While your wedding may be the happiest and most wonderous day of your life, it can also be very stressful. You may feel overwhelmed by all the decisions you must make in regards to venue, floral arrangements, refreshments, cake, dress, etc. The suggestions given here are designed to help you reduce your stress and enjoy planning your special day.
Faith and religion mark one of the most important topics in marriage. It may help to discuss this with your families so that they understand how you plan on handling dual faiths in your marriage.
Before the wedding practice walking down the aisle. Get acquainted with the floor you will be walking on and do this with the same shoes you plan on wearing. This makes sure you’re comfortable during the big day.
You will need to make a choice about how much alcohol you want to pay for, and which type of serving will be most cost efficient. Open bars are typically very expensive, especially when they are open for long time-periods. Ask your venue about the different alcohol serving options that they have available.
If you’re wanting to have money for other things concerning your wedding, try keeping a tighter budget on the venue by picking a wedding date that’s not necessarily in season. The wedding season is traditionally from May through September. Wedding venues can be pricier at this time. If you really want your wedding during this season, book as far in advance as possible for a great deal.
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. A certain person claims to have spent only $100 or her gown, but had to spend another $200 to get it altered. When deciding how much to spend, remember to include the cost of alterations.
If you are making the food for your wedding, try shopping at stores like Costco. When shopping wholesale, you can get large amounts of food for cheaper than you could if you did not wholesale shop. Think about asking friends and relations to chip in on the food.
To add spice to your wedding reception, select a caterer that prepares ethnic foods. Choose a variety of dishes to add flair and flavor to your reception. Variety should be incorporated into your wedding dinner to make it a memorable experience.
You can rent diamonds for your wedding if you desire to look great but have a tight budget. This is a way to achieve the amazing look you are striving for without breaking the bank.
Do not crowd tables with too many flowers. Frequently, these flowers are a nuisance to your guests, since they get in the way. Some people attending your wedding may have pollen allergies, as well. Because of this, you should think about putting candles that are non-scented onto the table in order to achieve a more romantic look.
Makeup Artist
Make certain that the reception area you choose has enough dancing space. People love to dance at weddings and no one wants to be crammed in a small space. If needed, move tables and chairs to free up some room for dancing.
If you will have a makeup artist, make sure that you have seen their previous work and like it. Evaluate the makeup artist’s techniques. It is critically important that you know they can meet your needs. Don’t be one of those people who is stuck with makeup they don’t like an hour before they walk down the aisle.
If you are hosting a destination wedding, your guests may appreciate receiving a basket of vacation goodies in their room on their arrival. Have items in them like disposable cameras, hats, sunglasses and tourist maps of the exciting places that they can visit. You could also include flyers and coupons for local restaurants.
While you should always let your DJ know what songs you want played for your reception, it is just as important to alert him to any songs you do not like or want played. Perhaps it’s heavy metal, country music or special music from an ex. Make sure to tell your husband-to-be what type of music won’t be played.
Don’t pick up your wedding dress until you need it, even if it’s already paid for. In this way, you can be certain it will be properly stored and protected from damage. If it’s in the bridal shop, it will stay pressed and fresh for the wedding day!
Check your wedding venue to emsure that there will be enough room for a dance floor. You want to have ample room for everyone to get down, so if the dance floor of your favorite venue is lacking at least make sure that you can add some size by moving nearby tables and chairs.
You may decide to go with a boldly colored wedding cake which can function as the main centerpiece at the reception. In that case, consider placing a swatch of color-coordinated fabric beneath the cake. You can also try solids, patterns and heavily-textured fabrics like satin, velvet or silk for more visual interest that helps bring everything together.
A multi-tiered wedding cake can set you back well over a thousand dollars. You can save money by serving cupcakes, small tarts, or cake pops. They taste great, are easy to eat and are affordable. Guests can pick up their cupcake as they leave.
If dinner isn’t a part of your reception plans, formal tables shouldn’t be either. Lounge chairs, sectional sofas and loveseats can be arranged into groupings that encourage your guests to intermingle. Plush seating can also make guests feel more comfortable and relaxed; this also allows you to create separate lounge areas throughout the site.
If possible, see if your reception venue offers lighting choices. While this may appear trivial, you want to have this option, perhaps for your first dance, then brighter for the remainder of your ceremony. Ask the prospective venue about it, before choosing.
If you are having an outdoor wedding, include a contingency plan for inclement weather or any other unforeseen problem. Rent some tents, or choose a venue with indoor shelter in addition to its outdoor setting. Planks can be used on wet ground so guests do not soil their shoes.
Post a schedule of events on your wedding website or send an itinerary with your wedding invitations. This helps out-of-town guests make appropriate travel plans, especially guests who are going to participate in your wedding rehearsal or other events. It is important that you let people know about events, such as the rehearsal they need to attend; this ensures that they show up at the appropriate time, when they’re needed.
