Weddings are fun as well as beautiful, but a lot goes into their planning. It can be extremely stressful during the last couple weeks. With the right advice you should be able to plan your wedding day without any major hassles. Here are some ideas to help you through planning this important day.
Religion is an important element of your wedding and married life. Make time to talk to your fiance and their family about their religion.
Choose wedding decorations that reflect your personality and that of your partner. Your decorations should also help tell the story of your relationship with the person. Your wedding theme should reflect your shared journey with your partner, from the beginning to the present.
The most important part of your wedding is your future spouse, so be sure that you are ready to spend the rest of your life with them. Don’t be in a hurry to get married. Marriage changes your life forever, and if you truly want your marriage to last a lifetime you need to move slowly towards this step. Consider the person and what about them you can’t live without, and also the things about them that might irritate you.
Booking a venue for your wedding can be extremely expensive. If you know anyone with a farm or a large back yard, you can drastically reduce or even eliminate a major wedding cost. Make sure you offer to hire help to prepare and to clean, though. Do not leave this up to the homeowner.
Invest time in writing vows that will be truly meaningful to your intended spouse. Marriage is very serious and is a strong way to commit to someone, understand that you both might have to make some sacrifices. Let your partner know how much you adore them and that you really do want to spend forever with them.
For a high-impact look that won’t drain your budget, consider renting diamonds for your big day. By renting jewelry instead of buying, you can get the look that you dreamed of for your wedding day without having to spend thousands of dollars.
You don’t need a big, expensive, flashy wedding cake. Talk to your local bakery owner about something smaller, or pre-cut into individual portions. Many bakeries offer beautiful cupcakes with a variety of healthy fillings.
One thing to remember to consider for a wedding is transportation. For people who need a ride back to their hotels at night, arrange to have taxis and limos ready for them. Also, this is helpful for those who drank liquor during the event.
Let your DJ know what he absolutely should not play. For example, you might not like heavy metal or rap, or there may be one particular song that turns you off. Be sure your DJ is well aware of your preferences in advance to avoid discomfort.
Brides who have issues with skin irritation or pimples can improve the appearance of her skin by changing her skincare regimen. Consider natural ingredients and treatments that will brighten your complexion.
Instead of spending a bundle on a monolith wedding cake, consider a multi-tier design with mini-tarts or cupcakes. These kinds of arrangements are versatile, affordable and convenient. Guests can take cupcakes with them as they are leaving.
Choose sweet cupcakes or miniature tarts in tiers over a bulky expensive cake tower. Many people like these sorts of arrangements because they are convenient, versatile and affordable. Allow guests to pick a couple out and place them in a personalized cardboard container.
See if your family wants to come for the honeymoon. Hotels tend to give discounts when guests stay for a longer period of time. Then you can have a memorable wedding and your guests will enjoy a mini vacation.
Do not make guests stand around when you are taking photos. These photos should be taken in advance. The pictures for the bride, groom and immediately family can also be done in advance.
For destination weddings, a fantastic gift to give your guests is a basket full of goodies that is delivered directly to their hotel room. You can include tidbits like tourist maps, sunglasses, novelty towels or even information on nearby attractions. You may also want to include a guide for the restaurants in the area so they can choose where they prefer to eat.
Midday is your best bet for planning a wedding reception. Since most of your guests won’t be interested in drinking much alcohol during this hour, you can save money on your bar costs. Post-lunch receptions usually cost less, too. The money saved here can be used elsewhere.
Put your schedule of events online, so that all guests can access it at any time. Your guests will appreciate knowing where they are expected and at what time; consider making a separate schedule for members of the wedding party.
When you are planning table seating, try to set guests in pairs, so you can ensure every table has an even number of those sitting at it. Group people at tables by age so that common ground for conversations exists.
If your wedding includes a colorful cake that will be its own focal point, use rich, coordinating fabric beneath it to set it off. There are many options that you can choose. These include patterns, solids and fabrics that are heavily textured. You can use silk, velvet or satins to blend the elements together.
Even if your dress is picked and already paid for, it is a good idea to keep it safely at the shop until the big day. Your dress may get damaged or become a wrinkled mess in your closet. If it’s in the bridal shop, it will stay pressed and fresh for the wedding day!
If someone you know is willing to be ordained online, they can then preside over your wedding. This adds a personal touch to your ceremony, and also saves you on the costs of an officiant. Before finalizing your plans though, check local regulations to make sure that this will be legitimate in your area.
One way to help remain in budget is to search Craigslist for items or services needed for your wedding. Before you hand over any money, both bride and groom should meet with them ahead of time, in person.
Individual centerpieces at each table can quickly add up to a big expense, unless you keep them simple. As an alternative, try selecting a simple but elegant centerpiece that isn’t too large or overwhelming. This will enable your guests to talk amongst each other without any interference, which will provide a better experience for them.
Do not allow your guests to get bored or restless between the courses of your meal. Get sugar roses in colors that match your theme, or perhaps some crisp crackers.
