Planning stress

Many of your other vendors will ask where the event is taking place and can dictate whether they believe they're a good fit or not. Is there a reason why you don't want to look into renting the park and hall now? 8 months before isn't really that long in wedding planning time.

If you don't want to book a venue now, you can start looking into other vendors that you wish to have. Caterer, florist, bartender, photographer, baker, etc. Since you are focused on a theme it would also be a good idea to start getting a list together now of what decor you're looking for.

Its better to be earlier in planning that later. I get that you don't feel the need to book a venue now but you really should. Most everything else hinges on that, and it will be one less thing to stress about. Even though you don't want a traditional wedding space, its better to just get that part done so you can picture the rest. You can certainly get away with an affordable wedding if you get creative, keep it casual, and be flexible in your vision!

I agree with everyone!

But definitely start looking or at least keep an eye out. A lot of people are planning to get married in 2022 so who knows if some brides may have the same idea as you to wanting to book the same park, hall, or whatever it may be.

Definitely check wedding wire's list on your account to see what other areas you can work on in the meantime.

I would say that finding and booking a venue is one of the most important first steps, even for a small wedding. Location is one of the first things every vendor asks, and it's not too early to book one. Keep in mind, a lot of 2020 - 2021 weddings were pushed back due to COVID, so even small venues are being booked up quickly for 2022/23. Also, some venues provide you with tables, chairs, linens, etc so it's important to know ahead of time what you will need to find on your own and what your venue will provide. In fact, I think it might help ease your stress to have a venue locked in.