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I would say book all of the big things before you leave (cake, photographer, DJ, etc.). Think about what you really want to DIY and what you can outsource. Then in your 30 days when you get home next summer, you can take care of last minute details like programs, etc. Don't save things for while you are away but the internet makes it really possible to do a lot of planning remotely.
Will you have internet access where you are going? So much can be done online, such researching and contacting vendors if necessary. Will your FI be at home still? As you will be gone, is he willing to help out more, such as handling contracts, etc?
I would ask for references for vendors. Ask your venue, officiant, local friends etc. Then ask your caterer who they like to work with for rentals, cake, flowers, DJ etc. Go from there.
It can be done!!!
And I'm living proof that you can plan from overseas :) It just requires a lot of discipline (so you don't spend 24/7 working on it), organizational awesomeness, and someone amazing back home who will help with stuff if you need.
Don't plan on being able to do much DIY though.
I'm in the same boat right now. Except that the wedding is in 25 days for real!!! There is a lot you can do over the Internet. My FI has been doing a lot of calls to vendors he even met the photographer and I was on Skype talking to them. Limit the number of project when you return not to be too stressed.
I was set on doing our own floral work but then realized I would go crazy if I was untertaking anything else. Trust your FI and your family if they are willing to help you.
Best of luck!!!
I did most of the wedding purchasing for my daughter's wedding online, and saved a huge amount of money. If you need some ideas about where to find good deals, PM me. I have lots of suggestions. Know what your priorities are. Cut out what is not important/doesn't matter. You can definitely do it! :) Rhonda
Yeah, I'll have internet, thank God!! My fiance will be with me, so I'll probably be emailing my mother with a lot of requests (which kind of makes it nice in a way.) I'm planning on tasting cake and food, and meeting with as many people as I can here. The sad thing is that I had always planned on a ton of cool DIY projects, that now I won't be able to do. My wedding will have to be much simpler (which isn't necessarily a bad thing.) I'm just nervious about having supplies to decorate the venue since it's not built yet, and I won't see it until 29 days before the wedding. It'll be a mad dash. I'll have to stock up on centerpieces and stuff now.
I'm looking for a good deal on daisies, chair rental, linens, and invitations. I have no idea how much invitations and programs will cost, but I'm guessing they're not cheap. I had a friend photograph the save-the-dates and I photoshopped the text, so I have no problem cutting corners to save money. Ha ha and I'm sure more questions will come up as I continue planning =O
you can do it! make a list, prioritize, and delegate responsibilities to good helpers. besides booking vendors, i feel like the majority of our wedding has been planned in this last month!
Good to know I'm not the only one who's done this. Suddenly realizing how little time I have has made me prioritize what I really love and what I can live without. So much can't be done until the venue is done being built, ah! The list is happening tomorrow. I might start a big binder :) I love binders.
Thanks for all the responses. The Immigrant Bride- good luck with planning your wedding. We're all rooting for you. Any further tips would be welcome :) I'll be starting another thread called, "What could you live without?" to open a discussion.
It's definitely doable - I'm planning my wedding from overseas as well (live in Tokyo, wedding in New York). We have had two week-long trips home (which, in spite of what my boss thinks, were absolutely NOT vacations, and were planned down to the minute, haha) for crazy in-person planning sprees. The things that were important for us to do in person were to taste cakes/reception food, meet with the priest saying our wedding mass, purchase wedding attire (i bought my dress in one day!), have an initial discussion with a florist, and briefly meet our DJ and photographer face to face. All the minor details (think favors, invitations, etc.), and the specifics of what we're asking our vendors to do for us, have been handled by phone or email.
Honestly, I think planning my wedding from overseas has made things easier in some respects...I feel like I'm not seeing as many options/ideas as I would if I were at home, which gives me less opportunity to second guess my choices. Plus, with sites like this it's easy to see what ideas/trends I might be missing out on :). Wedding planning also gives you an excuse to stay in touch with friends and family while you're away.
You're right about giving up some DIY projects - it's made me a little sad too, but I keep telling myself that no one attending my wedding, with the exception of a friend or two getting married themselves, is constantly looking at wedding magazines and blogs, so they won't know what they're missing if my programs are just printed and folded instead of hand painted, hand sewn, layered masterpieces. :) I've left the DIY work to small things I can transport pretty easily, like escort cards and 1,000 origami cranes (okay, NOT so easy to transport, but it was high on my priority list)...and I've let go of worrying about things like exactly how the invitations are stacked/tied together, since I can't be available to do that myself.
When you're selecting vendors, you might want to ask if they are comfortable working over email. When selecting vendors without meeting them in person first (or deciding if they are even worth meeting in person), I have made it a rule of thumb that if a vendor can't accomodate my situation and reply with a reasonable amount of promptness and a professional conduct to an email inquiry, then they are not someone I want to deal with. This has worked well for me so far. If you let people know up front that you're planning from overseas, and express appreciation for them being able to work under unusual circumstances, I find that they're often more accomodating and are interested/excited to work with someone who is coming from far away.
Lastly, don't be scared to enlist the help of friends and family. Ours have been excited to be involved, and have not minded doing tasks like receiving deliveries, visiting the florist or reception site to verify colors/decor options, addressing invitations, etc. As long as you're thankful and gracious about it, I would think they'd be delighted to help you out.
You sound like you're being really level headed about everything, so I'm sure your wedding will turn out beautifully - best of luck to you! :)
1. Make sure things are set with your officiant and that you know what you will need to do to get your marriage license.
2. Go to a pre-marriage counseling session (unless you'll be able to do this abroad with your SO)
3. Book services for food (find a caterer that will take care of set up and rentals), music, transportation, photographer
4. Get a hotel block and set up a website where you can post info for your guests (could be a nice way to keep people posted as you are abroad too!)
5. Try to designate helpers (MOH, BM, family) who are willing to take care of things as you need them. If you are going to have a shower and/or bachelorette party, figure out who would be in charge of planning them. Make one person a contact for the helpers, that way people will be aware of what's going on and you will be sure to hear about things.
Good luck!
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Hey bees,
So I didn't know how to phrase this in the title, but I'm going to teach overseas in August, and I just found out I will be back June 30-- exactly 30 days to throw my wedding together! So I have this summer to prepare everything, but pretty much everything has to be ready for when I return. This means I have to have everything sscheduled now.
Here's some things I already have done:
-bought the dress
-venue is reserved (but not built yet.) it's a multipurpose recreational center at a summer camp. It will have a huge kitchen, dining room, foyer, and pavillion. My only concern is that it won't be done in time (scheduled to be complete about 2 months before I return.) If it's not done in time, I will have no choice but have the ceremony in a forest clearing.
-bridesmaids dresses are done
-Save the dates
Other than these details, I have done absolutely nothing! I need to start scheduling appointings and ordering decor. I don't know where to start. What do you think bees, can it be done? I welcome any advice you have that will help me get started and be able to keep track of this. Some info: my wedding will be a simpole outdoor wedding, probably around 200 people. I'm trying to keep my budget as low as possible.
Any advice is much appreciated :)