Almost every day we receive a phone call from someone, looking to hire a disc jockey for their wedding, who is shocked to find out that we have no Saturdays available for up to a year and the popular dates are taken up to two years in advance. We are asked all the time; how far in advance should I book your services? The answer is simple "as soon as possible" and here is the reason why.

Although Fridays and Sundays are becoming quite popular for weddings, the most popular day of the week is still Saturday. The most popular months of the year for weddings are April thru October. So there are approximately 30 "prime" days per year. Now consider that there are many categories of wedding vendors that only offer their services to one customer per day. It is easy to see how many of the top vendors are booked up a year and a half in advance.

I suggest you begin planning and booking vendors as soon as you have decided on a wedding date. You also need to prioritize your vendor shopping. This means you should start with any of the vendor categories that typically offer their services to only one customer per day. Some of those categories are Photographers, Disc Jockeys, Bands, Videographers, Wedding Coordinators and some Banquet Facilities. When you hire most of these vendors, you are normally hiring based on the talent of an individual person. Take Disc Jockeys for example, although there are booking agencies and multi-system companies out there, most brides & grooms hire their DJ based on the talent of a particular person. The same holds true for Photographers. Many companies offer several Photographers, but not every Photographer has the same style and skill level. These are the vendors that you need to book as early as possible, because once someone else books them, it's too late!

Does that mean that you can't plan a wedding in less than a year?  Absolutely not, but if you want "your choice" of the best wedding professionals in your area, then you need to begin planning early.