How to Plan a Wedding in 5 Months or Less

Why Wait Weddings

Why take 12 months to plan your wedding, when you can do it in 5 months or less with our all-inclusive packages. Weddings that are planned in 5 months or less at County Line Event Center, receive a $1,500 discount off our general packages. This offer excludes micro-weddings. You may be thinking, “How could I possibly plan a wedding in this short amount of time?” Well, that’s our job and we have you covered! To help you find some peace with the process, we have taken some of the most important bullet points from BRIDES magazine and structured it out in a month to month break-out list, (which can be changed around to your individual needs), that will give you an idea of its feasibility.

Determine Your Budget

First things first. Determine the budget for your wedding and figure out who will be contributing, and how much. Before you start going down the searching and finding path, you first need to know how much you can spend in total, and have that total broken out by category. This will make life a lot easier while managing your budget. Make sure you make a list of your must-have items, like a certain photographer or band, since you may need to allocate extra funds towards those items.

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Month 5

Choose Your Venue

While most traditional wedding venues book a year or more in advance, here at County Line Event Center you can book your wedding 5 months or less from your wedding date. Depending upon the time of the year, you may need to consider alternative dates like a Friday or Sunday, but we are determined to get you the date that you desire.

Secure Your Main Vendors

Just like venues, a lot of wedding vendors get booked pretty far ahead of time. By working with our in-house wedding planners, you will be able to lock-in our vendors (DJ, Cake, Caterer, Officiant, etc.) who are experienced in organizing a wedding in 5 months or less. Just make sure to get in-touch with photographers, videographers, and florists ASAP, as they are not included in our all-inclusive packages.

Choose Your Dress

Custom-made wedding dresses should usually be ordered five or more months in advance, but can be purchased in a shorter time frame, just know you’ll have to pay a rush fee if you go that route. For a more affordable option, check out ready-to-wear bridal shops, salon sample sales, non-bridal ready-to-wear designers, or even rental sites for options you’ll be able to take home the same day or opt for delivery. Schedule fittings closer to your wedding date so your dress fits like a glove.

Book a Hotel Room Block for Guests

If you have a lot of guests coming from out of town, you'll want to secure a room block. This reserves a block of rooms that only your wedding guests can book, often at a discounted rate since a potentially large number of people will be reserving them.

Schedule Your Engagement Shoot

You need to get on scheduling your engagement shoot as soon as you establish your photographer. That way, you can use your engagement photos on your wedding website or your save the dates if you like.

Figure out Your Guest List

In order to properly prioritize your budget (and choose a venue), you’ll need to know how many people you’re hoping to have at your wedding. Sit down with your fiancé to make a preliminary list, then talk to your parents about any other guests they’d like to add. Think about the size and style of the wedding you’re hoping for, and keep your budget in mind, more guests mean more people to feed and a bigger venue to rent.

Month 4

Establish Your Wedding Party

If you’re asking friends to stand by your side at the altar, get them on board early. While bridesmaids’ dresses can be purchased and delivered on a shorter timeline than a wedding dress, they still take a while, so consider ready-to-wear alternatives or ask your bridesmaids to pick their own dress in a specified color palette.

Send Your Save the Dates

As soon as you have your venue selected, get those save the dates sent. You can opt for digital save the dates or semi-custom printed designs from companies with a quicker turnaround time. Some will even print your guests’ addresses on the envelopes for you, making mailing as easy as peeling and sticking stamps. For your wedding invitations, get working on the design early so that you can have them ordered and delivered with plenty of time to mail. And don’t forget to get your wedding website (and your registry) set up before those save the dates go out.

Get Your Wedding Bands

Whether you’re getting married in six months or a year and a half, this is the latest you should shop for wedding bands. Like engagement rings, many are made-to-order, meaning it could take 45 days (or up to 90) for your wedding band to be made and delivered. Start by shopping at the store where your partner purchased your engagement ring, especially if you’re interested in a matching set, or devote an afternoon to visiting a few different jewelry stores to find the one you love.

Month 3

Plan Your Honeymoon

After all of that wedding planning, you’ll be ready for some R&R after your wedding day. Worried about flight prices? Search within the U.S. where you can find great beaches and affordable flights.

Month 2

Party

Now’s the time for your bridal shower and bachelor or bachelorette parties. You shouldn’t have too much planning to do when it comes to these parties, but want to make sure they’re scheduled a month or two before your wedding so you’re not distracted by last-minute stress.

Order Your Marriage License

That little piece of paper is a major deal. Plan your visit to the county clerk and get the marriage license. You could also organize to have your marriage license signed at your wedding ceremony. There are many options on how & when this can take place.

Month 1

Pack Your Bags for the Honeymoon

The excitement is building, and not only your wedding but your honeymoon are a month away. Take some time during these weeks to pack your bags so you don't have to worry about them the night before the wedding.

Confirm All the Details

Confirm timing, orders, and the rehearsal dinner with County Line wedding planners. Since we take care of most everything, the last touch-point meeting with us will be very simple, as all major details will be managed by County Line Event Center. The details that are outside of our range, will still be organized through us, as we will work directly with any vendor(s) that you’ve organized. We will also be in-charge of the wedding day timeline, so all vendors and planning will be on the same page.

Finalize Your Seating Chart

By now, all of your wedding RSVPs should have rolled in, so you can finalize your seating chart and have your escort cards printed.

Enjoy the Moment

Your engagement will have literally flown by, and you've managed to plan a wedding in six months. This is your last month of being a fiancé(e) instead of a spouse, and it's a special time. Savor it! Let our in-house wedding planners take care of everything, so you can enjoy your special day stress-free!!