How early is too early?

Visit almost any wedding-related website or browse through the wedding section at your local bookstore. You are bound to find timelines of all the things that should be accomplished by a certain time. If you’re lucky the timeline is starts with 9-12 months out, but there are several that list a variety of things that you should have done more than a year in advance. But what if you’re not planning on waiting a year or more to get married?

On a wedding related forum I read about a girl who started contacting venues and finding out availability before becoming engaged. Though she and her boyfriend discussed what month they wanted to marry in, the boy hadn’t asked her the question. So most of the responders told her to hold off on the wedding planning until they were officially engaged.

I agree with most of the people who commented. The girl is getting ahead of herself. But when a couple doesn’t plan on a super-long engagement, there should be some kind of planning already started unless it’s to be a rather rushed and chaotic feeling directly after the engagement.

Like many women, I’ve thought about what kind of a wedding I would like to have. I’ve thought about colors, and first dance songs, and food, and themes, etc. I’ve got my own little “binder” of inspiration ideas I keep in files on my computer. I’ve looked into the pricing for various photographers, venues, etc. Basically, this will give me a head start on the thinking that should occur before the planning actually begins. Sort of like the backward planning idea that’s so popular in education. Think of the end goal that you would like to accomplish and then make sure everything you do builds toward it. But that’s as far as I’m willing to go until I get engaged.

How much planning do you think is okay to do before receiving a proposal?