Bye Bye, Bridezilla! Tips For Smooth Sailing

Certainly weddings can be stressful and require much planning, but you just need to be optimistic and have the right information. Doing your research is the ideal way to properly prepare yourself for one of the most important days of your life. Read on to learn some valuable wedding planning tips.

If you want to save money on your wedding, consider having it in the off-season., Wedding season runs from May through September. Wedding venues can be pricier at this time. If you decide to have your wedding during these months, you will get a better deal by booking far ahead of time.

If you prefer to handle the refreshments and foods on your own, save money by shopping at wholesalers, such as Sam’s Club and Costco. If you’re shopping wholesale, you are able to get a lot of food for less money than shopping retail. Consider asking your friends to help with the costs of food.

If you decide to cater your own wedding party, go to the big wholesale stores, like Costco. If you shop wholesale, you will be able to get lots of food at much better prices. You can also see if your friends can help with food costs.

Never go on a strenuous weight loss diet in order to look your best. Not eating any food can leave you feeling dehydrated and lethargic on your big day. You don’t want to faint as you’re saying your I do’s! You can always choose a dress that utilizes a corset so that you are able to take your dress in for the moment.

One way you can cut hundreds of dollars from your wedding budget is by purchasing your wedding gown online. However, make sure you do this early enough that there is time to make any needed alteration to the gown. For example, you may purchase your dress for $100, but you need to spend an additional $200 on alterations. Make sure you consider this cost in your wedding budget.

Make sure you view examples of work from any makeup artist you’re considering hiring. Does their style suit you? Make sure that you are completely satisfied. You certainly would hate to be minutes from walking down the aisle only to discover that you hate your makeup.

If you are looking to dazzle your guests but cannot afford a hit to the wallet, consider renting diamond jewelry. Renting diamonds will allow you to have the wedding look you’ve always dreamed of, even if you’re on a strict budget.

You need to provide the DJ at your wedding with some songs you want to hear, but you also need to give him a list of all the songs you do not want to hear on that day. Was there a song that you loved once but you no longer do? This will help you to avoid discomfort on the big day.

If you cannot justify the cost of a thousand-dollar wedding cake, consider contacting a local bakery and inquiring about single-serving portions, like cupcakes or cake pops. Alternatively, consider something like low-fat cupcakes, gluten-free cake, fruit-filled low calorie cakes, or other such healthy alternatives.

Make sure the lights at your reception venue have dimmer switches. It may sound insignificant, but you are probably going to want to dim the lights for the first dance and turn them back up for the remainder of the reception. Ask the venue about this before committing to it.

If could be another family member or friend, they just have to be able to carry your gear around with you. You can even have the assistant help you collect family members when it’s time to take a group shot!

Wedding Cake

While you are taking your wedding photos, do not let your guests wait. These pictures should be done beforehand. Also, pictures of the couple with their parents can be taken in advance; this reduces the waiting time for guests coming to the reception.

If you are going to use a wedding cake with vibrant colors, opt for a coordinating tablecloth. Whether you choose patterns or solids, the fabric should add another dimension of visual interest and help to tie your wedding cake in with your wedding theme.

For a destination wedding, one wonderful present for your guests is a basket brimming with vacation goodies delivered to each room. Include items that will be useful, like a tourist map, disposable camera, sunglasses, a hat, and pamphlets from fun places to visit in the area. A local restaurant guide is also a great thing to include in the basket because it can help them to find great places to eat.

If the bride and groom hail from highly divergent cultural backgrounds, honor both sides by planning a wedding ceremony that incorporates one side’s traditions, followed by a reception that includes traditional dishes, rituals, or decor from the other side’s background. This solution creates a contrast that will honor the traditions of both families.

If you are on a budget, consider scheduling your reception for around lunchtime. Most people will make plans after the reception, which minimizes the amount your guests may drink. The costs of lunch are far more affordable than catered dinners. Therefore, you can afford to step up your menu or divert that part of your budget to another area, such as floral arrangements or wedding favors.

If you are including a wedding speech, make sure you write it out and practice before the wedding. If you don’t practice your speech beforehand, you run the risk of forgetting your speech, saying something you didn’t intend to say, or losing the audience.

See that the lighting at the reception venue has the ability to be dimmed. This might seem like a trivial detail, but you want to be able to lower the light for your first romantic dance as a married couple and increase the lighting for other moments of the reception. Verify this with the venue, before signing your contract.

When it comes to planning the itinerary for your wedding ceremony and reception, account for every hour. Your guests should have a good time, and take part in different activities for your special day.

When planning table seating arrangements, try to assign your guests so that there are an even number at each table. To keep table conversations flowing, group the people you have sitting at the tables by their age.

