Choosing The Vendors

Most vendors have websites online, where you can gather some information on what they offer. First you should check their communication method. You maybe don’t know it yet, but believe us, you’ll be making a lot of communication with your vendor. The easier to reach contact method, the better. Check if they offer phone support/live support.

Delivery dates and rates. If it is not listed on their website, then contact them and ask what the delivery timeframe is to your location. Long delivery may cause some stress and headaches. Don’t blindly trust the low prices of their services/products. Check what the delivery/shipping fee is. The shipping fee sometimes is a “dealbreaker”. Don’t get caught on the low prices, the the shipping fee might make you to think twice. So be sure to check that.

Ask for samples. Many vendors offer samples of their products. If it’s not listed on their website that they offer free samples, then just give them a call. Samples are very good to introduce yourself with the vendor’s offered services and products.

Reliability. Make sure the vendor is reliable. How to do that? Simple. Just google the vendor. You might come up with reviews from other customers, and see what their experience with the exact vendor was. Obviously, if the vendor has bad reviews, stay away from them.

Ask for advice. Established vendors have vast experience with weddings, and they know what works, and what doesn’t. Ask their advice on various things that may concern you. They’ll be happy to provide the advice, as they want to satisfy the customer as much as possible.  Things that you should ask advice for – wedding decors, flowers, props, cake, even a wedding theme, or wedding colors.

The Wedding Planning Checklist

• Engagement. First step is to announce the engagement. Congrats to both of you. Now it is time to spread the word, and be ready for the buzz that your engagement will create in your social circle.
• Guest list. Now it is time to start creating a guest list of people that you want to attend your wedding. We can’t give you tips here, only you know the best who to invite.
• Location. When your guest list is ready, now you should check for your wedding location, or a wedding venue. Since you know how many guests will attend, you have a good idea of how big the venue must be, and what it must offer.
• Date. When you have found your wedding venue, it is now time to set up the date, and call up the wedding venue, if you’ll be able to host wedding on your desired date and time.
• Choosing wedding theme. You have the guest list ready, location and date. That’s great. Now you should pick a wedding theme that you like. You can read an article here – on how to choose your wedding theme.
• Vendor search and musician search. Now you must find the vendors that will prove all the props for your desired wedding theme. Don’t forget things such as – flowers, cake and other accessories. You’ll have to do a strong research on what the vendors can offer, and what prizes. Don’t forget to get in touch and hire a band or an DJ that will play the music. If you have a very specific wedding theme, make sure that the musicians can play songs and music that suits the theme.
• Invitations. When all of the above things are done, now you can send the wedding invitations to all the guests that you have in your guest list. Be very specific about the details – date, time and location. As well as the wedding theme, if you have one. And if the wedding theme requires some specific clothing or fashion style, be sure to include that too.
• Get yourself ready. When all of those things are done. Now get ready yourself. Choose a wedding dress, make up for the wedding, and be mentally ready for this great event.

Why Professionals

You can save money by having an iPod play the music in your wedding party, but when hiring professional musicians, there are things that an MP3 player can’t do.

First of all, the musicians will not only play music, but they’re great party organizers. Most musicians also do event and party organizing, and they have the skills and experience to organize a great wedding party.  And they’ll be able to play music that suits your wedding theme.

Second, good musicians “feel the crowd” and so they will act accordingly. If they feel that the guests are somewhat lazy, don’t want to dance, etc, they will know how to bring the life of party back into them. They will play energetic music, will invite to dance, and so on.

Third. You can ask the musician to organize various events during the party, such as games.

Fourth. They have various experience in other tasks that will make your party better. Such as lights – they will know how to set up the lightning correctly, and sound as well. They will know how to set up sound acoustics right while keeping in mind the space of the party location, and other affecting factors when it comes to sound acoustics.

Fifth. When a good band or DJ will play the music, you can be sure that there will be no gaps, or those awkward silent moments between songs.

Sixth. A band or DJ will have an extensive song list at their disposal. This gives them the opportunity to dedicate a song to the couple, or any other special guest. Who knows, maybe the crowd demands “White Wedding” by Billy Idol and your MP3 player won’t have it.

These were six good reasons why you should hire a professional music performer for your wedding party. One thing, that we would like to add – remember, that no iPod ever will be able to create such a great atmosphere in weddings, like a real playing band or DJ.

What Time Can We Access The Venue

This is straightforward. You should ask this before you send out wedding invitations to your guests. Most of the wedding venues will have a time at which the guests, and as well the bride and groom can access it. Some wedding venues have stated  ”Open for you all day” on their websites, but you should ask them precisely at what hours you, and your guests can arrive.

Can We Bring Our Beverages

It is always useful to ask if you can bring your own drinks, or the venue has their own bar. If the venue allows you to bring your own beverages, this might save you a lot of money. If they don’t allow to bring alcohol with you, ask about non-alcoholic beverages – juices, soda and water for kids and those who don’t use alcohol.

