Wedding Planning Checklist

One of the first things you should do once you decide you are getting married is to create a wedding planning checklist of all the things that you think are necessary to create a smooth running event where all your needs will be met.

You will be quite surprised as you start writing out your checklist how it will grow and grow over the weeks and months as you move towards your wedding and getting additional input from your partner and other people will help you realize everything that is required.

Rather than trying to go into too much detail right from the start it is best to begin your checklist with the most important items and then go into more depth on your list as you think more and more about those items.

So you would start your list of the basic headings of: dress, flowers, reception, guests.

Then under each of these headings you would go into more detail so that under a heading such as dress you would list your wedding dress, your bridesmaid’s dresses and possibly even your mother and mother-in-law’s dresses as they will be in the wedding photos and will need to coordinate their clothes with yours for the best photo results.

Then you would start listing the various different places you need to investigate to get your dress sorted and that might include getting wedding magazines, contacting dressmaker’s, going to wedding dress shops and trying on the various dresses and so on.

Then you drill down even further in these lists and write down prices of the various solutions that you have found.

As you can see the list will grow bigger and bigger until you find every solution that suits your needs.

You can then create another list of items that have been solved and these can be checked off as they are implemented; for instance the second list might have the date where you will get your dress fitting, the name address and phone number of the dressmaker and other such details that you will need at hand at all times.

By staying well-organized at all times and keeping all these details in one place you will find that the time leading up to your wedding will be a lot less stressful and quite possibly less expensive.

Wedding Themes

Your wedding should be one of the most memorable days of your life. You will still remember a cookie cutter wedding, but personalizing the details of your wedding according to your personality (and your soon-to-be spouse’s) will turn that boring wedding into an event you’ll remember forever!

Now more than ever, couples can spice up their wedding in ways that make their day unique to them alone, and unlike days gone by, no one will bat an eye. Traditional wedding protocol is still popular, but that doesn’t mean you need to follow it to the letter.

Before you start calling reception halls and caterers, sit down with your partner and discuss what the two of you want for your wedding. Write down your ideas for the perfect wedding. Keep these ideas in your wedding organizer for reference later.

Theme weddings are very popular. These can be very subdued events, or crazy and outrageous. Remember, this is your wedding, your special day. Don’t be inhibited by what you think others will think. As long as you and your partner are having fun, then your theme wedding is a success!

If you want to have a theme wedding that is fairly elaborate, then be sure to allow yourself plenty of time for planning. It may take some time to find the right place to hold a pirate themed wedding, or a caterer that can make an elegant castle cake to go with your fairytale theme. Remember to give your guests plenty of time to find costumes, if you choose to extend the theme to them as well.

You may think a wedding planner is a useless expense. However, having someone else to take care of all the minute details of a theme wedding (or any wedding for that matter) might be just the thing you need to take the stress off your shoulders. A planner that specializes in theme weddings will know shortcuts and vendors that will make your wedding a fantastic success.

Be sure to interview several wedding planners before making the final decision to hire one or not. Prices for their services will vary depending on how elaborate and large you want your wedding to be, and how involved you want the planner to be. When balancing the cost of a wedding planner against your budget, keep in mind that using a wedding planner will allow you to continue your busy daily schedule knowing that every detail of your wedding is being handled. That alone could make a good wedding planner well worth their price.

Bridal Bouquets – How to Make Your Own

If you are on a tight budget for your wedding, or if you just like working with flowers, you might try making your own bridal bouquet.  You may run into some problems that can be avoided by paying attention to our checklist for making a bridal bouquet.

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Handmade Wedding Invitations

Like many people, you are probably on a tight wedding budget. You don’t have to sacrifice style to fit into your budget though. There are many areas where you can cut costs. Handmade wedding invitations will save you money and add an extra personal touch to your wedding.

Your partner may want to help out with making the invitations. If not, then ask your wedding attendants to help out. Make it a fun, early hen party that your younger attendants and flower girls can also attend.

If you like to scrapbook, you may already have some ideas for invitations, and the necessary supplies. If you need some ideas for designs, check out some scrapbook magazines at Barnes & Noble or your local scrapbook store. Don’t forget to browse your wedding shop’s invitation catalogs for some design ideas. If you find one you like and you can’t get a physical sample, you can always check out the company’s website and print a copy.

Many couples who choose to make their own wedding invitations like to incorporate a favorite photograph. Some ideas include a photo of you holding hands featuring the engagement ring, or a professionally done portrait of the two of you.

If you are making your wedding invitations, make sure you leave plenty of time to make the invitations, and still get them out to your guests in time for them to respond. To be on the safe side, add an extra day or two to your time line to allow for mistakes and re-dos. You may find that your chosen design is harder to make than you first thought, or you may change the design after making a few. Leave time in your wedding planning for this.

Before making the final decision on whether to make your wedding invitations or to have them commercially printed, you will want to price out the materials. In most cases, doing it yourself will be much cheaper, unless you need to purchase expensive tools. Ask the local scrapbook store if they have a cropping room with tools that you can use if you don’t have them at home. This will save money.

Handmade wedding invitations maybe the perfect alternative to high-priced commercial invitations. If you want to do it yourself, but aren’t feeling creative, check out one of the many print-it-yourself wedding invitation kits on the market. You can find these at most office supplies and stationary stores, and stores like Target and Walmart. Your local wedding store may also carry these low-price alternatives as well.