Instead of elaborate and pricy floral arrangements, consider placing various potted plants around the ceremony and the reception venues. You also have several choices for pot decorations. For example, two common pot options are ceramic pots and terracotta stoneware. You can also decorate the pots yourself by painting them, or dressing them up with ribbons. With the potted plants, you can either take them home for yourself, or you can go ahead and let guests take them home as wedding gifts.
Centerpieces on the tables at your wedding can really set you back from a budget and aesthetic perspective. Use a small, simple center piece instead of a large one that takes up a lot of table space. Simple centerpieces help keep the table from feeling cluttered and make it easier for guests to talk to each other.
The groom must always make sure, prior to the wedding, that he has a tuxedo that fits properly. Ask for opinions from family and friends about how well the tux fits and looks on you before you choose the one you’ll wear. People will be taking a lot of pictures: make sure you look your best for this important day.
If the wedding couple have very different cultural backgrounds, use a wedding ceremony from one tradition and have a reception and feast honoring the culture of the other half of the couple. This solution creates a contrast that will honor the traditions of both families.
Write your own wedding vows. It is pretty easy to copy directly from a source, but you are the one who knows your betrothed the best. Doing so adds a personal touch to your big day. You can use other vows as inspirations, but you need to add your own special touch.
Dress the children in the wedding party in comfortable clothing. Dress them in soft, comfortable fabrics that are airy and fit loosely. If the children are going to be wearing new shoes, make sure they are comfortable, and let them walk around in them a bit so that they can get broken in. Attention to this detail will give the children a chance to focus on their role in the wedding as opposed to fidgeting with their outfit.
One money saving idea is to consider alternatives in lieu of flowers arrangements. Substitute a ribbon for the flower girl instead of a large wreath. Use silk flowers, which will cost you much less. You will save money by choosing silk flowers instead of fresh ones. Perhaps when you renew your marriage vows in the years ahead you can reuse them.
Wedding Speech
It really is possible to plan a wedding with a shoestring budget. A wedding should not cause you to go into debt. To save money, you can create your own invitations, ask family or friends to help, make your own party favors, arrange your own flowers, and pick a venue that can host both the wedding and reception.
If you are going to be giving a wedding speech, make sure that you practice and plan appropriately. A poorly planned wedding speech can make the audience uncomfortable or bored, and leave you feeling disgruntled and disappointed in yourself.
When searching for wedding music, research bands or DJs you want to use. Have them provide references, then follow up with those references before you make a final decision. When drawing up a contract, make sure that the date, the hours you expect to have them working, the pay and any other variables are all accounted for. This will help ensure the music sets the mood.
Make your caterer aware that the reception will be outdoors. Some foods may spoil quickly on hot days, and other dishes may not fare well in strong wind. You might want to use fancy covers to protect your food. If necessary, have a small fridge to keep drinks cold.
Your wedding venue should play a role in decisions about your theme, decor, and floral arrangements. For instance, a fancy floral arrangement is beautiful for an indoor venue, but not the best choice for an outdoor venue that is windy. You may also need special supplies to decorate for an outdoor wedding.
Make sure that your flowers are beautiful Vintage themes will help spice your ceremony up. You can use pink and yellow peonies, bright daisies, or red poppies.
Plan ahead. You might believe one year is plenty of time for planning a wedding; however, the more you wait the more costly and unavailable the service providers and venues will be. The earlier you get started, the better your wedding will be.
You wedding plans should begin with a list of those things taking top priority to you. For example, if you care more about where you’re having the wedding than who is attending it, put your desired venue ahead of your guest list. If you create a budget which lists the items in order of importance, you’ll have a much easier time picking out what you can afford and what you’re happy to live without.
Reducing the portion sizes at your reception is one option. If you have a large guest list, then you might need to lower the budget in other areas. One way to definitely shave costs is by serving a smaller meal at the reception. If you have to have a large meal, consider not inviting so many people to your wedding.
In order to keep the bride happy and stress free on her wedding day, you should make certain that the quality of the wedding meets her standards. If she has to stress about planning, and deal with a under par wedding, it will absolutely ruin her. In order to prevent your fiancé from being upset, ensure that you run everything by her.
Think of rain if there is a chance of it interfering with your plans. Outdoor weddings are beautiful but you always want to have a plan B for inclement weather. Even if you think that the likelihood of bad weather is very small, you never know what can happen; be prepared and have an alternate site ready to go for you and your guests.
Girls typically plan their weddings years before it is even a reality. It can be daunting to consider all the planning it takes to make those dreams come true. The tips given here should help you take the task in hand and meet the challenge of planning your wedding.
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 searching for services offering your design, narrow them down according to price and quality of service.