A month-by-month timeline to get you to your big day
BY JE NNA PARK S
PHOTO BY ROBIN LIN
THE WEDDING GUID 52
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durhammag.com
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O, YOU’RE ENGAGED! You are bursting with jubilation, love and a whirlwind of emotions as you imagine your life and future. You eagerly begin Googling wedding venues and create a “Dream Wedding” board on Pinterest. And that’s when this other, unwelcomed feeling emerges. It lingers somewhere between slightly overwhelmed and overt hysteria at the sheer magnitude of the to-dos, the confusion over conflicting etiquette messages, when to book what, and stress due to money, in-laws or timing. Well, we’re here to help ease that stress (seriously, that’s my entire business). I’ve created a timeline-meetslocal-resource guide that will hopefully serve as a cheat sheet to get started with planning. This is a 12-month scale for simplicity sake, but if you are engaged for longer than a year, please don’t take this as me advising you to let the clock tick until you’re one year out! And don’t despair if you just said yes, and you’d like to plan a celebration sooner. Just cut the timeline into the months you have (and maybe hire a planner).
12+Months
GU E ST COUNT AND BUDGET
These two go hand-in-hand as the first things you must do before you call a single vendor. Start by assessing a budget range, then identify your priority areas.
LO CK IN THE VENUE(S)
For most couples, booking your wedding ceremony and reception venue are the first major task, (unless you would like to enlist a full-service wedding planner to help you narrow down and choose venues to tour). Try to be open about dates within your desired month, or prepare for disappointment – especially if you are seeking a peak season wedding date. If you have envisioned a Duke Chapel wedding, you’d best be ready to hunker down in a tent for a few days to secure your spot. On the first of each month, the Chapel opens up wedding bookings to qualifying couples (Duke University association via employment or studentship) who seek to get married in that month on the following year. It is executed strictly on a first-come, first-served basis – thus the legendary camp-outs. Tip: Create a game plan with your beau to alternate hours. If you’re seeking a popular wedding month like April or October and you live out of town, you’d better save up some vacation days; couples often line up a week out! Durham has some of the most fantastic wedding venues in the state. For a classic Southern affair, the ultimate choice is the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club. Their new sister property, JB Duke Hotel, is ultra december/january 2018