggestion; make a guest list bracket.
Begin deciding your invitees based on who you MUST have there, who you would LIKE to have there and then who CAN be invited if funds and space allows. While it may seem odd to put friends and loved ones into a tiered system - getting everyone to a wedding can prove difficult even with ample time. Holding off on booking a critical wedding service while you wait for RSVPs on the guest list is the easiest way to miss your planning deadlines.
Make the wedding day your priority, and we promise those who you hold dear will do everything in their power to make it.
FOCUS
Before reading another word of this blog. Write this down:
Guest List > Venue > Coordinator > Invitations > Catering > Photographer > DJ > Officiant
This should be your focus as you work through your wedding checklist. While you should expect more planning - these baseline decisions are in our opinion, what makes a wedding a wedding (but your priorities may vary). Focusing on getting those time-sensitive bookings booked and your roadblocks un-blocked (like guest count and location) will keep your planning timeline at the pace it needs to be. If it can wait. Wait. Things that you may find important like color schemes, florals, and entertainment might be crucial to your wedding experience, but be mindful of when it needs to be booked as opposed to wanting it to be booked.
Like mom used to say, “You can’t eat your wedding cake dessert without first booking your catered vegetables” (O.K. we made that up, but you get the picture).
However, we saved the best tactic for last…
THE ULTIMATE STRATEGY: BOOK AN ALL-INCLUSIVE WEDDING VENUE
While we have laid out a powerful strategy for planning your own wedding on a short notice, the easiest (and often most cost-effective) plan for couples is to focus on finding an all-inclusive venue. We’re talking tables, chairs, linens, catering, staff, setup, cleaning, and even coordination - everything you need to host a real wedding, real fast. Working with an all-inclusive wedding venue may be your best chance to get a dream wedding last-minute - as no time will be wasted trying to chase down vendors, make payments, and schedule delivery times. With all these services taken care of in one stress-free package - a year's worth of planning can be condensed into only a couple of months!
Want an example, here are simple answers to complex questions that an all-inclusive venue (like Abernethy Center) can solve.
Do you provide catering? All in-house and all local.
What tables, chairs, and linens do we need to bring? None. We take care of that.
Do we need to hire a wedding coordinator for our wedding? Work with us! We have internal coordinators that know the venue better than anyone!
Do you have preferred vendors? For every service you can think of!
How much time do you need to plan a wedding? Just a couple months at minimum.
Short notice on your wedding planning shouldn’t result in your wedding day coming up short! While planning out a year or more in advance for your wedding is always a surefire way to start your planning, we at Abernethy dare to ask the question:
“Who says you need a whole year to plan a wedding?”
We feel that no compromises should be made for your dream day – and we guarantee that you can find a team as dedicated as you are to make your wedding a reality, no matter the time crunch. When selecting a venue, pay attention to their experience and willingness to partner with you. Abernethy Center has been in business for 25 years and with that kind of longevity comes a wealth of knowledge and experience – which we use to create unforgettable experiences for every couple who partners with us no matter the budget or timeframe. All it takes is using your time wisely. Plan proactively, make decisions promptly, and discuss with your partner or wedding coordinator whether an all-inclusive venue is the way to go to make your wedding fantasies a reality!
SCHEDULE A TOUR
Looking for more information whether an all-inclusive venue is the right call for a quick wedding planning turnaround? Schedule a tour and discover why Abernethy Center is one of Oregon's most beloved all-inclusive wedding venues in the PNW.
Discover why so many couples choose Abernethy Center as their preferred Portland-area wedding venue and let our experienced team help bring your wedding vision to life.
KEEP IN TOUCH
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