There’s no right or wrong way to plan a wedding. And everyone’s wedding planning time frame is different. If you’re not in a hurry, or if life gets in the way, you could be engaged for several years before holding your ceremony. Totally OK. A more average situation might be an engagement that lasts about a year or so, while some people want to have their wedding right away.
We’ve had couples ask us, “Can you marry us this weekend?” The answer is, “YES!” Because my team and I have seen it all.
Our years of experience in the Las Vegas wedding industry have given us the ability, the skill sets, the know-how and the confidence to be able to help couples coordinate wedding on their schedule, not some prescribed norm or heavenly edict.
With the focus on you, everything will fall into place. Even if, for example, you’re wanting to plan a Las Vegas wedding in 30 days.
Here’s how to make it happen in a month.
30 days
Budget
The first thing we typically ask a client is their budget. In theory we could pull-out all the stops and coordinate the wedding of the century in 30 days or less if money was no object. We can coordinate it as fast as you can spend it. LOL. But in reality we’ll need to know what your target spend is so we can customize your ceremony and/or reception and maximize every penny.
It’s important to have a realistic idea of what you want to spend and need to spend on your wedding day. Planning a wedding is sort of like buying a house. Share your Must-Have, Nice-to-Have, and Don’t-Care lists with us and we can start to sketch out the perfect day based on your budget, while checking off as many things on each list as possible. That’s how a real estate agent would do it, and it’s a good model for a wedding coordinator too.
[Don’t know what’s a realistic budget? Read this article]
Guest List
How many people do you want to invite? Don’t forget, the more you invite the more expensive your wedding will be. Most of our out-of-state couples are coming to Las Vegas for their wedding to escape some of the expense and drama around planning a large scale wedding back home. Couples also tell us that they want to have a destination wedding because they know a good percentage of their friends and family won’t be able to attend due to the travel expense and time commitments involved. This ultimately makes the guest list smaller and the cost lower for the couple.
Style
A somewhat surprising budget related factor is the style. Decorations can add up, venue prices can differ greatly and certain times of the year or days of the week may come at a premium. My advice is to not skimp on the items you have always dreamed about and wanted, even if you do something on a little smaller scale. Decide early on what style of wedding you want so that you don’t waste any of your valuable days going back and forth on major choices.
The good news is, in order to have a stylish and stress-free wedding there’s no need to come close to the large-scale traditional wedding average. The Knot says on average a wedding costs $33,000 in the United States. But you can have a dream-come true ceremony in a stunning venue with a group of close friends and family in Las Vegas for much less.
Venue & Date
Which should you pick first? Most of the time you’d likely set a date first then find a venue, but because you are planning your wedding on short notice, it would be wise to have a few dates in mind so that you can approach your favorite venue with some flexibility.
Hopefully your date will be available at your venue, but if not then my team will be helpful in finding you a fantastic second choice. We have more than 30 stunning venues in and around Las Vegas. Another thing you’ve got going for you with a micro wedding is that the ceremony will be short and it’s likely that your venue has multiple time slots throughout the day.
Vegas is a city that never stops and we are able to accommodate all people any day of the week. In-fact, mid-week weddings are getting more and more popular. I like to think of a mid-week wedding as similar to a shoulder season vacation. Booking a date on a less popular day of the week means that you’re competing with fewer couples in the same manner that the crowds thin out at the Statue of Liberty or the St. Louis Arch when the weather turns a little chillier and the kids are back in school. On a weekday, most people are working and unavailable to host or attend a wedding, so unbooked vendors and venues may offer lower prices in order to stay busy in between weekends.
Flights
You’ll want to book your travel accommodations and flights as soon as you know the date. 30 days is still in the Goldilock Window, so get it done as soon as possible if you’re planning a wedding in 30 days.
Invitations
Assuming you’re not eloping and will be having some guests, you’ll want to tell them A.S.A.P. They may not need to do as much planning as you, but they do need to likely put in a time off request, book flights and a room, and prepare for the trip themselves.
With only 30 days before your wedding, there’s no need to send out paper invites. Phone calls and text messages will do the trick. Ordering invites, and putting them in the mail, waiting several days for them to be delivered, and a few more days (weeks?!) to get an RSVP returned isn’t the best idea when you’re short on time.
The Dress
How particular are you wanting to be about finding the perfect dress? Lots of brides make this a major life decision. Entire cable TV shows are dedicated to the search for the dress. This can eat up a serious amount of time if you let it. But in just 30 days you don’t have a ton of time, so I’ve put this as a must do in the first couple days of this timeline as well. Fittings and alterations take time, too. So, it’s important to get a jump on this wedding planning task.
