The whole “first comes love, then comes marriage” statement is missing quite a few steps if you want to host a wedding to celebrate that marriage! Choosing your venue and selecting vendors doesn’t happen all in a day! (The average couple hires 15 wedding vendors!) While there is no exact timeline for planning a wedding ceremony and reception, we have guidelines based on the average engagement length of 15 months to help you decide when to book your wedding vendors in Rapid City, SD.
Rapid City Wedding Planning Timeline
When to Book a Rapid City Wedding Photographer & Videographer
What’s a once-in-a-lifetime event without being able to look back on it and share it for future generations?! While some couples forgo a traditional wedding cake or “something borrowed, something blue”, we don’t suggest skipping out on hiring stellar cinematographers for your big day. You definitely don’t want to leave this to-do unchecked for too long. Most other couples are reserving wedding photographers and videographers early on. You want to make sure you book your photographer and videographer at least a year in advance to get the best ones.
When to Book Wedding DJ in Rapid City, SD
Every reception needs a Master of Ceremonies, aka a wedding DJ. So don’t sleep on reserving this key ingredient to getting the party started! Book your Rapid City wedding DJ at least nine to ten months out from your wedding day. DJs are one of the most highly sought-after wedding services, in line with photographers and videographers. They bring your party to life! DJs don’t just play music, they also host your night and take the stress away from you.
When To Order & Send Wedding Invitations and Save the Dates
When choosing to send your wedding invitations and save the dates, the most important thing to keep in mind is where your guests live. If your guests live in the same country, two to three months out is a safe bet for sending invites. Save the dates are best to send six months out for these guests as well.
Now, it’s much different if your guests live internationally. You want to send save the dates to international guests as soon as you know your wedding date. Yes, that means a year or more out. This ensures that you give your guests plenty of time to save up money and look for plane tickets.
That goes along with invitations. If you have international guests, your timeline speeds up and you’ll also want to send those six months out. This gives plenty of time for them to receive the invite in the mail and for you to receive their RSVP back to you if you’re not doing online RSVPs.
When to Reserve Catering
Many venues require on-site catering. In this case, you can rest a bit knowing that the caterer already has your date saved when you reserve your reception space. You still need to pick out your menu, but this doesn’t have to happen until three to four weeks before the event.
You’ll want to book your catering six to eight months before your wedding day, if you have multiple choices. Typically, caterers have multiple menu options (some dozens!), so you would have plenty of time to select the actual meal you’re providing for guests.
When to Reserve a Hotel Block
It’s a good idea to ask the manager for suggestions on nearby hotels when touring and booking your wedding venue (unless your venue is a hotel). You’d want to reserve your hotel block right after reserving your wedding venue or at least one year before the big day.
This twelve-month guideline is especially true if your venue is in a popular location or a part of the town that draws in tourists. You may have more flexibility and availability with nearby lodging otherwise. However, 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.
Scheduling the Rehearsal Dinner in Rapid City
Planning for the rehearsal dinner should start about four to six months prior to the wedding. This involves selecting a rehearsal dinner venue, deciding on the menu, and confirming the guest list. If you’re envisioning a more elaborate event, consider starting the planning process even earlier to ensure all details are meticulously arranged.
Complete Weddings + Events Rapid City
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!