Planning A Wedding In 2 Months: Complete Guide

Okay So You’ve Got Two Months

First thing – don’t panic. I’ve planned four weddings in under eight weeks and three of them actually went really smoothly (the fourth one… well, the bride changed her color scheme three times so that’s on her, not the timeline). Two months is tight but it’s totally doable if you get organized like, immediately.

The biggest mistake people make is spending the first week “thinking about it” and researching Pinterest boards. Nah. You need to book your venue and officiant within the first 72 hours or you’re gonna have a bad time. I learned this the hard way in summer 2021 when a couple came to me with nine weeks and by the time they stopped debating between rustic and modern, all the decent venues within 30 miles were booked.

Week One: The Non-Negotiables

You need to tackle these immediately, like today if possible:

• Venue (ceremony and reception – try to get them at the same place to save time)
• Officiant
• Photographer
• Caterer or restaurant
• Send save-the-dates digitally (just use email or a wedding website, paper takes too long)

The venue thing is critical because everything else builds from that date and location. Call at least 10 places. Some will laugh at your timeline but restaurants with private rooms, breweries, art galleries, and smaller boutique venues often have openings because they’re not on everyone’s radar. I had a bride book a beautiful wine bar for a Friday evening wedding and it was perfect – held 50 people, had in-house catering, the whole thing.

For the officiant, if you’re not religious, just get someone ordained online through Universal Life Church (takes like 10 minutes) or hire a professional celebrant. The professional ones usually have some availability because… honestly I think there are more officiants than people realize.

Photography Reality Check

Your favorite photographer with 50k Instagram followers? Probably booked. But newer photographers or ones who typically shoot corporate events or portraits might have availability. Check local photography schools too – senior students or recent grads who are building portfolios will give you an amazing rate.

What really annoys me is when people with short timelines still try to negotiate prices down because “it’s such short notice, shouldn’t that be cheaper?” No. It’s the opposite. You’re asking vendors to shuffle their schedules or turn down other work. Pay fairly or… actually you don’t have much choice here, just pay fairly.

Week One Also Includes

Get your guest list finalized. Not “mostly done” – actually done. With addresses. You need to know if you’re planning for 30 people or 80 people because that changes everything. I tell clients to make a spreadsheet with names, addresses, emails, phone numbers, and a column for plus-ones.

Also pick your wedding party now if you’re having one. They need to know ASAP so they can get outfits sorted. Speaking of which…

Attire Situation

Okay so wedding dress shopping normally takes months but you don’t have months. Here’s what actually works:

Sample sales. Trunk shows. Off-the-rack boutiques. BHLDN. Reformation. Rent the Runway. Lulus. Hell, I’ve seen gorgeous brides in white dresses from Nordstrom or even Zara. The idea that you need a custom gown with a six-month lead time is… I mean it’s nice if you have that time but you don’t.

Go shopping within the first 10 days. Bring one or two people maximum (my cat has better decision-making skills than a entourage of eight opinions). Buy something you can take home that day or that needs minimal alterations. Most alterations take 2-4 weeks, so factor that in.

For the wedding party, just pick a color and let them choose their own outfits. This is so much easier than trying to coordinate matching dresses with different body types and shipping times. “Wear dusty blue” or “wear navy suits” – done.

Week Two: Invitations and Details

Digital invitations are your friend. Paperless Post, Greenvelope, Minted (they have online options), or even a really well-designed email. I know some people have feelings about this but you literally don’t have time for printing, addressing, and mailing physical invites, waiting for RSVPs to come back…

If you absolutely must have paper invites, use a rush service and keep the design simple. The elaborate letterpress situation with vellum overlays and wax seals? That’s a 12-week timeline minimum.

Your invitation needs to include:

• Who’s getting married (obviously)
• Date and time
• Location with address
• RSVP deadline (make it 3 weeks before the wedding)
• Link to your wedding website
• Dress code if you have one

Set up a wedding website through The Knot or Zola or whatever. Put all your details there – hotel recommendations, registry, schedule, parking info. This saves you from answering the same questions 47 times.

Catering Options When You’re Rushed

Full-service caterers might be booked but there are workarounds. Restaurants that do events, BBQ places that cater, taco trucks, pizza catering, family-style Italian places. I worked with a couple in spring 2023 who did a brunch wedding at 11am with a local bagel company providing everything and it was like $18 per person and absolutely delicious.

If your venue allows outside food, consider upscale grocery store catering (Whole Foods actually does a nice job), or even potluck-style if you’re having a very casual small wedding and your family is into that.

Don’t forget about cake. Small local bakeries can usually handle short notice for simple cakes. Or do a dessert bar with cookies and treats from a good bakery. Or sheet cake from Costco honestly looks fine if you display it right – people just wanna eat cake, they’re not judging.

The Décor Question

Keep it simple or you’ll lose your mind. Pick one main element and build from there. Like:

• Lots of candles (you can buy these anywhere)
• Greenery garlands (order from a wholesale florist or even grocery store floral departments)
• String lights
• Single flower variety in bulk (like all roses or all sunflowers)

For centerpieces, you can do bud vases with single stems, potted plants guests can take home, or even stacks of books if you’re doing a library or literary theme. I once saw someone use vintage bottles filled with wildflowers and it looked expensive but cost like $200 total.

Rent what you can – linens, chairs, arches, whatever. It’s easier than buying and you don’t have to store it after or… wait do you need specialty rentals or does your venue provide tables and chairs? Check that.

Flowers

Talk to a florist but be flexible. Tell them your budget and let them suggest what’s in season and available. Out-of-season flowers that need to be shipped from another continent? Not happening in your timeline, sorry.