Thankfully there are a lot of wedding dress resources out there, so you’ll be in good hands. I’ve seen lots of good recommendations in the Las Vegas Weddings and Elopements Facebook group.
Bridal Party
I would advise against having a large formal bridal party for an intimate Las Vegas wedding, especially with just 30 days to plan. But it can be nice to have a couple folks there to support your union. With four weeks to plan, you can pull off some pretty great things for your small wedding in Las Vegas. Smaller bridal parties are certainly trending and having one allows you to do more with less on your wedding day.
Vendors
The last of the big things you should research in the first few days of your month of planning should be the vendors. You’ll need to decide which types of vendors to hire. Musicians? Hair and Makeup? Videography? Create a list of those that you think are most important. With only 30 days to plan a wedding, it’s a good idea to ask around for referrals and then do your research from there. I’ve put together a list of professional preferred vendors who easy for couples to use and comfortable for my team and I to work with. Most venues do this, and using vendors off their list will be a big time-saver.
25 Days
Book Vendors
Once you are through those first couple days of research you’ll want to contact the ones you like and get them locked in. Las Vegas has a big talent pool of professionals in all lines of work, and there’s a wide range of professionalism. Watch out for pretenders, newbies and flakies. There’s a fair amount of them out there. I do hate that about the city, but you should be able to decipher quality vendors right away.
A few things to consider:
All of the professionals I know respond in a timely manner.
All of the professionals I know have a professional website, Facebook business page and run an Instagram account.
If the deal sounds too good to be true… it probably is. Never fall for the incredibly discounted special. It will only leave you feeling like you lost out on your wedding day.
20 Days
Speak with Your Las Vegas Officiant or Minister
In Las Vegas, there are a plethora of ministers and officiants. There are also a plethora of folks that say they are this and they don’t have the legal standing to perform your wedding ceremony or file your paperwork. We work with ministers that are stand-up folks, they provide beautiful ceremonies and ALWAYS get your license and paperwork all checked out.
A Cactus Collective Weddings minister will be able to ask you a few questions and will then put together a customized ceremony. They are able to craft a beautifully written and heartfelt ceremony that’s all about you!
Honeymoon
This is a good time to book all the items associated with your honeymoon.
Las Vegas has a number of great spots to explore if you plan on making it your combo wedding and honeymoon destination. And our part of the Southwest is also filled with options for day trips or separate honeymoon trips. My recommendations can be found in this guide.
Rings
In a short amount of time you’ll have to cut corners somewhere. Ring shopping can be one of them. A good time-saving idea is to exchange temporary rings and then design, order or hunt down your dream ring after the wedding.
For instance, if your jeweler’s working timeline doesn’t allow for you to get the ring you ultimately want in time, go ahead and order it knowing it won’t be ready in time, and then get a placeholder for the ceremony. You can purchase an inexpensive band to use as a stand in and then switch it for the real thing when it arrives.
There’s always the option of sourcing one from a vintage store, pawn shop, or craft market that you can love for now, until your dream ring is ready.
15 Days
Accessories
Get all the little details now that you may not have thought were important 15 days ago. All the items like your jewelry, special makeup, perfume, shoes, hair pieces etc. Also consider getting the items that fall into the “something old, something borrowed, something blue” category. You’ll probably be making use of Amazon’s same-day or next-day shipping a lot at this point.
Final Guest Count
You’ll want to know this and so will your coordination team.
10 Days
Payments
Finalize all payments to vendors if you have yet to do so. Get this done before your date gets any closer so you don’t have to worry about it any more.
Gifts
Buy gifts (or favors) for guests, bridal party, parents and each other. This can be a checklist item that you choose to skip if you’re running short of time, so it’s saved for near the end of my planning guide. Just be sure to come back to it after your wedding so your people know you love them as much as they love you.
Honeymoon
Get your suitcase packed. You may be packing for two trips at once. Do this now so that you don’t have to scramble to do it at the last second.
Toasts
Prepare any toasts or thank you speeches you plan to do at the wedding. Give yourself a couple of days to put your feelings together and to practice in front of a mirror a few times.
5 Days
Marriage License
Apply for your marriage license. There’s no need to do this any earlier in Las Vegas but it will be held for you for 1 year so you can do it earlier if you’d like. Doing so is fast and easy. Using the website, you can pre-apply before you get to town, so that when you walk into the Marriage License Bureau you can move to the front of the line to get your license. It’s a very simple process.
Make 100% sure you have your marriage license with you on the day you get married. Your minister will need it in order to declare your marriage legal.
Further Reading: How to Get a Marriage License in Las Vegas
Wedding Day
Get Married!
If you’ve followed this guide, then your wedding day should be a breeze. YAY! Happy Wedding Day.
