Wedding planning

Hiring a Wedding Planner

2006-07-19T01:45:00.000-07:00

Hiring a Wedding Planner

As wedding receptions are becoming increasingly extravagant more and more couples are looking to hire a wedding planning to assist them in planning their wedding. While it is true that a wedding planner can be extremely useful and help to eliminate or minimize the stress of planning a wedding, it is important to remember that this will only happen if you hire a qualified and capable wedding planner who understands your needs and expectations.

The wedding planning business is becoming increasingly popular and with this newfound popularity comes a slew of wedding consultants who are new to the business or not qualified to plan a wedding. It’s extremely important to carefully screen potential wedding planners and to choose a wedding planner who has the experience and resources necessary to plan your wedding so that it meets and exceeds all of your expectations.

Perhaps the most important criteria in choosing a wedding planner is the degree of comfort that you feel with them. If you are not comfortable with your wedding planner you are likely to not communicate with them as well as you should. This could cause a great deal of problems for even the most qualified and capable wedding planner.

If you leave out details or are not completely honest with your wedding planner, it may result in a series of decisions being made that do not meet your standards or expectations. Even if a particular wedding planner has an impressive resume and comes highly recommended they may still not be right for planning your event if you don’t feel comfortable working with them.

If you feel comfortable with a few wedding planners and want to investigate them further the next step is to review their resume and references. While some wedding planners who are new to the business may be extremely qualified and capable you are still taking a chance if you opt for a wedding planner with little or no experience.

A wedding planner who has assisted in the planning of numerous weddings similar in scale and budget to your own wedding is a good indication that the wedding planner will be able to meet your needs. Careful check of the wedding planner’s references can also shed some light on their abilities.

Be sure to contact each reference that is supplied to you and ask them pertinent questions about the wedding planner’s professionalism, attitude, punctuality or anything else that is important to you. Asking these questions can help you to determine whether or not the potential wedding planner meets your expectations.

You may also want to determine whether your potential wedding planner is a full or part-time consultant. A part-time consultant may be fully capable of handling your wedding planning but it is important to remember that a part-time consultant is likely to have another job that would take precedence over your wedding.

While this may be acceptable if you are planning a small wedding, you may want to consider opting for a full time wedding planner if you plan to have an elaborate wedding to ensure that the wedding planner has the necessary time to devote to planning your wedding.

Another important aspect to consider is whether or not the wedding planner has a contingency plan in case they are unable to assist you in planning your wedding. This would become extremely important if the wedding planner were to become ill just prior to your wedding.

If you choose to hire a wedding planner who works alone then you are likely to be out of luck if your wedding planner becomes ill. However, choosing a wedding planner who belongs to a reputable company often affords you the luxury of having a full staff at your disposal in case there are any emergencies that arise.

Another tip for hiring a wedding planner is to ask each of your candidates a series of questions relating to how the planner would handle specific situations. This is very important because there are likely to be a few problems along the way in planning your wedding.

Finding out how the wedding planner would react in certain situations and how resourceful they are when it comes to solving problems can give you a good indication as to whether the wedding planner is capable of reacting to stressful situations. You want to ensure that the wedding planner that you hire is able to make decisions under pressure and modify the plans on the fly if everything does not go according to plan.

Your wedding planner will be responsible for the happiness of your guests at your wedding so it is important to choose a qualified candidate. A few things to consider before choosing a wedding planner are how comfortable you feel with them, their past references, the amount of time that they have to devote to your wedding and how they react in an emergency.

All of these factors will help to ensure that you choose a qualified wedding planner who can meet all of your needs.

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Theme weddings

2006-07-18T04:31:00.000-07:00

Theme weddings

Planning Theme Weddings

Planning a wedding with a theme can be a fun way to incorporate a specific interest that the couple shares into the wedding. Themes are a fun way for the couple to express themselves and share a little bit of their personalities with the guests.

The theme of the wedding can be incorporated into just about every aspect of the wedding. From the couple’s attire, to the decorations, music, favors and even wording of the vows the couple can ensure that every aspect of the wedding reflects their chosen theme. While incorporating a theme into a wedding can be a lot of fun, it’s important to not go too overboard with the theme because the results could be extremely tacky.

Below are just a few examples of theme weddings and how they can be incorporated tastefully into your ceremony or reception.

A medieval theme is a popular choice for couples who pine for the romance and tradition of earlier times. You could incorporate this theme by making your reception a costume party and suggesting that your guests dress accordingly.

