Wedding planning can be a complicated process, often drawing out months and sometimes even years of logistics, vendor selections, venue visits, and stress. Post-pandemic, couples are embracing spontaneity and smaller nuptials to keep costs down and the headaches that come along with planning their big day. Recent trends in the wedding industry reflect that couples are opting for shorter engagements and more intimate weddings in the form of micro-weddings or elopements, prioritizing meaningful moments over elaborate planning. Given this, last-minute weddings are not only possible; they can be easier to pull off than you might think.
Photo Credit: Hannah Lillian Photography
How Common Are Last-Minute Weddings?
Once commonly known as "shotgun" weddings, last-minute nuptials have been rebranded within the past decade. They are seen as more acceptable and normalized, given post-pandemic-related uncertainties, financial considerations, and a desire for simpler celebrations. In fact, a national survey conducted by Helzberg Diamonds in 2022 noted that 62 percent of engaged couples "are open to considering a scaled-back elopement style wedding, and the number is higher for females at 69%."
Some notable celebrities that are a part of this trend include Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen, who, after a month-long engagement, planned their private Santa Monica, California ceremony in only 10 days. Also, just like many other couples, David Harbor and Lily Allen's wedding was delayed due to COVID, and they ended up eloping to none other than Las Vegas in September 2020.
Photo Credit: Kristen Thomison Photos
Reasons Behind Last-Minute Weddings
From vendors backing out to guests adjusting their RSVPs weeks or days before the big day, there are a myriad of circumstances that cause last-minute changes or even complete overhauls of weddings. What's more, financial considerations like taking advantage of short-notice deals from venues, caterers, or vendors can encourage more last-minute planning as well.
And don't count out the romance of couples being swept away by love, leading them to make the spur-of-the-moment decision to marry quickly. Many in the wedding industry recognize this, hence the 50 wedding chaples around the Las Vegas Strip that are ramping up in popularity, as noted by Condé Nast Traveler.
Lastly, there can be family circumstances such as military deployments, health issues, and elderly family members, who the couple wants to be included on the big day can rush timelines.
Luckily, many venues offer "all-in-one" packages that have made it easier for couples to organize weddings quickly.
How to Plan a Wedding in One Week: Tips from a Wedding Planner
Kobi Cummings, the Co-owner, Art Director, and Certified Wedding Planner at The Valley Venues, a captivating wedding and event venue nestled right outside the heart of Chattanooga, Tennessee, has experience in curating thoughtful designs and impactful memories into last-minute weddings. Recently, she helped a couple transform a wedding nightmare-their venue double-booked them-into a dream scenario and was able to help them replan their entire wedding and lodging for their guests in just a week. These were her key takeaways.
Photo Credit: Haven Viola Photography
1. Prioritize Your Must-Haves
At the main core of the wedding, focus on the essential elements and your non-negotiables and secure those as quickly as possible. Make sure the officiant, location, attire, guest list, and vendors are all locked down as quickly as possible. Cummings mentioned that if you are hiring a wedding planner, at your very first meeting, lay down all of the groundwork and leave with a very solid plan for everything so they can get to work on making it happen. That means that couples will need to be able to share a clear vision of their special day and be able to open up and be as honest about their likes and dislikes as much as possible.
2. Choose a Flexible Venue
The more all-inclusive the venues are, the better. Especially on a time crunch, you want to find venues that can really work with you and have a lot of things on site like linens, tables, chairs or even decorations that you can utilize, and you don't have to worry about it. Venues, like The Valley Venues, have micro-wedding, elopement, or multiday packages or lodging that allow more options and time to set up and give families an all-in-one experience, for example.
3. Maximize Your Budget and Time Efficiently
Oftentimes, you can save money by planning a last-minute wedding due to cancellations or off-peak availability for venues or vendors. They may not be during the most ideal times, but they can save couples thousands of dollars while working into a shorter schedule. Opting for ready-to-wear bridal outfits and minimalistic or easily available décor can save time and money while still creating a beautiful and elegant wedding.
4. Utilize Your Wedding Planner and Venue
Cummings says that her clients might not know it, but their weddings mean a lot more to her than they probably think it does. "I truly am in less for the money than I am for making people happy. I love throwing people that day to remember and even though they might not remember me, they know that it went well and they were taken care of," she says.
Whether a last-minute wedding or painstakingly planned, wedding planners and venues truly want the best for their clients and are there to help with whatever they need. They are experts in the industry and can answer any questions and provide insights into how to make your day go off without a hitch!
