Weddings are exciting and beautiful, but they demand lots of work and planning. During the final weeks, the pressure will build. With good planning though, you can have confidence that everything will all work out, even though there may only be a couple small things that go wrong. Here are some suggestions to help you in your planning efforts.
When you plan your wedding, be sure to think about cost effective alcohol options. For example, an open bar can cost you an arm and a leg, especially if it’s open throughout your reception. If holding the wedding at an outside venue, they may have alcohol serving options available that can control costs.
Religion is most likely going to be a significant factor in not only your wedding, but your future marriage. It is wise to have conversations with your future mate and his or her family to be sure you all understand each other’s religious beliefs.
Look for a unique touch with your food such a ethnic theme, a style of cooking or something else to add flair. Think outside the traditional choices of chicken or steak. Variety is the spice of life and it is sure to make your wedding dinner something to remember!
Consider getting married outside of wedding season. Traditionally, weddings take place between May and September. At this time, it will be more costly to book a venue for your wedding. If you must book a space in these months, be certain to book way ahead of time to get a reasonable deal.
The single most important factor when you are getting married is also the most obvious, your choice in bride or groom. There is no reason to hurry things–you have an entire lifetime with this person! Consider the person and what about them you can’t live without, and also the things about them that might irritate you.
Wedding gowns can be pricey. To save money, consider looking at dresses that have the same appeal as a wedding gown, but aren’t categorized as such. A simpler dress may suit your needs and will be less expensive than a typical wedding dress. You can choose to alter the dress and add your own flair, while still saving plenty of money.
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. It doesn’t matter what type of music. No matter what you don’t want to hear, tell your DJ.
The pictures that are taken at your wedding are very important as you will look at these for the rest of your life. In order to be able to document this magical occasion, hire a professional and spend extra if necessary.
Interview a lot of skilled and experienced photographers before settling on the one you want. You wouldn’t want bad wedding pictures. Ask for recommendations and read reviews online when choosing a photographer.
When choosing a cosmetic artist for the big day, look at samples of his or her prior work. Are you comfortable with the makeup they’ve done before? Make sure that you are completely satisfied. You do not want to be an hour before your wedding with a make up artist who does your make up in a way that you dislike.
Make sure the lighting at your wedding reception venue can 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. Be sure to find out about these details before you decide for sure.
You don’t have to overwhelm yourself with an expensive and high calorie cake; contact your local specialty bakeries and boutiques and inquire about getting smaller, individual portions made instead. Many bakeries offer small tarts or mini-cakes that come in healthier options, like fresh fruit-filled, gluten-free or vegan options.
Do not allow your guests to get bored or restless between the courses of your meal. Offer sweet sugar roses or flavored crackers.
A great gift for your guests at a destination wedding is a basket that you have delivered to their room full of vacation goodies. Have items in them like disposable cameras, hats, sunglasses and tourist maps of the exciting places that they can visit. It may also be nice to give them a guide to a restaurant in the area so they have an easier time finding a place to get food.
If a friend of yours has something you want to wear simply as them. This can make your wedding one of a kind and achieves a fantastic look for you.
If you find it in your budget, you can have your wedding booked on a cruise with your close friends and family. By doing this, you can be on your honeymoon as soon as the ceremony ends. Some cruises also have special wedding rates for those having a wedding and honeymoon on their ship.
For a wedding couple who especially enjoy travel, look for opportunities to work travel-inspired elements into the wedding decor. You could fashion your invitations to resemble boarding passes or vintage postcards. Prop open a vintage suitcase and display photos, programs, or favors in it.
Do not allow your guests to get bored or restless between the courses of your meal. Try sugar roses which subtly match your decor, or thin crackers that whet the appetite.
If you will not be serving a meal at your reception, consider ditching the tables and renting comfortable lounge furniture instead. Lounge chairs, sectional sofas and loveseats can be arranged into groupings that encourage your guests to intermingle. Plush seating offers a way for their to be separate lounging areas, as well as a place for guests to get comfortable and relax.
Centerpieces can quickly cause your reception to be a dud financially and socially. Instead of purchasing a large centerpiece that will take up the whole table, keep it very simple. This will allow for the free flow of conversation, as guests will be able to view each other without distraction.
If you’re planning a wedding outdoors, you better have a plan B in case of any nasty surprises by Mother Nature. A couple ways to do this include having tents on standby and renting an area with both an indoor and outdoor space. You can put boards on the ground, which will help your guests keep their shoes clean when they walk over a muddy area.