Alternatively, do grocery store flowers. Trader Joe’s has gorgeous bouquets for like $8-12. Buy a bunch two days before, arrange them yourself or have a crafty friend help. I’ve seen this work beautifully for intimate weddings.

Or skip flowers entirely and do non-floral centerpieces – lanterns, candles, greenery only, fruit displays, literally anything.

Music and Entertainment

DJs usually have better availability than bands because they’re solo or duo acts. Check reviews, meet with them (video call counts), give them your must-play and do-not-play lists. Spotify playlists through a good sound system also work for cocktail hour or ceremony music.

If you want live music for ceremony, check with local music schools or churches for musicians who do weddings as side work.

Week Three Through Six: The Middle Stretch

This is when you’re finalizing all the details and it kinda feels like everything is happening at once because… it is.

Things to handle:

• Order or finalize your outfit and get alterations scheduled
• Book hair and makeup artists (or plan to DIY – trial runs are important)
• Order wedding bands if you haven’t already
• Book hotel room blocks if you have out-of-town guests
• Get marriage license (check your local requirements – some have waiting periods)
• Plan rehearsal dinner (keep it simple, doesn’t need to be fancy)
• Write vows if you’re doing personal vows
• Figure out transportation if needed
• Order guest book, card box, or whatever small items you want

This is also when you need to have menu selections finalized for your caterer, give final headcount estimates, confirm all vendor arrival times and setup needs.

Create a day-of timeline. Like literally every hour blocked out – when hair and makeup starts, when photographer arrives, ceremony time, cocktail hour, dinner service, toasts, first dance, cake cutting, whatever. Share this with all your vendors and your wedding party.

The Guest Management Part

Chase down RSVPs aggressively. People are so bad at responding on time and you don’t have buffer room for this. Text them, call them, send carrier pigeons if necessary. You need final numbers for catering usually 1-2 weeks before.

Make a seating chart once you know who’s coming. This sounds tedious but it prevents chaos during dinner service. There are free apps and websites for this or just use Excel.

Week Seven: Final Details

Confirm everything with every vendor. Send them your timeline. Make sure everyone knows where to go, when to arrive, who to contact with questions.

Break in your wedding shoes. Seriously, wear them around your house for a few days or your feet will hate you.

Pack for your wedding night/honeymoon if you’re leaving right after. Make a list because you’ll forget things if you don’t – I always forget phone chargers even though I use mine every single day.

Prepare vendor payments and tips. Put them in labeled envelopes, assign someone to distribute them at the end of the night.

Make an emergency kit: safety pins, stain remover, bandaids, pain reliever, breath mints, tissues, whatever you might need. Give this to your maid of honor or a responsible friend.

Week Eight: You’re Almost There

Rehearsal happens usually the night before. Run through the ceremony, practice walking down the aisle, make sure everyone knows where to stand. Keep it quick – 30 minutes max.

Rehearsal dinner after – doesn’t need to be elaborate, just a nice meal with your wedding party and close family.

Get your marriage license if you haven’t already (some states have specific timing windows for when you can actually use it).

The day before the wedding, confirm one last time with all vendors. I know this seems excessive but I once had a florist show up to the wrong venue because she had two weddings that weekend and… anyway, confirm everything.

Try to get decent sleep the night before even though you’ll probably be too excited or nervous. At least rest. Stay hydrated. Eat actual food, not just wedding cake samples and champagne.

Things People Forget

Someone needs to be in charge of collecting cards and gifts at the reception. Assign this job.

Someone needs to take your ceremony decorations and move them to the reception if you’re using them in both places.

Someone needs to take the top tier of your cake home if you want to save it.

You need to figure out what happens to your dress after – like are you wearing it to an after-party or changing into something else?

Your vendors need to eat too if they’re there during meal service. Most caterers charge less for vendor meals but you gotta tell them how many.

Real Talk About Budget

Two-month weddings can actually be cheaper because you can’t overthink everything or add endless upgrades. You make quick decisions and move on. But rush fees are real for some vendors, so budget a little extra cushion.

Where you can save: DIY decorations, Friday or Sunday wedding instead of Saturday, off-season month, smaller guest list, brunch or lunch instead of dinner, beer and wine only instead of full bar, digital invites, borrowed or rented attire.

Where you shouldn’t cheap out: photographer (you can’t redo these), food quality (hungry guests are cranky guests), liability insurance if your venue requires it.

The Stress Management Reality

You’re gonna have moments where you think this is impossible or you should just elope. That’s normal. I had a bride in week three of her planning completely melt down because she couldn’t find navy ties for the groomsmen and I had to remind her that literally nobody cares about the exact shade of navy except her.

Take breaks. Watch trashy TV. Pet your dog. Don’t spend every single evening for two months doing wedding stuff or you’ll burn out.

Also delegate. If people offer to help, say yes. “Can I do anything?” – YES, you can address these envelopes, make these centerpieces, pick up these rentals, whatever.

And remember that the point is getting married, not having a perfect party. Some things will go wrong or not be exactly as you pictured and that’s… actually fine? Your flowers might be slightly different than you imagined or it might rain or someone might wear white who shouldn’t or the DJ might play the wrong song but you’ll still be married at the end and that’s what matters.

Two months is enough time if you stay focused and don’t get caught up in perfectionism. I’ve seen people pull off beautiful weddings in six weeks. You just gotta prioritize the important stuff and let go of the rest. Book your big vendors first, make decisions quickly, ask for help, and try to enjoy at least some of the process because it goes really fast and then it’s over and you’re just married and wondering what to do with all your free time again.