Guests And Food Buffet

Let’s say you have 50 guests coming to your wedding. Mostly, not all of them will be hungry. Ask the venue if you have to book the buffer for all of your 50 guests, or you can order the buffet only for 40 guests. If the venue allows this, then you can save your money by not ordering the food that nobody will eat anyway. If by chance all of them are eating, most venues offer a “buffet refill”.

Ask If The Venue Has A Cake Stand

Wedding cake is one of the spotlight’s of a wedding. So having a cake stand is very important. Ask the venue if they have a cake stand available for you to use.  Most of them will have this, and most of the times the cake stands are very good looking and high quality. This can save you money by not buying your own cake stand.

When Is The Closing Time

Always be sure to ask what is the closing time for venue, and when your guests should leave. Nobody expects the party to end at 8pm. Always be sure to notify the guests before the wedding about the closing times.

How Many Guests Can Be Seated For Meal

You’ll have to ask this before inviting your guests. Make sure how many guests can be seated for the wedding meal, and if all of your guests can sit and enjoy the meal, without being cramped at the table with elbows in each other’s dishes.

What’s your say? Do you have any questions to share that should be asked to a wedding venue? Leave your suggestions in the comments below.

Don’t Skimp on the Photographer

We know, we know. Weddings are expensive! But one place you should leave plenty of cussion is in your budget for the photographer. Just remember that these are the lasting memories of your wedding day, you want them to be beautiful and perfect. We do encourage you, however, to shop around and find a photographer that is reasonably priced and takes the style of photographs you want. Another great point to consider is looking for a photographer who shoots with an assistant. The photographer will take the posed and traditional shots, most likely in color, while his or her assistant will take candid shots, most likely in black and white. This makes for a large variety of pictures for you to choose from and gives more opportunities for “perfect” shots.

Don’t Forget What’s Underneath!

Your bra and panties may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about the photographs of your wedding. But they are extremely important, especially if your ceremony is going to be held outside. Imagine how you’ll feel if you look at your photographs after your wedding is over and come to realize that you were backlite, making your underwear (or what’s under your underwear) visible! If your dress is thin or semi-sheer, it would be best for you to wear a slip. If your dress is thicker, wear white, cream, or nude colored undergarments. If you’re still concerned, do a test shot in front of a bright light source, such as a window, to double check.

Professional Makeup Job

One way to ensure a flawless complexion and a stunning glow to your face is to hire a makeup professional. Have the professional you hire do the makeup for your entire bridal party. The makeup artist will know how to tailor the makeup to still look natural and beautiful under the harsh flash of the camera. It may be a good idea to have the makeup artist do your makeup before your ceremony to ensure exactly what “look” you’re going to have for your wedding day.

Just Relax!

You look your best when you’re relaxed and smiling naturally! Don’t take yourself or the photographs too seriously. Your favorite photographs will be the ones that you were most comfortable in. You only have this day once, you want the best pictures possible!

Large Bouquet Style Arrangements

A vast majority of centerpiece arrangements used in weddings are the bouquet style. There are several ways of doing this type of arrangement. Some couples like using beautiful, intricate vases to hold the flowers, while others prefer to use plain glass vases to contrast the variety of flowers. The flowers can be the same as the one’s in your bridal party’s bouquets, or flowers that compliment them such as flowers of the same color. This could give your reception a connection to your ceremony.

Floating Flower Centerpieces

One classic centerpiece style that is a favorite of many couples is the floating flower centerpiece. You can easily make your own by using wide, shallow glass bowls filled about three quarters full of water. Pick the flowers that you want to use, then cut them all down to about a half to one inch stem. Place the blooms in the water and watch them float beautifully! This style centerpiece is especially stunning if your reception is outside at night. If this is the case, add a few floating candles to the water for some added lighting.

Single Stem Centerpieces

Perhaps your wedding is a smaller, more intimate ceremony. Are you concerned that a large centerpiece may look out of place at your reception? You may want to consider a single stem centerpiece. For this style, you can use the same flower on each table or use a variety of flowers. You can use the same blooms as the ones in your bouquet, or you can use different flowers within the same color pallet. A single stem centerpiece can give your reception a sophisticated look.

A floral centerpiece can add an extra touch of color or elegance to your wedding reception. Whichever style you choose for your special day, try to keep in the same color scheme or flower species as your bouquet to have a connected feeling.

Only One Vow.

Both you and the groom can write one vow and you both use it, or you can each use one vow on your own. This could be a good decision if you and your hubby-to-be believe you can sum everything you want to promise each other into one sentence. Think along the line of “quality, not quantity.” You don’t have to have wedding vows that are twenty minutes long to express the depth of your love for your soon to be husband. If you can make your vows short and sweet, go for it!

Get Ideas.

Gather ideas from the internet, wedding planning books, or even ask your married friends. You can even go back to the classics and start from there. Another good way to start your brainstorming is to think about why you’re marrying this person. What do you love about them? What makes you want to be with them forever? These are all great places to start gathering your thoughts about before you solidify your vows. Remember, this is your chance to make life long promises to your fiancé, you want it to be perfect!

