Once a couple decides to marry, the next big question is how to plan the wedding day. A wedding is truly a joyous celebration of marriage with loved ones, but there much work involved. The following tips will ensure a smooth wedding.
Practice walking down the aisle as much as you can right before the wedding. If possible, practice your aisle walk at the site where your wedding will be. This will give you an opportunity to practice on the actual floor using the shoes you will be wearing on your wedding day. This will help to improve your flow when the big day comes.
If there will be toasts or speeches given at your wedding reception, ask the speakers to practice in front of you to ensure that the material is appropriate for those attending your wedding. Remember that there may be older people at your wedding as well as young ones, and jokes must be appropriate for all members of your audience.
Avoid having guests wait while taking the photos. Photos of the bride and her party and the groom and his groomsmen should be taken ahead of time. Also, pictures of the couple with their parents can be taken in advance; this reduces the waiting time for guests coming to the reception.
Target the middle of the day for your reception. You can cut down on bar costs when you have a reception during the day, when people tend to drink less. The costs of lunch are far more affordable than catered dinners. Therefore, you can afford to step up your menu or divert that part of your budget to another area, such as floral arrangements or wedding favors.
Craigslist is a good place to look when you want to locate someone local to assist you with a wedding. To ensure your safety, meet the interested party in a public place before giving them any money.
Silk Flowers
Many people opt for silk flowers instead of live flowers for their wedding. Silk flowers can be chosen and bought months in advance which will save you time and energy.
If you and your spouse love a similar thing such as travel, incorporate it into your wedding theme and decorations. Invitation can be designed to resemble a travel brochure, boarding pass or vintage postcard. Vintage luggage, post cards and vacation photos can be part of your wedding decor.
Be sure to take care of all legal details if you are planning a destination wedding. Whatever fees or red tape you encounter, you definitely want to address any needs prior to booking any services or hotels.
Carry all your wedding’s aesthetics to every element of the decor, including the flowers. Vintage themes are great to make your wedding look classy. Pink peonies and red poppies add wonderful colot.
You need to make lists that are priority based when you start planning your wedding. Many people feel that flowers are a higher priority than the wedding cake or the guest list isn’t as important as the venue. By determining your priorities and budget by what items are most important to you, you can then allocate the required amount of funds to them, and make certain your day is just what you dreamed of.
Decide in advance if you will be inviting children to your wedding. Many times you can save money by not inviting children to the wedding. But, there may be many folks who will be unable or unwilling to attend without their kids.
Decide on group activities for your special day. Engage your guests so that they are not forced to kill time between events. Include a variety of activities, like contests, photobooths, karaoke or miniature golf. The more fun your guests have, the better the entire event will be for everyone.
For the bridesmaids, be sure that they are aware of the gowns that they will be wearing before you ask them to be in the wedding party. Many friendships are strained because of simple disagreements on the subject of bridesmaids dresses. Find a dress that is not too expensive, matches your theme, and will suit and delight each of your bridesmaids. This will ensure a great wedding day free from hurt feelings and misunderstandings.
Before settling on a videographer, view the quality of the work. Be sure you are aware of how good the sound quality and editing will be that the videographer is able to do. VHS wedding videos were popular years ago, but make sure you get either a DVD or digital video which can be played for many years. Your decisions should be made on these factors, in addition to the first impressions you get of the different videographers.
Whether you are booking a band or a DJ, do your research ahead of time. Try to get good references from people familiar with their work. After you know who you are going with, sign a contract so you are guaranteed to have them on your big day. In this way, you can be sure your wedding music will not ruin your day!
Do not allow yourself to be weighed down by obligation to traditions; this is your wedding and should be planned accordingly. You should just thank them but make sure they know that you are your spouse are calling the shots. By doing this you can reminisce on your wedding without feeling any regrets.
Think about serving a meal that’s small during the wedding reception. If you have a large wedding, you might have to save money elsewhere. You can stay under budget if your family members and close friends are served smaller meals. Otherwise, you may need to make some cuts to your guest list.
Be wary about rainy conditions. If you would like to have your wedding outside, be sure you have an alternate plan, should it rain. Even if there is a small chance, you will still have an alternative.
Planning a wedding takes much work, but it’s so worth it when all is said and done. Remember that this is one of life’s biggest celebrations, so cherish each moment of this day. Make use of the tips you read here to make this a day to remember.