The couple could choose their attire to reflect the theme by wearing outfits that are indicative of the chosen time period. They can do this by either renting costumes or searching far and wide for attire that suits their needs. This theme can also be carried over into the food and entertainment choices.

A couple may opt to have a multi-course meal that includes traditional medieval fare. They may also wish to provide entertainment such as musicians and troubadours to perform between each of the courses. Using medieval language during the ceremony and in the vows is another way to incorporate a medieval theme.

A fairly tale theme wedding is another popular theme for many couples. As many young girls are first exposed to the idea of a wedding in common fairy tales, it is understandable that many brides dream about a fairy tale wedding. This simple theme translates well to wedding preparations and can be incorporated into the wedding in a variety of ways.

The couple’s attire is one of the easiest ways to incorporate a fairy tale theme. A form fitting bodice with a tulle skirt is very reminiscent of fairy tale weddings. Furthermore this style of dress is readily available in many bridal shops. In many cases it is even referred to as a “Cinderella Gown”.

Simply letting the bridal shop attendants know that you are planning a fairy tale themed wedding will result in them producing a multitude of dresses for you to try on that will be very fitting for the theme. The groom may wish to opt for attire reminiscent of Prince Charming such as a white tuxedo with tails.

The theme can be carried forward and included in the transportation that the couple chooses. Arriving in a horse drawn carriage is a very elegant way to include the fairy tale theme. The couple may also choose to perform their first dance together as husband and wife to a traditional ballroom medley. A careful choreographed ballroom dance will look elegant and further convey the fairy tale theme.

An under the sea theme is another common wedding theme. A couple choosing this type of theme may want to consider holding their ceremony and reception on a beach. As always the attire can be incorporated into the theme. If the wedding is held on a beach, the bride may choose to adorn herself in a simple white dress and may opt to be married without shoes. The groom could choose a casual linen suit and may even consider shorts with a lightweight sports jacket. He too could choose to not wear shoes.

The decoration possibilities are limitless with this theme. One very popular and appropriate centerpiece idea is to fill glass bowls with sand and seashells. This simple centerpiece is an excellent way to incorporate the theme into the decorations. The couple could also cover the tables in a blue table cloth that is similar to the color of the ocean and layer fishing net over the table.

A simple favor idea is to present each guest with a collection of seashell shaped soaps. These are relatively inexpensive and readily available.

While it’s not required for a wedding to have a theme, choosing one can be an excellent way to tie the different elements of the wedding together. The attire, entertainment, decorations, favors and food are all elements that can be used to reflect the theme.

Subtle hints at your theme are nice touches but it is possible to go overboard with a theme and the results are often tacky, so do consider exactly what kind of touches are necessary and which aren't.

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Wedding Planning - Part 2

2006-07-17T01:43:00.000-07:00

Part II – Wedding Planning Timeline

When planning the wedding, work backwards from the 'big day' according to the timeline presented below.

Six to twelve months before your wedding date is the time when you need to make most of your reservations and put down deposits. You've got to get a rough but fairly accurate estimate of the number of guests you'll have because each wedding location can accommodate a certain number of people and you want a location that can comfortably accommodate everyone. Here's what needs to be accomplished during this timeframe.

1. Select and reserve locations for the wedding ceremony and the receptiono Interview and reserve your professional talent including: Musician or DJ, Photographer/Videographer, Floral arranger, Caterer, Wedding cake baker, Wedding official, Wedding planner or consultant (optional)

2. Select and confirm wedding party attendants for both bride and groom

3. Select wedding party attire and coordinate fittings

4. Arrange transportation for bridal party on the big day

5. Place engagement information in local newspaper
Four months before your wedding date is the time to make sure everything is in place.

6. Finalize your guest list including complete mailing address for invitations

7. Order wedding invitations

8. Select a destination for the honeymoon, make hotel and airfare reservations, get passports

9. Reconfirm that bridal party dresses are on order and menswear rental attire is coordinated

10. Begin planning the wedding shower

11. Register at bridal registries for shower and wedding gifts – if not registering at national chains, remember to register at stores that are local to the families of both bride and groom

12. Reserve suite for bride and groom's wedding night

13 Reserve block of hotel rooms for out-of-town wedding guests

14. Shop for and order wedding rings

15. Make sure you both agree where you will live once you're married

Two months before your wedding date:

