Plan Your Wedding in Eight Weeks

Get ready for a whirlwind two months, navigating the ins and outs of the busy, expensive Hamptons wedding market. The good news is that you won't have time to second-guess your choices, so you're free from those niggling worries that plague the New York bride about everything not going perfectly on the big day.

• By Vanessa Grigoriadis
• Published Winter 2006

Week 1

Jill Gordon (631-324-2422), an East Hampton event planner, offers a "jump-start guide" to organizing your Hamptons fête-a kind of Jodi's Shortcuts for the wedding set. Culling through the woolly list of East End vendors, she'll recommend those specific to your budget and style-plus she'll make sure they have availability on your date.

Week 2

You need a venue-fast. Call the councilman's office in East Hampton to apply for a permit to get married on the beach, but if you're feeling overwhelmed, think about other options. Location scout Nancy Grigor (631-267-1001) can help book mansions throughout the Hamptons, some on the beach, usually for about $25,000 for three or four days.

Week 3

The biggest and most reliable tent-rental service in Long Island is P.J. McBride (631-643-2848), which offers a mind-boggling array of tents for weddings of every size. Lighting specialist Matt Murphy (631-287-7026), once a landscape lighting designer for estates, is the go-to guy for making the tent look dazzling.

Week 4

It's likely that expensive caterers like the Art of Eating (631-267-2411) will be reserved months beforehand, but the Seafood Shop (631-537-0633) in Wainscott offers excellent catering services, with legendary grilled fish, lobster rolls, and bisques. For cakes, try Kathy Burton (631-725-4614) of Noyac, Sag Harbor, who tends to get booked up during September's prime wedding season.

Week 5

If you want to arrange your own flowers, Southampton wholesaler Dutch Petals (631-287-3356) receives shipments from the Netherlands and Ecuador every week. If getting involved yourself sounds too daunting, try floral designer Karen Lenahan (516-413-4828), who specializes in exquisite arrangements of local flowers.

Week 6

With a showroom in Bridgehampton, Party Rental Ltd. (631-537-4477) has one of the biggest warehouses in the country, with nearly limitless barware and china for any event, with a nice focus on modern lines and shapes.

Week 7

The Hamptons aren't the best place to find wedding favors, as most stores don't supply cheap items in bulk, but Amagansett gourmet store Mary's Marvelous (631-267-8796) has great boxed chocolates and cookies, and the friendly BookHampton (631-324-4939), in a new location on Main Street in East Hampton, is stuffed with fun gift books.

Week 8

Treat yourself to a steam and sauna at the Seawater Spa at Gurney's Inn in Montauk (631-668-2345). For hair on the big day, East Hampton's full-service M Salon (631-324-3036) does updos as well as waxing, mani-pedis, and makeup. You can book the afternoon at the salon, or opt for at-home service-they'll send stylists for $450 to do your hair and makeup and $250 for each of your bridesmaids.