Hello newly engaged couples, and congratulations! Where is the wedding? Have you booked your photographer? How about your DJ? What type of food are you having? Are you doing cake or cupcakes? What is your color scheme? These are just a few of the questions you will be bombarded with from friends, family, and anyone else ready to offer their congratulations. Do you want to know how to be prepared to answer these questions? Then pay attention.
Lesner Inn has teamed up with WeddingWire to bring you our best tips for booking your vendors and planning your wedding. With this timeline, you will be confident in the planning process and in finding your amazing vendors on sites like WeddingWire.
Step One: When & Where
Most important to the planning process, is knowing when and where you will have the wedding and reception. This is how you book all of your other vendors and begin choosing color scheme and other design aspects. Of course we recommend having your event at the beautiful Lesner Inn in Virginia Beach, but if a waterfront venue with a killer sunset isn’t your scene then WeddingWire can help you find a venue that’s a perfect fit for you! Most couples book at least a year out from their event to give them enough time to budget and plan, which we definitely suggest! After booking your venue, it is a great idea to book your photographer, especially if you are set on a certain person and/or have a popular wedding date! The best photographers book out a year in advance as well, so booking them at the same time as your venue will avoid any stress in finding a photographer to give you some dreamy photos!
Step Two: Food & Florals
If your venue doesn’t include food and beverage like Lesner Inn does, then the next step is deciding who will be doing your catering for the event. This involves tasting a lot of delicious foods, so make sure to wear your stretchy pants! You want to do this about ten months out from your event, to ensure that both vendors will be able to work together to make your event a success! You will want to book your florist and begin sharing your ideas with them ten months out from the wedding as well, that way you can begin choosing your color scheme and give your vendors the opportunity to collaborate!
Step Three: Entertainment
Are you having a band or a DJ? Well this is the time to find out! Nine months out from your wedding date is the perfect time to decide which you will have, and who they will be! Ask your wedding venue if they have a preferred vendors list, because often times vendors who enjoy working together will offer discounts if you book with both of them!
Step Four: Guests & Dress
It’s time to send out your save the dates so your out of town guests can start thinking about where they will be staying and how they will be getting there! If your ceremony music won’t be handled by your DJ or band then you will want to decide who will be doing this as well. This is all decided at the eight month mark of the planning process where you will also choose your wedding dress! The sooner you do this the better to make sure the dress is PERFECT for your special day!
Step Five: Maids & Cake
Time to take the girls shopping! If your bridesmaids haven’t bought their dresses yet, and you’re seven months away from your wedding, then it is time! You will also want to go in for a cake tasting, which trust us you want to make sure you get just right for you & your guests to enjoy! Bring your bridesmaids along for this too if you want to make a day of it!
Step Six: Details Details DETAILS!
We’re half way there! Six months out from the wedding and it’s time to get those pesky details nailed down! The next three months will be a lot of back and forth with your vendors, fiancé, and of course your inner monologue, and quite honestly it can be an extremely stressful time. This is when organization is KEY! Keep a binder with tabs and folders for each individual vendor, and a calendar for deadlines and meetings. Your vendors are a team that you have hired to make one of the most special days of your life amazing, so keeping everyone in the loop and up to date is extremely important! If you’ve booked with Lesner Inn, we recommend utilizing our day of coordination services to make this happen! We help ensure that the planning process runs smoothly, and that all of your vendors have current information about your wedding day once we get closer to the event.
We hope that the planning process runs smoothly for you, and more than anything we hope that you have an AMAZING day celebrating your marriage with friends & family!
In addition to keeping binders and folders, another way to stay organized is with a wedding checklist! WeddingWire has a place for you to create your own wedding checklist! Make sure you check it out!
Casual Elegance on the Water 
[…] not our duty to make the big decisions. We’ve recently published a blog to help you prioritize when you should book each of your vendors, but let’s take a closer look at what comes after booking these […]
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