So you’ve gotten engaged?! Congrats! This is such an exciting moment in your life leading up to the start of your new journey with your significant other… But it would be unfair if I didn’t mention that it is also stressful. I wish I could sugar coat that for ya but­ even if you hire a Wedding Planner, you have a lot to do!

Today, we are going to focus on booking your Photographer/Videographer for your wedding. Sure, you could easily go find a bridal magazine or hunt through Pinterest for a timeline of when you should be doing what… but we searched sources across all mediums and found a trend of inconsistent timelines. So, instead of comparing all of these wedding timelines yourself we did it for you (you’re welcome). 😉

We compared 25 different wedding planning timelines. Sources include everything from Lauren Conrad, The Knot, Martha Stewart & everything in between. Collectively, the range was anywhere from 6 to 13 months… which is a pretty big time gap. So we found the average to give you a solid result of:

You should be booking your Photographer/Videographer at least 9 months before your wedding!

And here is why we agree:
By this time, you’ll have already picked your venue, a theme/color scheme, an idea of a guest list, and a basic timeline of your wedding day. This is all useful to your Photographer because…

• Once the venue(s) is set your Photographer can look up the locations to see where they can get the best photos of you, your significant other & loved ones
• You will know who you will really want photos with, out of town family or friends, etc.  (Add to your shot list!)
• The general timeline is useful so whether you are having a mix of traditions or unique wedding events, you can be sure your Photographer won’t miss a thing and capture all of your special moments

Note: Of course if you’re ahead of the game, booking earlier doesn’t hurt! It ensures your booking date, engagement sessions and more.