If the groom and bride have different cultural backgrounds, plan a ceremony that honors both side’s traditions with a reception that incorporates traditional decor, rituals and dishes from each side’s background. In this way, the wedding event will be unique, personal and memorable.
Do some homework on wedding planning before meeting with a planner. You can plan the perfect wedding by accumulating all of your ideas into one look book. Putting as many items on the board as possible to convey your desires will help your wedding planner understand what it is that you exactly want.
Dress any children attending your ceremony in comfortable attire. Choose softer fabrics that fit loose enough to prevent discomfort. Shoes should always be comfortable. Break new shoes in before the wedding. You want children to be as comfortable as possible on that day so that they aren’t being distractions by fussing with their clothing.
Do not plan a destination wedding without taking the legal requirements of your location into account. You should be aware of things like fees, requirements in residency, and other logistics before you make hotel reservations and book services for the wedding day.
If you are planning a wedding outside, always make sure that you have a ‘plan b’ in case mother nature does not cooperate. Look into renting a couple of tents, or find a location that has a community hall in addition to an outdoor space. You should put some nice wooden boards in the ground so the guests do not have the chance of getting muddy.
Find a wedding day photographer who is able to capture memories. Ask a photographer for thoughts on your big day when interviewing them. Find out how they intend to move through the wedding, capturing the moments that are special to you. You should be comfortable with the photographer’s style and presence at your wedding.
Wedding Planner
Use flowers that are different heights when decorating centerpieces. Put taller flowers in tall vases with compact heads. Then add in smaller flowers with shorter stems to fill in empty spaces and to fluff out the arrangement. Make the shorter flowers lighter in hue than the taller blooms.
Do your homework before meeting your wedding planner. Try to follow the example of stylists and fashion designers who make “look books” or even “mood boards” featuring inspirational design elements that can lead you towards your dream ceremony. You can clip magazine photos, song lyrics, or photos that help you convey what you want to your wedding planner.
Do some dancing in a very long skirt with your betrothed prior to the wedding so that you’re prepared for the first dance. You may feel comfortable walking in your dress but your husband may need practice dancing with you in a long skirt, so that your first dance is not a disaster. This can help you adjust to the feeling of wearing a long and puffy dress.
Have your wedding’s theme match with all of the decorations. Vintage and retro themes with bright and cheerful color palettes call for robust, showstopping flowers that convey a feeling of nostalgia and wistfulness. That could mean red poppies, daisies, and pink and yellow peonies.
You do not need to spend a small fortune on wedding flowers when there are plenty of other options available. For flower girls, you can use ribbons for a more economical and simply elegant solution to floral wreathes. You might want to consider using silk flowers instead of live ones. This is a much more cost effective option, and one that will leave you with more money in your pocket. You can save the flowers and use them at different times in your wedding or even after the event is over for other occasions.
To help add depth to floral arrangements, incorporate flowers of different heights throughout your arrangements. Use vases that are tall for long stem flowers. Surround the tall flowers with short, stocky flowers. You can make the shorter flowers a lighter color than the blooms on the taller flowers.
Mother of the bride and any bridesmaids who are going to help you get ready should be ready well before the time for you to put your gown on. The last few precious moments prior to the ceremony should be focused on you. If they still are getting ready, then they have no way of focusing on assisting you.
Practice the first dance with your spouse-to-be while wearing clothes similar to what you’ll wear at the wedding. Dancing with your spouse-to-be is romantic, and in addition it will help you get used to each others’ clothes so you won’t feel awkward on your wedding day. While you may be accustomed to walking or dancing in a dress, this will be something entirely new for your future husband. This will get him used to dancing with you in your dress, especially if the lower half of the dress is unusually puffy.
Giving your bridesmaids and other members of your bridal party a small item of jewelry is a charming and thoughtful memento. It is something they can keep for a long time, and it will remind them of you.
The marriage is easily the most important aspect of any wedding. It goes without saying that you should choose the right person. Regardless of how well you know a person, life can become complicated and you want those times to bring you closer instead of separating you. The above tips will ensure you have a perfect wedding and create memories you will always remember.
Once you know what kind of wedding you want to have, write it down and then shop around for places that do that. Once you have gathered information on the various companies that can provide you with your chosen motif, you can start the process of elimination by comparing their prices and services.