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Timing Guide
The honest answer is a range, not a rule — and micro weddings bend the rules in your favor. Here's how the timing really works.
The wedding industry defaults to “book everything 12–18 months out,” because that's what a 150-guest Saturday production requires. A micro wedding doesn't. Fewer guests means smaller spaces, fewer vendors, and far more dates that work — which compresses the whole timeline.
The dream-date window
9–12 months outBooking here gets you first pick of everything — including September–October harvest Saturdays, the most contested dates in wine country. If you want a specific famous venue on a specific fall Saturday, this is your lane.
The comfortable window
6–9 months outWhere most of our couples book. Strong venue selection (especially Fridays, Sundays, and spring dates), full photographer availability, and a planning pace that never feels rushed.
The realistic window
3–6 months outEntirely doable for a micro wedding — this is where small guest counts become a superpower. Restaurant rooms, weekday winery dates, and off-peak Saturdays are all in play. Some specific venues will be gone; great ones won't be.
The fast lane
Under 3 monthsElopements and small micro weddings can absolutely come together here — fewer vendors, smaller spaces, more flexibility. You'll choose from what's open rather than everything, but 'what's open' in Sonoma County is still beautiful. Talk to us before assuming it can't be done.
Planner & date
Locks the team and starts the clock. Everything else hangs on the date.
Venue
The biggest availability bottleneck — permitted wine country venues are finite.
Photographer
Top photographers carry one wedding per day and book fall dates 6–12 months out.
Everything else
Officiant, florals, cake, hair & makeup — included in our packages and scheduled by us, so this whole tier is off your plate.
Season matters as much as lead time: for the trade-offs between harvest gold, spring green, and off-season quiet, our Sonoma cost guide covers how dates move prices too.
Packages
Every package includes a personal planner, day-of coordination, and your own planning portal — one place where your timeline, vendors, and decisions live from day one to your wedding day.
Starting at $4,500
Elopement · Minimony · Micro Wedding
We handle everything. You show up and enjoy it.
Starting at $6,000
Elopement · Minimony · Micro Wedding
More vendors, more details, more of us.
Venue fees and food & beverage are not included — we match you to the right ones and coordinate everything.
Ready to start? Tell us about your day.
Get in TouchFAQ
For a micro wedding: 6–12 months is comfortable, 3–6 months is realistic, and under 3 months is often workable — small weddings need fewer vendors and smaller spaces than traditional ones. For a peak September–October Saturday at a specific venue, start 9–12 months out.
Venues and photographers, in that order — both are one-per-day commitments. Harvest-season Saturdays disappear roughly a year out at in-demand properties. Florists, officiants, and beauty vendors have more elasticity, and in our packages they're handled for you.
Frequently, yes — especially elopements and weddings under 25 guests, and especially outside peak fall Saturdays. Restaurant venues and weekday winery dates keep short-timeline options open. The honest answer depends on your date and size, which is exactly what a free consult sorts out in thirty minutes.
November through April, plus Fridays, Sundays, and weekdays year-round. Off-season wine country is quietly gorgeous — green hills, moody fog, and venues at their most flexible on both price and availability.
Book a free consult and we'll tell you exactly what's realistic for it — venues, photographers, and all.
Book a Free Consult