1. Address and mail wedding invitations

2 Make preparations for rehearsal dinner

3. Coordinate details for marriage license in state where marriage ceremony will take place

4. Coordinate, order, or make decorations and favors for wedding

5. Select the music you want for the ceremony and the reception

One month before your wedding date:

1. Have the wedding shower

2. Complete final fittings for bridal dress and all bridal attendants

3. Coordinate and schedule all hair and make-up appointments

4. Purchase gifts for bridal party and groomsmen

Two weeks before your wedding date:

1. Get marriage license

2. Begin process of changing name on credit cards, social security card, driver's license, bank accounts

3. Prepare seating arrangements and prepare place cards

4. Make sure accommodations for out-of-town guests are in order

5. Reconfirm all details with those who have been hired

6. Prepare change of address paperwork, pack and get ready to move (if applicable).

7. Give final count to caterer

8. Practice hair and make-up styles; grooms should get hair cut now

Day before wedding your wedding date:

1. Hold rehearsal and rehearsal dinner

2. Get some rest

The Big Day

1. Make it to the ceremony on time

2. Bring wedding rings

3. Have a means of paying final tab for all services rendered and have cash for tips

4. Eat before ceremony so you don't get sick

5. Smile pretty for your pictures

6. Be proud because you've just pulled off a major feat!!

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Wedding Planning - Part 1

2006-07-17T01:42:00.000-07:00

Part I – A Wedding Without a Plan is Often a Disaster!

The day you've been waiting for has finally arrived. Your partner has proposed marriage and you've emphatically said 'YES'! Now what do you do? The answer to that simple question will make a tremendous difference in how the real 'big day' plays out.

Gone are the days when weddings were simple affairs that took place on family farms with all the neighbors pitching in to help. Today the bride and the groom are the ones calling all the shots. Others will try to get involved, but overall, it's the two people getting married who decide what's going to happen, when and how.

With so much to coordinate, it's amazing that weddings go on at all. Considering that both the bride and the groom are likely holding down full-time jobs, who has time to work out all the details? And there are so many. Well the big secret is it's all in the plan. Having a well-thought out plan that starts with selecting the perfect wedding date and ends with arriving at the most romantic honeymoon destination is the only way to keep nerves from fraying and budgets from being blown.

Plenty of tools are available to help you plan your wedding. It's up to you to decide which tool will work best for you and then you've got to make sure you use the tool you've selected. Wedding planning tools range in price so before you go spending any money, take a step back and think for a moment about the b-word. A 'budget' is crucial because it's what will keep you and your partner (and anyone else funding the festivities) from going into debt.

As unflattering as the word is, every wedding needs to begin with a budget. Wedding costs can rapidly spiral out of control because let's face it, everybody wants their big day to be magical.
To determine a budget for the big day, start with figuring out who is going to be contributing towards the finances and how much each can afford to contribute.

Once you have a total dollar amount to work with, you can then begin to allocate the budget to the different parts of the wedding.

The wedding plans all begin with the wedding date. Everybody wants to be a June bride, but with only four week-ends in this month, not everybody can. The wedding date you select will have a significant impact on your budget.

A wedding during the busy summer months will cost far more than one that's held off-season. Not only will the wedding date impact the price you'll pay for everything from the function hall to the photographer, it also impacts availability.

Once the wedding budget and wedding date have been nailed down, it's time to get busy. Part II will provide a timeline of tasks you need to accomplish in the days and months leading up to the big day!

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Resources to make your wedding day extra special

2006-07-13T03:06:00.000-07:00

Here are some resources I thought you might find handy before your special wedding day:

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Wedding planner books

2006-07-13T02:16:00.000-07:00

If you’re getting married, some people will tell you that you’re going to have to hire a wedding planner. True, a wedding planner can take a lot of stress away by handling all of the little details of your special day, but they’re expensive and, if you’re not paying attention, the wedding will be more a product of his or her imagination than yours.

On the other hand, if you handle the planning yourself, you’re going to need some way to keep track of everything. That’s where wedding planner books can come to your rescue. A good book will outline everything you need to take care of when planning your wedding, from getting the first visions of how things should look to buying flowers to all of the final touches that may have slipped your mind.

Most wedding planner books will start out by giving you a number of ideas for overall themes or visions for your wedding. Do you want to have a beach theme? What about a new-year’s celebration? A garden wedding on a spring day? A classic church ceremony? Once you have an idea in your head of what you want your wedding to look like you can start the actual planning of the day.

