Wedding Planning Timeline: When To Book a Wedding DJ, Photographer & More

When to Book Wedding DJ

As a company that initially started out with just the DJ service, we definitely recommend booking your wedding DJ at least nine to ten months out from your wedding day. DJs can make or break your wedding reception, so selecting the professionals can be highly sought-after. Beyond playing music, DJs host the evening festivities to take the stress away from you, ensuring you can enjoy the party!

When to Book Wedding Photographer & Videographer

Booking your wedding photographer in Albuquerque should be one of your first priorities, ideally at least a year in advance. Local wedding photographers are often fully booked well ahead of time, especially those with a reputation for beautiful, emotionally rich captures.

Beyond availability, hiring someone experienced with wedding venues ensures they know how to use natural light, navigate the layout, and make the most of your surroundings. Many couples also choose to bundle services by booking a DJ and photo package, making the planning process smoother. Your photography timeline can align more efficiently when both teams are coordinated under one vendor.

Key benefits of booking your wedding videographer and photographer early:

• Access to top-rated wedding professionals
• Smoother scheduling for engagement and wedding shoots
• Stronger creative alignment between photo and video teams
• Time to discuss vision, shot lists, and special moments in advance

When to Book a Wedding Venue

One of the most important things to book when you begin wedding planning is your wedding venue. A lot of the future services you book will ask you where your venue is and what date your wedding date will be. Checking off your venue before anything else, at least 12 months in advance, will make booking your other services that much easier.

Before you start looking for your venue, you also want to make sure you have a rough idea of how many guests you’d like to have and what time of year you’d like your wedding to be. This will help speed up the process of nailing down your venue space!

When to Schedule Engagement Photo Shoot

This one may seem like a no-brainer, but booking your engagement photoshoot as soon as you’re engaged is a great idea! Well, maybe not right away. Enjoy at least a week or two of being in that newly engaged feeling before you begin wedding planning. The engagement photo shoot is one you want to do in the early stages of planning because you want to capture those raw emotions at their peak! Bonus, your engagement photo shoot can be a great way to get to know a possible wedding photographer.

When to Buy Your Wedding Dress

The dress. This is one of the topmost important parts of the wedding day that you’ll absolutely need. No matter what type of dress style you’re going for, you’ll want to buy a wedding dress ahead of time. If you have the privilege of being engaged more than a year from your wedding date, start researching what kind of style you’d like. Then go ahead and book appointments for the first fittings. Once you’ve decided, you want to actually buy the dress at least a year ahead of your wedding.

With lots of variables of what could keep your dress from arriving on time, including the pandemic, this will give you plenty of time. Once the dress arrives, you’ll also have to make time for alterations (possibly multiple rounds) if need be. To avoid the stress of rush orders, ahead of time is the name of the game!

When to Reserve a Hotel Block

When touring and booking your wedding vendor, it’s good to first ask the venue manager for their suggestion on nearby hotel options (if your venue isn’t already a hotel). You’ll want to then reserve your hotel block right after reserving your wedding venue or at least a year before the big day.

This twelve-month guideline is especially true if your venue is in a popular location or part of town that draws in tourists. If you have more flexibility and availability with nearby lodging, you’ll still want the hotel block booked at least seven months ahead of time to be able to share the information with your save the dates and wedding website.

Bundling Wedding Services for a Seamless Experience

Hiring vendors individually can become time-consuming and complicated. Many couples in Albuquerque choose to simplify their planning process by bundling wedding services through a single provider like Complete Weddings + Events. This strategy saves time, improves communication, and creates a more cohesive wedding day experience.

Benefits of Bundling Services

• One point of contact for multiple services
• Improved scheduling and coordination
• Streamlined payment and contract process
• Discounted pricing when services are bundled together
• Consistent creative vision across DJ, photo, and video teams

Popular Wedding Bundles

• DJ + Photographer: Ideal for smooth transitions and coordinated event coverage. Many couples choose this combination as part of a wedding photography package that includes full-day coverage and timeline planning.
• Photographer + Videographer: Ensures visual storytelling from multiple angles. A wedding videography package often comes with highlight reels, ceremony footage, and full-length edits tailored to your preferences.
• Full-Service Bundle: DJ, photo, video, lighting, and event coordination team support. These DJ packages can include emcee duties, custom playlists, lighting enhancements, and sound equipment setup.

By choosing bundled packages, you gain peace of mind knowing each vendor is already aligned in style, timing, and delivery. This is especially helpful for large weddings or destination events in Albuquerque.

Complete Weddings + Events Albuquerque

Complete Weddings + Events offers multiple services to make it easy to reserve your wedding date for the vendors you still need! Contact Complete for availability on needs for your wedding day!