Any children in your ceremony need to be dressed comfortably. Make sure all their clothes are not scratchy or binding. Break in new shoes first, and make sure they are comfortable. Instead of messing around with their clothes, this will help kids focus on their jobs at the wedding.
If the couple enjoys traveling, use decorative elements which convey a sense of wanderlust when planning the wedding. You could fashion your invitations to resemble boarding passes or vintage postcards. An old-style suitcase can be set open on a table as the backdrop for wedding programs or favors.
Maximize your wedding planner’s time by doing some research in advance. It is always recommended that you take some time to design what you can call your wedding board. This will contain photos, colored fabrics and anything else you wish to incorporate into your big event. These will serve as a blueprint to tweak and change in order to make your wedding everything you hoped for. Incorporate pictures, songs, magazine clippings and other details that will help your wedding planning understand your vision.
If you have decided to give a speech in a wedding, make sure that you plan for it and practice it enough. A poorly planned wedding speech can make the audience uncomfortable or bored, and leave you feeling disgruntled and disappointed in yourself.
If you plan on having a destination wedding, do not forget about your guests. Some guests may have conflicts with the timing or with the costs of attending. You can send out invitations or reminders to save the date as far as eight months ahead of time. This will allow your guests to make proper arrangements.
Wedding Planner
When starting out with plans for your wedding, create a list of what you want in a prioritized order. Some may think flowers carry more importance over the cake, where others may feel the venue carries more importance over the guest list. With this prioritized list, you can budget your finances according to what is most important and add and subtract to accommodate any budget. This will help ensure that you have everything that you want and keep within your budget.
Meeting a wedding planner? Do your homework. Follow stylists with look books to get better ideas for your wedding. You can add photographs, magazine clippings or perhaps song lyrics in order to show your wedding planner your vision.
As you audition various videographers to film your wedding and reception, compare several vendors. Always request a portfolio, or ask to see an online gallery of previous clients. Look at the sound and quality of the video as well as the editing. People used to get great VHS tapes of a wedding, but these days you’ll want a digital video or DVD that will last you quite a while. Look for a videographer who meets all technical requirements. Beyond that, listen to your heart.
Be sure to take care of all legal details if you are planning a destination wedding. Whether it comes down to fees, red tape or residency issues, you need to address all these things first before beginning to book services and hotels.
Keep a close eye on the weather forecast. If the weather is going to be very hot, your guests will likely want to leave early instead of staying longer and celebrating. Also, if the weather is cold at your party, they may want to leave. Always remember to accommodate your guests, and provide fans for a summer wedding or portable heaters for a wedding in the cold winter months.
The gift registry is a time-honored wedding tradition. For a more pleasant air, try to make guests understand that you don’t require them to bring you anything. Give them varying price ranges and several gift options to choose from. By selecting different priced items, people can find items they can comfortably afford to give.
The bride’s mother and bridesmaids who are planning to assist you in preparing should be dressed and ready long before the time comes for you to slip on your gown. The focus should be directed on you during the minutes that pass before the ceremony. If members of your bridal party are first getting ready themselves, they can’t possibly give you the undivided attention you need to prepare for the beginning of the ceremony.
Hire a photographer that doesn’t just snap pictures. When you interview your photographer, ask them how they think the day should progress. Ask them how they see the day playing out in their mind. It’s essential that you know what they intend to do, so you can determine if it meshes well with your own plans.
A good thing for the bride to keep in mind when it comes to weddings is to make sure that you do not have any distracting tan lines. Though you might want to be tanned for your wedding day, tan lines can take the focus off your dress.
As you consider a videographer for the event, always interview each candidate and request samples of their previous work. Be sure that sound editing is something to which you pay real attention as well. Many couples use to have their wedding put on a VHS tape, but these days, DVDs are the common choice. Also, don’t forget about first impressions; they can help you choose the best person for a job.
Customized jewelry is a wonderful gift for the bridal party. Once your big day has passed, the girls will remember the good times whenever they look at the jewelry piece.
Why not use an alternative to wedding flowers if you are on a strict budget? For instance, rather than having the flower girl wear a floral wreath, have them wear a ribbon. This still looks great, yet is much cheaper. Rather than using real flowers for decorations, use silk ones. Silk is cheaper than live flowers, and they can be a great souvenir. Plus, silk flower arrangements can be made weeks or months in advance so that you can be sure you have exactly what you want.
When planning the wedding photography, do not trust a friend. Friends cannot take proper pictures, unless he or she is a professional, of course. These memories need to be high quality and spontaneous so that you can watch them for years to come. A friend might capture a few of these moments, but not all.
A wedding celebrates true love between two people. It should be something that you will always remember. The above tips will ensure you have a perfect wedding and create memories you will always remember.
Wear black tennis shoes as a guy at a wedding. They’re far more comfy for dancing, that it’s not likely that others will notice them beneath your pants leg. Clean, new black athletic shoes are nice looking and should blend in just fine.