How to Plan a Wedding in 30 Days

A Beautiful Wedding Needn't Take Lots of Time or Money

My husband proposed to me on September 9th of this year. After the initial excitement, we began to agonize over the date and details of the actual event. As with most couples, we originally chose next spring for our wedding as it would give us the "proper" amount of time to plan and organize. We looked at venue after venue, from guest ranches out of town to grand old hotels, seeking a place that was unusual and would accommodate an outdoor ceremony. The search became exhausting and less than fun very quickly. One day I just looked at my fiancée and asked, "Why don't we just marry after Thanksgiving and get it over with?"

Why, indeed? Perhaps because this would give us only slightly more than a month to organize the wedding? Fortunately, this plan worked out much better than either of us could have imagined and we ended up with a ceremony and reception that we will remember fondly for the rest of our lives. Follow these tips for pulling off a wedding ceremony and reception with the least amount of stress.

1)Do not choose a date until you have your venue picked out. If you decide on a date first, you are left with a minimal choice of locations to host your wedding. It is much better to book your preferred venue first and consider their open dates. When you are booking within a short time frame, many times the venue will give you a great deal to fill a "hole" in their schedule so it is also better economically.

2)Contract with nearby hotels for your out of town friends and family. After booking your location, next step is stopping by the nearest hotels to inquire after guest room rates and availability. This information can be included on your invitations. Out of town guests will need to make their reservations as soon as possible.

3)As soon as your preferred venue is contracted, send out your invitations. Invitations to our wedding went out the first week of November for our date on the 25th. I found a beautiful boxed set of do it yourself invitations at Michael's which matched our color theme for only $30 and printed out the translucent top papers on my printer at home, saving both time and money.