One of the first things you should do is set a budget, which most wedding planner books do a great job of helping out with. Most will give you a budget sheet with a suggested breakdown of the costs, suggesting percentages of the total budget to be spent on flowers, your photographer, the groom’s dinner, etc. Of course, to plan out how the budget should be allocated you need to figure out how much you can afford to spend for the wedding, as weddings can cost from $1,000 to $100,000. How much you decide to spend is completely up to you, though it will have an effect on how many guests you can invite and where you spend your money.

Once you have a budget, your wedding planner book should walk you through the process of finding locations for a ceremony and a reception, picking out a dress, picking out flowers, finding a photographer, and putting together all of the rest of the components of your wedding. Though a wedding planner book may not be quite as comprehensive as an actual wedding planner, a good book will walk you through the whole process and make sure you don’t forget anything along the way.

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Wedding money

2006-07-13T02:08:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows someone who has been married or has been a member of a wedding party. Weddings have not really changed too much over the centuries. Basic rules and decorum still stand the test of time during the ceremony and reception. People basically know their roles and responsibility during this rite of passage.

However, wedding money remains one topic that seems to be a little confusing for most couples and families. Basically, it comes down to the question, who pays for what? One would think that sources of wedding money are common knowledge, but I recently was put to the test, and failed miserably.

First of all, I was shocked that most of the expenses seem to fall on the bride’s family. This side of the party has to come up with wedding money for a number of things. They pay for the reception hall, the caterer and the entertainment for the reception festivities. Not only do they provide wedding money for the food and entertainment, but for the decorations, too.
Parents of the bride also pay for the church or location of the nuptials. I was really surprised by this because I just assumed that the bride and groom would be responsible for this. I was equally surprised that the parents of the bride come up with wedding money for invitations as well.

It seems as if the parents of the groom have to come up with a lot less wedding money for the occasion. They pay for the rehearsal dinner and for liquor served at the reception, if any. I was surprised that this was the only things on the list of responsibilities for this side of the party.
However, this does make some sense if we look at the history of wedding money in general. Years and years ago, the bride’s family would offer a dowry to go with their daughter. Perhaps the division of duties among the families reflects that basic concept.

I continued down through the rest of the list and was struck by the groom’s responsibilities. I think that we can let his parents slide on some of the wedding money. The groom may need a loan from them after all is said and done. The bride was not responsible for any wedding money whatsoever.

After reading about wedding money in the etiquette book, I began to think how lucky my husband and I were that we simply financed the whole thing ourselves.

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Wedding programs

2006-07-13T01:55:00.000-07:00

Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life. You want to remember every detail of your special day and this can be accomplished through well designed wedding programs. The programs function the same way a flier designed for the theater functions. They help guests anticipate the stages of the ceremony and wedding programs outline the structure of the event.

You can choose wedding programs that reflect your taste and that capture the mood of the ceremony. They can be created by the same organization that designed your invitations. This would present an organized, thematic feel that can be carried all the way through to the thank-you cards. Choosing to order wedding programs that have the same design as your invitations and thank-you notes will create a memorable, cohesive theme for your special day.

Not everyone opts to order their guidebooks. Some creative brides choose to print their own wedding programs and this can provide a personal touch. They can be designed and printed right on a home computer. If you decide that you want to create personalized programs, check with your church to see if they have stationary that will suit your needs.

You also want to check with the church to see what you need to include in the fliers. You may want to personalize the guidebooks, but some churches have requirements for what is included in the wedding programs. It is important to keep communication open with the organization that is holding the ceremony. Some churches have a general format while others may be quite strict.

A current trend in wedding programs is the wedding booklet. The booklets include the significant information that is pertinent to the ceremony. It also includes extra information that the bride and groom want to share with their guests. They can include everything from the church procession to the way that the groom proposed to the bride. The booklets are quite a bit longer than the traditional wedding program.

Many brides and grooms are choosing unique presentations for their ceremonies. Some print their wedding programs on paper fans that are distributed to the guests as they arrive. The beautiful fans serve as a wonderful keepsake for the guests as well as the couple. The theme of using fans in the wedding can easily segue into the reception where fans can be used a decorations. Even the napkins can be folded into the fan theme.

Today’s bride has more choices than ever before. Remember that the wedding programs are not only for the guests. They serve as a keepsake for the couple and their family. Taking the time to create unique wedding programs that stand the test of time will insure that they will stay with your posterity for years to come.

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Wedding planning welcome

2006-07-13T01:47:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my wedding planning blog.