When Should You Take Time Off While Planning Your Wedding?

You'll want to save some vacation days for the honeymoon!

Find out how much time you may want to take off of work while organizing your nuptials.

By Emily Lasnier

cancun-beach-couples-photosession
Photo: Blaine Alan Photography

When you’re engaged and working a full-time job, you may find that planning your wedding takes up a lot of your free time, even when you hire a professional planner. Researching vendors in the evening and meeting with them on the weekends can leave you feeling burnt out. And of course it’s even harder if your wedding isn’t in the city in which you live, because now there is extra travel at all. Depending on your company’s vacation policy, you may be trying to hoard as many days as possible for your wedding week and honeymoon. However, there will be pre-nuptial occasions where taking a day off will seem like the easiest way to get things done. Below are some tips on how to handle necessity. 

when to take time off of work while planning your wedding

Photo by Next Exit Photography

- Be efficient. If you have to travel out of town to meet with vendors, schedule as many meetings during that trip as possible in order to limit the amount of trips you need to take. 

- Use your lunch breaks. Smaller tasks like a dress fitting or even a local vendor meeting, if scheduled properly, can be tackled without interrupting your work schedule or bank of paid time off at all!

- Take advantage of long weekends. This will depend on the length of your engagement and wedding date, but any time you can schedule meetings or even pre-wedding events such as engagement parties, bridal showers, and bachelor/bachelorette parties on a long weekend will prevent you from needing to take a day off – and in many cases it’s helpful for friends and family attending as well!

- Don’t skimp on the wedding week. Though a whole week before the big day might not be necessary, if you’re traveling for the big day you’ll want at least a couple days to settle in and finish last-minute tasks. In fact, even local brides will feel more relaxed with a day or two off before the festivities are set in motion. 

- Consider a mini-moon. If a short engagement or circumstances beyond your control leave you without enough paid time off for a two-week-long honeymoon, instead take a few days for a shorter trip to start your married life. Later you can take a longer honeymoon when you’ve accrued more vacation time. 

Get tips for planning a city wedding and learn what tasks aren't the responsibility of your wedding planner.

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