Whether you just got engaged or rescheduling your 2020 wedding, the time to start planning your wedding is now! North Carolina Wedding Venues are filling up for 2021 and even for 2022 wedding seasons due to rescheduling.

December is the highest month for engagements, and from what we have seen online, many NC wedding vendors are offering discounts for their services if you book now. Check out local Facebook groups like North Carolina Wedding or WNC All Things Wedding for vendors in our area.

We wanted to take some time to help guide you through your wedding planning process in three easy steps. It can be quite overwhelming when you think about all of the moving parts of a wedding from announcements to planning photo shoots to booking all of your wedding vendors. So we are here to offer you a simple How-To Guide for planning your dream wedding.

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Wedding: Holly & George | Photographer: Daniela Guerrero Photography | Officiant: Wedding Belle’s NC | Venue: Canaan Valley

Step 1: Decide on what type of wedding you wish to have.

We are Eloping!

We see many of our couples choosing this option when deciding the best way to celebrate. Couples plan an adventure elopement in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains with their wedding photographer/videographer and then celebrate with friends and family later in the day or that weekend. Your wedding day is all about you and with COVID looming around smaller can be better.

We want a small
intimate Micro Wedding!

Micro weddings have become a popular option for couples who chose to scale down their wedding due to state restrictions or for those wanting to have a smaller ceremony. A micro wedding is an intimate wedding for couples 30 guests or below. We have couples choosing a sunrise service followed by a big bad breakfast spread or luncheon or scheduling their wedding later on in the day to capture perfect golden hour moments.

Check out Beth and Shannon's Micro Wedding Weekend in Asheville, NC.

We want to celebrate for more than a few hours!

On your wedding day, you wake up, get ready, take pictures, eat something, get married, take more pictures, say hello to every guest, thank everyone for coming, eat some more, dance, take more pictures, and then you have to tell everyone bye?

You spend all of this time planning your ideal wedding; before you know it, the day is over, and everyone is packing up to go home. Don't you wish you would have had more time? Take your time and celebrate! Many couples choose to have our destination wedding for their special day into an entire weekend. At Canaan Valley NC we have on-site activities from yoga, hiking, fishing, spa sessions, and more.

Step 2: Setting your
wedding budget

Sorry if we burst your bubble with this next fun fact, wedding costs depend on your guests. Setting your wedding budget early on can prevent surprises down the road during your planning process. This calculator will help you plan your expenses around the number of guests. It's super simple to use.

Use this calculator to help visualize your wedding expenses.

My Wedding Budget Calculator

If you have chosen your wedding venue and wedding date and are unsure about what to do next, the absolute best thing to do is hire a wedding planner!

Why do I need a
wedding planner?

Hiring a professional can take every bit of stress off you and your big day. Planning is what they do for a living! They are here to help you coordinate all of your wedding vendors, create your ideal wedding timeline, and help you style your perfect wedding day. Most, if not all, wedding venues have an in-house wedding planner/ coordinator included in their wedding packages. The risk of not hiring a Wedding Planner or Day-Of Coordinator is that the duty falls to another vendor or worse, a family member. When visiting your wedding venue, ask if a wedding coordinator is included.

Questions to ask your Wedding Venue

At Canaan Valley NC, we include a 4-week wedding planning service and Day-of Coordination with Wedding Belle's NC in your wedding package. You also have the option to have a full wedding planning service.

Step 3: Book the rest of your wedding vendors!

We recently took a poll in a local WNC wedding Facebook group asking couples what order they book their wedding vendors.

Booking your photographer/ videographer took second place after booking your venue. Many photographers travel regionally or across state lines to capture magical weddings, so it's no surprise to us that photographers have one of the busiest years coming up in 2021.

After you book your wedding venue and photographer, now it's time to book the rest of your wedding vendors.