Chose Your Wedding Colors Early

Perhaps one of the most important decisions you will make when planning your special day is choosing your wedding colors. Everything from the invitations to your jewelry will be affected by what palette you chose. Make your choice of wedding colors early to avoid major headaches down the road.
Tradition may say that your wedding colors should be soft and pastel, but that’s not the case for the modern bride. Throw caution to the wind and start with your favorite color, no matter what it is. This is your day; why not surround yourself with your favorite color? This will act as your base color for your wedding palette.

Once you have your base color, use a color wheel to chose complimentary colors. Using a color wheel will insure that your palette creates a pleasant visual backdrop that isn’t glaringly obvious. Keep in mind, however, that there are a few instances when your wedding colors may need to be adjusted beyond your chosen palette.

Theme weddings may demand particular color palettes in order to create the feel of the theme. If you have a particular theme in mind for your wedding, such as Medieval, Pirate, or beach, then your choice of wedding colors will probably be driven by the theme.

Hiring a professional will make the choice of wedding colors much easier. They are trained in helping brides chose colors that will not only look good together, but will also compliment the bride and her wedding party.

If you can’t afford to hire a professional wedding planner, don’t worry. Comb through bridal magazines for ideas for wedding colors. Cut these pictures out and keep them in your wedding organizer. Make sure to also keep either fabric swatches or pictures of the bridesmaids’ dresses. Take this organizer with you when you chose flowers, invitations, your cake, and your decorations. Having all these ideas in one place will help you see what colors work together and will help you create the wedding and reception of your dreams!

Beach Weddings

Beach weddings are very popular due to their casual and very romantic feel. Whether you choose a local beach or one in Fiji, beach weddings are memorable and unique. As a destination wedding, they are also an great way to combine your honeymoon with your wedding, and to give your friends and family a chance to get away on their own mini-vacations.

Receptions for beach weddings are usually held right on the beach or at a nearby hotel. This usually means fewer expenses for the reception. However, keep in mind that you may have to budget extra for air travel and hotel rooms for guests, especially if your chosen beach is in another country.

When choosing a beach to hold your ceremony and/or reception, keep in mind that most beaches are not private. You will want to make sure that your ceremony isn’t interrupted by beach-goers. You may want to contact a local tourist authority or state park office to find the best locations, and to find out what regulations there are. Also keep in mind any elderly or disabled guests that may need extra help in getting to the ceremony site. Wheelchairs and walkers don’t move smoothly through sand.

Fortunately, there are many ways to solve these problems, and most are not that expensive. Carpets can be laid on the sand to make the area more accessible. You may want to plan for extra ushers to help people move to the ceremony site. If possible, plan your wedding for the off season to avoid beaches crowded with tourists.

Of course, an off season beach wedding can run into weather problems. Many beaches are sunny one minute and cold and windy the next. Plan ahead for these changes by looking for beaches sheltered from the wind, using tents in case of rain, or having just a quick ceremony on the beach and the reception inside, preferrably in a place right on the beach, to keep the romanitc flair going.

Also be sure to check out the local tide tables, and know where the tides comes up to on the beach. Last thing you want during your ceremony is for the ocean to over your feet! If the beach is big enough, you may want to have your wedding a little further back to avoid this issue all together.

Beach weddings, like all other weddings, take careful planning and preparation, but the payoff is huge. Considering hiring a wedding planner to take care of the details, allowing you to just soak up the romantic sun on your wedding day!

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.