Are short engagements a thing of the past?

Cast your mind back to the pre-pandemic world.

When couples got engaged then, budget was about the only consideration for setting their date.

Could they afford what they wanted, or would they need time to save?

That was then but now as the industry has to cope with rescheduling postponed weddings, finding a date for a new booking can prove difficult.

So what happens if you’re newly engaged and still want to plan your wedding within a year?

Is it still possible or should you bank on a longer engagement?

“Most couples don’t want to wait,” advises wedding planner Laura Devine of Devine Bride.

“Lockdown seems to have had a massive impact on couples now taking life/weddings by the horns!

“They are shopping around for availability and compromising on season and day of the week to get the wedding they want – or switching up location entirely.

“They don’t want to delay any life plans post-wedding like buying a house, moving country, getting a dog or starting a family.”

After the beautiful micro-weddings in 2020 and 21, planner Oskar Gilchrist-Grodnicki – The Wedding Guru Oskar says there’s now a real appetite for weddings on a larger scale, even if some couples want to keep things more intimate still.

Keep an open mind

So how exactly can you pull off your big wedding within a tight timeframe in the current climate?

Flexibility is key. According to Oskar, there is always a way to make it work.

“If you’ve not got your heart set on a specific supplier and are quite happy to be flexible and work around various scenarios, there are still plenty of opportunities to make it happen,” he says.

“Arrange it at an unusual venue, potentially lower your numbers if needed to fit within the venue’s capacity, hire caterers and work with a slightly different timeline.”

Social network

With so many wedding suppliers working flat-out to play catch-up, there’s been a real sense of rallying together.

“My network has never been tighter for fellow supplier referrals and recommendations to try to help all of our couples plan the day they want,” says Laura.

And the backlog of weddings can actually lead to pleasant surprises.

Oskar says, “Many suppliers rescheduled dates three, four, five or even more times and therefore the date they might not have had available initially, could have opened up due to postponements.”

Expert advice

While you may need to hone your organisational skills, try not to lose sight of the end goal.

“Assess your priorities and stick to them yet be flexible and open to various scenarios your special day could shape into,” advises Oskar.

“Don’t get disheartened if you first choice supplier isn’t available. Reassess and move forward.”

And Laura has another clever way of getting around the big day, short timeframe scenario.

“A smaller dinner and bigger party is much easier to plan (and pay!) for in a shorter timeframe,” she says.

“A lot of stress around weddings comes with food; table plans, menus, courses, dietary requirements, et cetera.

“Removing these elements, or the sheer quantity at least, will save you masses of time.” Good luck!

Laura says try to get wedding insurance

That way if your plans do have to change at least you’re protected