Wedding Planning Tips
Congratulations! You’re about to be married.
Your wedding day will be a day like no other. It will be a day of celebration for you and your fiancé. The start of your life together as husband and wife.
Making your wedding day perfect is just simply doing what is important and unique to you.
Here are a few wedding planning tips that I have put together to make the planning process seamless.
You may want an intimate and small wedding or you may opt for a big and grandiose event. Your perfect wedding may be at home or it may be away at some exotic destination. Whatever you decide there are hundreds of questions and decision to make before the big day comes.
This list of wedding planning tips will help you plan and orchestrate your big day.
General Wedding Planning Tips
Set a Budget – The first tip is — discuss finances before the wedding plans begin. Many other questions rest on this, such as the type of food service at your reception (buffet, cocktails, formal sit-down dinner, and alcohol choices).
Everyone involved in the decision-making process needs to understand exactly how much money is available for the wedding. Advance planning and saving will allow you to maintain or even exceed your budget, comfortably. And that will make wedding planning easier and more fun.
Set The Date – It is not unusual for ceremony sites and reception sites to be booked one or two years in advance, so be aware of this when looking into sites.
Visualize Your Wedding Day – Get into a comfortable position where you cannot be disturbed. Now visualize your wedding day. What does it look like? See yourself waking up and take yourself through each phase of the day. Pay attention to details. Is it a perfectly planned wedding or are there things you would change? What would make the day go smoother?
As you envision the day, notice your energy and the energy of others. Is everyone comfortable? What do you notice about yourself? After you are done visualizing the entire day, immediately take notes on your thoughts, whether they are positive or negative, and keep the notes in your planner. This is a powerful resource to achieving your ultimate goal on your wedding day. As you progress in designing your wedding, refer back to your notes to create a flawless day.
The Planning Begins – Start with a wedding planner. Planners are invaluable and should be part of your budget and should not be an added expense. Your next decision is to decide on a ceremony and reception site.
Next, select your food and beverage from your chosen facility or from one of the many off-site catering companies in the area. Then look for your entertainer, photographer, and videographer. The entertainment you choose will set the mood and generate fun at your reception, and your photographer and videographer will capture memories that you will treasure. Planning doesn’t have to overwhelm you. Just ask for help from the professionals.
Save Time and Effort – Look at the whole picture before signing a contract with an event facility. “Ask yourself a few defining questions before beginning the planning process. Would you like your ceremony and reception in the same location? Do you want an outdoor ceremony? Indoor reception? Are you willing to look into a Friday, Sunday evening or daytime wedding?
There are usually substantial discounts for times other than Saturday nights! Full service facilities—the ‘one-stop-shops’—take much of the burden out of wedding planning because they often provide an event coordinator and a range of services. When weddings are a business’s primary focus, you can be confident that you are getting the experience and advice of wedding professional.
Determine Your Wedding Style
Early in the wedding planning process, you must decide on your wedding style. Your wedding style shouldn’t have anything to do with how much money you have, your occupation, or your age. Your wedding style is simply a reflection of who you are, and how you feel comfortable as a person. Don’t let anyone dictate what style you ought to have. It is your wedding and it is your decision. You may choose to have a formal, informal, or something in between wedding style. All of them can be enjoyable.
Borrow from the classics: I’m seeing a shift back toward brides expressing femininity and classic sophistication.
Thoughtful Details – A few inexpensive, personal touches will make a great impression and add greatly to your reception. Spend a few minutes putting together some personal items to beautify and equip the restrooms. Be sure to include a scented candle and a basket with hand lotion, hair spray, band-aids, bobby pins, safety pins, Rolaids, aspirin, feminine products, spot-remover wipes (like “Shout”), and individually wrapped candy mints. “It’s also nice to display a note in a frame to let your guests know that these amenities were provided by you and your groom for their convenience during your celebration.
Personal Touches – My brides and grooms want to put a mark on their memorable day. Couples can stand above the rest simply by personalizing the details. For example, a small “logo,” such as a monogram embedded in a seashell for a couple that loves the beach, can be carried throughout all printable items. Add personal touches through floral arrangements, event lighting, ice-sculptures, favors, dove releases, chair covers, linens, invitations and other elements to make your wedding unique and memorable.
Location, Location, Location – Ceremony/Reception options can include: historic parks and squares, public gardens, museums, beach, hotel, public hall, under a tent, historic homes/mansions, your own back yard or that of someone you know, Inns/Bed & Breakfasts—the possibilities are endless.
Guest List – Determine guest list/number of people early in the decision process. Some couples divide the list in 2, and each partner can invite half of the total number. Some couples have their parent’s invite one-third of the total number. Just remember–it is your wedding, so be sure you can include the people who are really important to you!
Get organized – Create a “wedding binder” of your own, buy a ready made one or use a wedding planning computer program to keep your entire wedding planning organized. You can keep your to do lists, contracts, samples, brochures, information, menus, and quotes from florist, photographers, caterers and such in one place. This will help you to be able to refer and compare things promised to you at a later date.
Get It In Writing – If the vendor doesn’t have a formal contract, just write down the details as you understand them, and ask the vendor to sign and date it. Have a copy made so you both will have a written record of what is being provided and/or discussed.
Other Helpful Wedding Planning Tips
The importance of this detail cannot be overestimated; without written information, you are dependent on the memory and kindness of the vendors.
