Planning .....

You're way ahead of the game! I am having a short engagement, got engaged in September 2023 and I am getting married in May 2024, so only 8 months. I asked my maid of honor shortly after getting engaged and that was definitely plenty of time. So I would say you'd be fine asking 8-12 months in advance, but I wouldn't really do it sooner than that. The one thing that was just under the wire for me was ordering my dress, since it can often take 8-12 months to arrive, so my suggestion would be your next step should be to begin looking at dresses. You can really take your time and try to find one by this coming September. I highly recommend Vistaprint for save the dates and invitations - they were super affordable compared to competitors like Zazzle, and much better quality. We did postcards for the save the dates so didn't need envelopes and postcard stamps are a little cheaper than regular stamps. A lot of photographers offer a complementary engagement photoshoot, so keep that in mind and you can use one of those pictures for your save the date.

Oh you're doing great with your planning! I would ask your wedding party about 6-8 months ahead of the wedding, in order to leave time to order dresses/suits but not too much time to invite drama. You'd be amazed at how much we see regrets about wedding party choices.

I'd start looking for your own dress etc this fall.

Keep up the good work!