Wedding Planning
Planning for a wedding is a time of great joy and excitement as well
as being a stressful time, especially as you get closer to the wedding
date. The first thing you have to determine is a budget for the
wedding. You need to have an idea of how much you can afford to spend,
as this will guide your decisions in the number of guests, the meal
and the accessories. Even when you do set a budget, you should prepare
for overruns, when things are more expensive than you first thought or
you see something you really like and just have to have it for your
wedding.
The first item of business is to plan a wedding date. Since couples
want to have both their families present, they will have to work
around schedules unless they plan far enough in advance so that the
family members have time to arrange for holidays. You may want to set
the date around a holiday when you know that the families will be
getting together, such as Christmas or Thanksgiving. The summer is
also a popular time for weddings because of the good weather, but you
may run into problems here as well in booking the church and the place
for the reception.
Once you set the date, then you have to book a photographer, a
videographer and a caterer. You do want the best in each of these,
within your budget, of course. One way to find these services is to
ask for recommendations from family and friends. Then you should ask
to see some of the work of the photographer and videographer so that
you will have an idea of what to expect. When booking a caterer, ask
for a menu and taste samples of the various foods before you make the
final choice.
When you choose your attendants, you also have to decide whether these
people will pay for their own wedding clothing or whether you will
pick up the tab for the bridesmaids dresses and the usher's tuxedos.
Make sure you have the wedding rings picked out and they are in the
right size.
The invitations for the wedding also require some decision making.
Will you have them professionally printed or will you create your own?
There are many different kinds of computer software you can use to
design your own invitations and all you have to buy is the special
paper. This is something that you need to do well in advance; so that
you can proofread them to make sure there are no mistakes. Allow
enough time when sending out the invitations so that the guests have
enough time to respond.
Start making a list of the guests you want to invite. Since most
locations have a maximum number of people, you do have to keep within
this range. This means that when you create the list, you may have too
many people on the list and you have to revise.
Choosing the wedding dress is a big decision and as the bride, you may
make many trips to different stores just to get the right one. This is
something you can't leave to the last minute because you may need to
have alterations and fittings. When you choose the color of the
bridesmaids' dresses, you can allow them some input into the decision,
but ultimately the final decision in the color and the style of dress
is yours. The groom can make the decision on the tuxedos and have the
neckties or cumber bun matching the color of the dresses. You do have
to order the bouquets, the corsages and the boutonnières and make
plans to have them delivered on the morning of the wedding.
Next comes decorating the location and the church. You can hire a
wedding decorator or ask the wedding party and your friends to help
you.