Check References – Ask for referrals for entertainers and disk jockeys from recent brides and from the vendors you consult for all of your other wedding services. Any service provider that you are considering should be able to provide recent client names and phone numbers for you to contact, so ask for them and then check the references.
Financial Safeguards – Wedding Insurance – Consider a wedding insurance policy. This is a specialty insurance package with clearly defined sections that provide financial protection for certain types of potential losses (e.g., postponement, theft of rings or presents, damage to dresses or wedding attire, and loss of deposits), during the period leading up to and including your wedding day.
Other Useful Tips
Hair Trial Run – Take your veil and headpiece with you for your trial run to ensure a complete and accurate look. If a trial run is not possible, take several pictures of hairstyles that closely resemble the look you wish to have. A professional hairstylist and make-up artist should be able to recreate your desired look. Relax and focus on the joy of the day celebrating your union as husband and wife. Your inner beauty will always influence the outer you!
What about your Makeup? – Since you want to look your very best on your wedding day, you are probably wondering how much makeup to wear, what brand of cosmetics to use, and what colors photograph best, among other questions. What you need is the services of a professional makeup artist to help you achieve the look you want. To find a good one, ask lots of questions,
Experience is the most important factor. A competent, experienced artist will know what makeup works best—what is camera-ready—for both color and black-and-white photography. “With the quality and detail of high definition digital photography, makeup must be color correct and perfectly applied.
Ask the artist about her training and experience with bridal makeup. Ask to see a portfolio of the artist’s work. Ask about hygiene and the cleanliness of tools and brushes in her applications. Ask for references and then call them. Then, have a “trial run.” Have your makeup applied by the artist and wear it for a full day to see how it feels and how long it lasts well before your actual wedding day.
Avoid Confusion – Ask your floral designer to label all of your boutonnieres and corsages with the name of the intended recipient before delivery to your wedding site. Also ask a relative or friend who knows everyone in your bridal party to help your floral designer distribute the flowers to the right people. This tip will help avoid confusion and save time on your wedding day.
Bridal Emergency Kit – Be prepared for those untimely little incidents that can ruin a lovely day, I advises my clients to “build an emergency kit” to bring on the day of the wedding. I send a suggested list of things to bring to the rehearsal and have on hand on the day of the wedding. Have your maid or matron of honor assemble these items for you.
A great idea is to pass on the emergency kit to the next bride among you friends. That way, it becomes a small keepsake that gets passed from one friend to the next and gets a lot of use.
Musical Magic - Music creates the atmosphere for your wedding, so consider carefully the mood you want to set. Add an elegant, personal touch to your wedding with live music. For example, you can set the mood with beautiful piano concertos—classical music or popular love songs. With live music, you can decide where and when to add a special musical interlude to enhance the exquisite moments of your magical day.
Setting The Mood – With so many talented entertainers and disk jockeys in, you won’t have trouble finding one for your wedding. In making your selection, carefully consider the professional services and personality of each specific disk jockey. Take notes during consultations with prospective entertainers to determine how he or she makes you feel. “Are you at ease with the plans and ideas for your wedding that the DJ offers? When you tell him how you envision your day, will he work with your ideas or give you suggestions to improve your ideas? Your entertainer will be the master of ceremonies for your wedding reception and his personality will affect the whole day. It is important to choose someone who will work with you to create the atmosphere that you desire.
Perfect Pictures – Tell your photographer about your special relationships and family dynamics so that she will capture the images you want of the special people in your life. With prior notice, your photographer will be on the lookout for unique moments. A well-informed photographer makes for photos that capture priceless emotion in relationships you treasure that might otherwise go unnoticed. SIDE NOTE: Don’t go to the tanning bed or lie out in the sun the day before your wedding. Lobster red is not a nice color for the bride or wedding party. Go a couple of weeks in advance to give your skin time to tan and not burn.
Fabulous Food Cuisine – A number of brides and grooms are now including international fare in their wedding buffets. Whether due to increased world travel, the preponderance of fine restaurants in the area, or more cross-cultural unions, more and more couples are asking for a variety of ethnic foods.
Adventuresome couples are having food stations at their reception. “You may want to have an Indian or Moroccan table, an Asian Sushi bar, or a South American or Mexican station. Don’t leave out the taste of Authentic Savannah cuisine, known as a melting pot of food styles and flavors.
As long as your caterer is comfortable preparing authentic dishes from other countries, you should have an interesting and flavorful feast that won’t soon be forgotten!
Outdoor Summer Weddings
Offer a pre-ceremony beverage bar. Guests who travel any distance on a sizzling summer day will arrive hot and parched and will appreciate a cool beverage right away. Opt for something simple like water and lemonade.
Consider holding your ceremony later in the day during the summer—the later, the better. “Nothing kills a party quicker than sitting in the hot sun for a long time. Select a lightweight fabric for your attendants’ dresses.
Cool down your guests by presenting them with individual hand fans as they enter the ceremony—something as simple as a half-sheet of card stock glued to a wide Popsicle stick. “Have some fun with this—put your picture on one side and the wedding program on the other.
Remember: The details that are important to you are what will make your wedding day special and perfect. I hope that these wedding planning tips were helpful
Happy Planning!
Wishing You Love, Bubbles & Sunshine
Karen
xoxoxo