Record Your Thoughts.

As you brainstorm and as thoughts continue to flow, write them down! This is a great way to start getting your ideas together. You can also write down vows you’ve researched that you like. But keep in mind, you want your vows to be personal if you’re writing them yourself.

Draft an Outline.

Once you have your rough ideas all written down, make an outline of how you want to say the vows on your big day. This is another time that you could consult the “classic” vows for structure, or, if you’re feeling up to it, make your own structure! Just know a clear way you want to say your vows in. Do you want to talk about your relationship and how you met? Do you want to talk about the reasons you love them? Is it going to be a list of clear points? Or more like a summary of feelings? These are all decisions to make and work out when you’re drafting outlines of your vows.

Practice Makes Perfect.

Make sure you practice so that you get accustomed to it. You can record yourself saying them so you hear what they sound like, also, it will make you feel more comfortable saying them. Don’t get stressed out about memorizing them, though, it is perfectly acceptable to read from a paper at your wedding. The vows do not appear less meaningful when you read from a paper.

One thing that is vital to keep in mind when making this decision is your budget. Spending money on lavish flowers is fine as long as you don’t go overboard. Plan to spend approximately ten percent of your budget on the flowers you aim to choose. It is also important to look around at many different florists because each brings you a variety of expertise and knowledge.

Color schemes are incredibly important in a wedding; your flowers are no exception. For darker themes, choosing roses or hydrangeas can offer an interesting look, as they can be adorned with items such as feathers, ribbons and charms that pull the whole outfit together. Both males and females can use these flowers in their outfits as well. For the lighter colors, it may be useful to suggest tulips, chrysanthemums or carnations, as they can be fully integrated into most shades.

Another thing you can consider is the symbolic meaning of the flowers you want to have in your wedding. For example, a rose’s symbolic meaning is: love, passion, and perfection. The rose was named for the Latin word rosa which means red. It has been a symbol of love since ancient times. Considering the meaning of  a flower just adds on to the depth of your wedding.

With your color scheme chosen and your main flowers selected, you can jazz them up a little with complimentary vibrant colored flowers. This trick will allow you to bring your own personality into the wedding by choosing flowers that represent you. If you’ve had a dream wedding since you were little, choosing the right colors for it is crucial.

Don’t put too much emphasis on the actual flower type though, it’s more important to choose the right flowers that smell great or have the right tone of color. We’ve seen several brides who have compromised on this specific detail because of the fact that they like a specific type of flower. If you really want to have the perfect tone or smell, make sure you spend time learning about the longevity of the flowers and what happens after a long period of time without refrigeration.

Just remember that small details like these are the details that make a wedding beautiful and memorable, investing time trying to find the right combination is the key to having something unique and amazing.

What type of flowers did you choose for your wedding? and What made you choose that type?

Some brides sometimes wonder what sort of gifts they should list in the registry. The gifts normally registered are house hold items like cooking utensils, bed sheets and towels. They are not, however, restricted to those items and they can always include whatever the like in the registry. The couple who are elderly or those who have lived together before wedding have already accumulated some household items. Such couple are happy to receive monetary donations to help pay for the honeymoon.

What does a traditional gift registry look like? There is normally various sizes of dinner plates, towels for bathrooms, normally six pieces would be appropriate for each bathroom. Also, you can select two pairs of bed sheets per bedroom in the registry. One thing to always keep in mind, though, is to have a variety of prices so every one of your guests can afford to buy you a gift. Some guests will want to buy you more than one gift, as well, so no price is too low and no item is too small. Also, if you want to include an expensive item, a few guests may get together and buy it. Don’t feel limited to what you put on the registry, it’s all about what the couple wants.

The last thing you have to do is to ensure that you get a good deal for your gift registry. Major departmental stores give discounts and other good deals in a gift registry. During these hard economic times, it’s like that a discount can be negotiated. Remember that the gift registry is all about what you and your husband-to-be want and need to start your life together. No item is too big or small!

Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind when picking the colors for your wedding:

• The colors will play a big part in setting the mood and theme
• You are also choosing the look and feel of the bridesmaid dresses, the flowers, the invitations and even the look of the ceremony and reception
• When you mix color you want to make sure they coordinate just right
• Start with a base color and follow that with lighter and darker shades in the same color family
• Make sure you can get the bridesmaid dresses in your color
• For flowers, if you have your heart set on a certain type then you can work around its colors to determine the final colors
• Remember! The colors you choose, no matter what, should not clash with the church or banquet facility
• Finally, invitations should reflect the color of your wedding, but can also reflect the season as well. Like a snowflake for a winter wedding

Overall, the best wedding is the one that you add the special touches to incorporating you and your spouse’s ideas into the biggest event of your life.

Do you need some color combinations to get your ideas flowing? Here’s a few suggestions!

• Brown, Green, Light Blue
• Pearl, Light Blue, Pale Pink
• Jade Green, Cream, Gold
• Silver, Lilac, Pink
• Brown, Pearl, Orange
• Violet, Lilac, Pearl
• Red, White, Gold