Prior to meeting with a wedding planner, do your research. Take the time to visualize what your ideal wedding will look like by posting fabric swatches on mood boards, gathering images and inspiration just like professional stylists do. You can include magazine clippings, photographs or even song lyrics to communicate your vision to your planner.

If your meal entails several different courses, make sure you add in little sweets between the plates. Try sugar roses that are able to match the wedding’s colors, edible sugar petals, or even crackers that are flavorful to help them not be too hungry.

Prior to deciding on a destination wedding, be sure you know of the laws of the location. Whatever fees or red tape you encounter, you definitely want to address any needs prior to booking any services or hotels.

Silk flowers make great alternatives to various other flowers for your wedding. You don’t have to purchase these fresh so you can buy them months ahead, and you don’t have to be concerned with huge floral arrangements.

Potted Plants

For instance, you may plan your menu around ultra-modern fusion cuisine, including popular dishes from both cultures. Add a little twist with ethnic drinks, desserts or wedding favors that are edible.

An affordable alternative to fancy floral arrangements is to place several potted plants of differing sizes in various areas of your reception and wedding sites. You can decorate terracotta stoneware using lacy ribbons and paint or by purchasing already glazed ceramic pots in coordinated colors. You can offer the potted plants as wedding favors or if the new couple chooses, they can use them in their landscape.

If the groom and bride come from different cultural backgrounds, embrace each background by incorporating the traditions of both in the wedding and reception. This will ensure that all parties are happy and satisfied.

Plan group fun times on your special day. It is unfair to expect your friends, or even your family members, to stand around bored to tears on this important day. There are all kinds of fun activities to plan, such as games, contests and informal gatherings. The more fun your guests have, the better the entire event will be for everyone.

If children are to be a part of your ceremony, pay special attention to the comfort of their clothes. Use soft fabrics that have a somewhat loose fit for comfort. It’s important that any shoes they wear are comfortable, which means new shoes, will need to be broken in. Paying attention to the clothes children wear will allow kids to enjoy their wedding experience without being uncomfortable.

Make sure not to procrastinate. A year is not really a long period of time to prepare when there are so many details to take care of. Try to do this fast so that you do not stress during crunch time.

If you are planning a destination wedding, be sure to know the legal requirements for getting married in that location. Before you start making travel arrangements and booking accommodations, be sure all the nuts and bolts (e.g. license fees, residency requirements, etc.) are attended to.

Think about serving a meal that’s small during the wedding reception. You may need to cut a few corners if you plan to have a large number of guests at the wedding. Consider a buffet rather than a sit down dinner, or simply serve a variety of bite size foods like sliders, fresh fruit, finger sandwiches and other simple choices. If this is unacceptable, you may need to trim your guest list.

If you don’t want to spend a small fortune on flower arrangements on the reception tables, have you considered a display of potted plants instead? You can embellish terracotta pots with colorful ribbons, paint or decoupage, or you may choose glazed stoneware. When the wedding is over, the guests can then take those plants home with them as a favor and have a constant reminder of the new couple.

All the bridesmaids and the bride’s mother should be dressed and ready well in advance. The focus should be on you in the moments before your wedding ceremony. If they are worried about getting themselves ready, they’re not focused on assisting you.

Gift registries are a tradition. For a pleasant atmosphere, you should make your guests understand that they do not have to bring anything. Offer suggestions that span a wide array of price points. Your guests should be comfortable bringing gifts they can afford.

Tan lines are a no-no for brides. A nice tan will make you look even more beautiful.

Create your vows on your own. Do not copy these as they should be personal. Writing your vows adds a special memory to this special day. You can gather inspiration from other sources; however, make them your own.

After you settle on a motif for your wedding, write it down in a notebook or wedding planner, and then begin the process of trying to find services that are experienced in that particular area. When you are looking at the different services that offer your desired design, then you can start narrowing them down by price and services.

Keep your wedding in mind when you are sunbathing, as you don’t want to end up with distracting tan lines. Think about the cut of your dress and how your tan lines will show once you’re gown is on.

Gold prices are trending much higher than normal, so you might want to consider other metals when it comes to wedding rings in order to save money. There is titanium, tungsten, platinum, steel, silver and many more. Not only are they more affordable and look great, but they go well with most wedding attire. It’s time for something a little different.

When you have figured out your theme and the date of your wedding, one of the next things you need to do to keep your wedding planning going is to figure out which invitations you will use. Make sure you choose colors that match the theme of your wedding. When you are looking at wedding invitations, be sure to check out all of the options available.

Hopefully these tips have helped to prepare you for all of the planning that you are now going to do. Just remember to stay positive to keep learning what you can for your big day.

If you are shopping for a wedding dress while pregnant, remember to take into account your expanding middle. It can sound so simple, yet you have to remember that you will keep getting bigger and your dress needs to be able to accommodate that.

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