How to Hire a Wedding Planner

Planning a successful wedding requires careful planning and execution. A wedding planner can help the busy bride with essential details of the wedding planning process. A wedding, like any other project, requires careful planning where budgetary constraints have to be followed and deadlines must be met.

If you close your eyes and think of the many aspects and components of your wedding, you must see the opportunities for disasters are endless. You may not think of it that way, but planning a wedding is a complex job, and it can become quite stressful overwhelming and time consuming.

Today’s brides are busy with their job in their own professions and may not have the time or desire to take on the job of planning their wedding. The average timeframe between the engagement and the wedding is 12 to 16 months. Because of the duration of the wedding planning process, you may want to seriously consider hiring a professional wedding planner.

Wedding planners are experts at making your special day less stressful and more organized. Even though hiring a wedding planner can cost several thousands of dollars, but in return you can save considerable time, money and your peace of mind. Wedding planners should be prepared to help you with design, financial, legal, etiquette, and many more related issues. You need someone on your team that has the professional experience to hold it all together.

Because wedding planners are experienced professionals, they have experience with wedding vendors of all kind. Regardless of your budget and personal taste, they will be able to recommend reception venues, photographers, or any other related wedding service professional you might need. Simply put, they can assist and guide you in making informed decisions. More specifically, wedding planners will help you with the following tasks:

• Evaluate vendor contracts and recommend clarification before signing.
• Recommend potential caterers, florists, reception venues, wedding dress fittings, wedding officiants, etc.
• Organize and attend the wedding rehearsal dinner.
• Provide you support and solutions to unexpected occurrences.
• Finalize your wedding program.

Since a wedding planner can make or break your special day, selecting one could be one of the most important first steps you take toward planning your perfect wedding. Try to get recommendations from your friends and family and consult associations for wedding planners on how to hire a wedding planner.

You may not have the budget or desire to hire a wedding planner to plan your wedding from start to the wedding day. It is still recommended that you at least consult with a wedding planner on some of the most important elements of your wedding. Remember, your wedding is your special day and you want to feel like a guest at your own wedding. A wedding planner can help you succeed.

Gazebo Wedding Decorations

You’ve chosen the setting for your wedding ceremony – a beautiful gazebo with a lovely pond behind it. The decision you need to make now is whether to use the wedding gazebo as is, or enhance the setting with some nice decorations. If you are at a loss as to how to decorate this structure, here are some great tips for gazebo wedding decorations.

It will be easier to decide on decorations if you have your color palette and theme (if any) picked out before you begin. Keep color swatches with you when you shop for your gazebo decorations, so you can easily match or blend colors. You may also want to tuck a small inspiration photo album in your purse. You can then pull these pictures out in the stores to help you find just the right gazebo wedding decorations.

You may also want to ask the wedding gazebo owner about the types and colors of any flowers and plants that are planted close to the structure, and if these flowers will be blooming at the time of your wedding. If so, think about utilizing these built-in wedding decorations – perhaps choose the same flowers and complimentary colors for your wedding decorations. You could save a lot of money on flower arrangements by incorporating existing live plants!

A very classic and traditional way to decorate a gazebo for a wedding is to use tulle. This can be an inexpensive decorating tool, that will add a touch of romance and fantasy if hung right. Shop around for just the right color and try to buy entire bolts of tulle on sale. If you purchase too much for the gazebo, you can always use the leftover tulle to decorate tables, aisles, and other wedding receptions elements.

You don’t have to wrap tulle around the wedding gazebo. A prettier use might be to attach it to the inside top of the gazebo and let it hang down – like a romantic canopy over the bridal couple. You can also swag the tulle around the banister of the gazebo. Get creative in attaching the tulle – use flowers to hide the attachment areas.

Instead of tulle, you may want to use flowers and flower garlands. You can usually purchase these at craft stores, or in bulk online from stores like Oriental Trading Co. You could also use fresh flowers – though creating the garlands would be expensive and time-consuming. Flower petal strewn around the steps and floor of the gazebo add a nice romantic touch.

If the gazebo owner does not want you to use glue, nails, or staples to attach your decorations, you will probably need to buy some ribbon to tie the flowers and garlands in place. You could also use tulle cut into strips, either alone or mixed with ribbon, to use as ties. Ribbons come in such a variety of colors and styles that you are sure to find the right look.

Another idea for gazebo wedding decoration is to use strand of lights. You can wrap the lights around the pillar of the gazebo, or intertwine the lights with the flower or tulle garlands. Of course, the lights will only provide a romantic, fairy-tale effect if you can see them, so this idea would probably work better for evening or night weddings.

When you decorate the gazebo, consider extending the decorations out to where your guests will be sitting. Use the same tulle, ribbon, or flowers to decorate chairs and aisles. Make your guests feel they are part of the wedding ceremony, rather than just spectators looking at a stage.

Be creative when choosing your gazebo wedding decorations. You are really only limited by any restrictions the owners of the gazebo have. There are an infinite number of ways to decorate your chosen gazebo – tulle, ribbon, flowers, lights, crystals – even hanging butterflies – be creative in your wedding decoration ideas and your ceremony is sure to be one you and your guests will remember for a lifetime!