Couldn’t it be done in a few hours? Make a list of who you want to invite, find a place to do it, hire the preacher, go to Party City and get some cups, balloons and what not and you should be good to go. A few hours. A day or two tops.
Sure if that’s the wedding you want.
Weddings are as complicated or simple as you’d like and let them be.
LOL. My college roommate quit her job 10 months before her wedding so she would have time to plan.
10 months … doing what? Figuring out how to match the napkins to the table clothes?
what is complicated is the personalities involved and how well they work (or don’t work) together.
If one chooses a place that is a banquet hall, hosting many weddings, then one has the venue and caterer set. They will also supply references for flowers, bands, etc.
I basically did that when planning a 50th anniversary party for my parents. We listened to tapes of bands, and I shopped for invitations. It took an hour or less to plan menu.
For my son’s Bar Mitzvah it took more time, only because we wanted a computer theme. I went to 6 places until I found a computer-type invitation, then I hunted for someone to make Kosher chocolate laptops for favors, and a computer disc case with cover. The 2 wonderful women who made all the centerpieces, supplied the invitations, the CD cases, the chocolate baker, and they would happily have done flowers, place settings, and cake. They were pros. If I had another affair to plan, I’d have let these women do everything. Their prices were very reasonable.
I love planning events. I turn to friends whom I admire, get references, and go from there.
Depending on what kind of venue you want, some of them book months in advance. Custom dresses can take 6 months to order. My D’s wedding was mostly a DIY affair. I made 6 bridesmaid dresses which took a while. We went very simple and used a BarBQ truck that came to the site- he was booked on the weekends 3 months in advance. You might have to book whoever is performing the ceremony a ways in advance. You could certainly pull a simple wedding together in a few weeks if you kept it basic, but many people want more.
I have a serious question: How does one pick a DJ? I’m planning my 50th HS reunion (yes, really) and the hotel where it will be held recommended two. How do I know which one?
“Couldn’t it be done in a few hours? Make a list of who you want to invite, find a place to do it, hire the preacher, go to Party City and get some cups, balloons and what not and you should be good to go. A few hours. A day or two tops.”
Sure, for a casual wedding. No, for a more involved one.
Anyone been to an indian wedding? It can be a 4 to 5 day affair with different customs and traditions performed each day.
Thank goodness we’re not Indian. Nor is anyone I gave birth to serious about an Indian spouse.
I had a coworker who quit her job ti plan Her wedding. I think it was about 6 months before the wedding date. Blew my mind. I will say it was a very nice wedding. 
If you want a small low key event you can do that and it won’t take months to plan. Up to you. My wedding took a few weeks to plan, during which time we were still going to work and living our lives.
A lot of people these days will plan months in advance just to give people traveling to the wedding time to plan. And as others have said some venues and such book up well in advance. So even a relatively simple wedding can be in the planning stages for several months. Doesn’t mean those involved are spending tons of time preparing. Although of course some do.
Planning a wedding is (often) like remodeling a kitchen. You have no idea of how many steps there are and how many are dependent on other things…you can’t do the plumbing until the sink is in, can’t do the sink until the counter is in, can’t do the counter until the cabs are in, …etc.
“Couldn’t it be done in a few hours? Make a list of who you want to invite, find a place to do it, hire the preacher, go to Party City and get some cups, balloons and what not and you should be good to go. A few hours. A day or two tops.”
Are casual affairs with disposable plates all you’ve ever been to?
It’s all the details everyone wants that create the planning nightmare. Seating plan. Name cards. Center pieces. Cute theme decorated container for cards. Printed menus for each guest. Favors for each guest. Photographer. Hair stylist. Makeup artist. Guest book. Plan the music for the ceremony. Plan the music for the reception. Put together the cutesy slide show of the bride and groom from birth to present to be shown at reception. Have bridal party practice cute dance for their entrance.
The list goes on.
I honestly blame Pinterest. There are just TOO many choices/options these days. And there’s too much pressure to have everything be “unique.” Back in my day, sameness was valued because it usually meant it comported with tradition. There was a “right” way or “customary” way to do things. Now it’s a big free-for-all coupled with a lot of one-up-manship, IMO. It’s turned into a production instead of a ceremony. And the cost is crazy. When I was growing up my daddy always told me if I would elope he would give me $2,000 and a Volkswagon (going price for those at the time was $1,999).
veryhappy. Go to places the DJs are playing. Listen to music, watch the crowd. Are they dancing and engaged? Or are they bored and have that get me out of here look? Do they take requests? Will they play music from when your H was a young man? What about a theme, will they work with that?
And sometimes you get into stuff that you have no idea how complicated it is. I wanted an origami bouquet. I don’t like flowers, wasn’t having any floral and didn’t want to have to coordinate it. My bouquet was beautiful but my god my bff must have spent 150 hours on it. Had I known I would have carried a dang orchid from TJ’s.
Making the dream match reality.
A coworker of mine came by today and showed me bags she was having made to serve as guest swag bags for her destination wedding. (They were adorable!) It obviously took her some time to think through a theme and we discussed what she was going to put in them. Party planning and attention to detail takes skill and time. There’s nothing wrong with a bunch of paper plates and disposable cutlery from Party City if that’s how you roll, but some people want a little bit more distinction and elegance than that. Anyway, what’s it to you if it takes a long time to plan?
And I cannot believe that you’re not aware that nice hotels / restaurants can book up a year or more in advance, as well as certain florists, musicians, etc. Come on now. You didn’t just fall off the turnip truck.