Planning a perfect wedding
Plan your wedding well in advance - a year is a good term - and you will limit the stress to a minimum. Having a year will allow you to book the location on the date that you want. You will also have time to iron out all the details. Here are a few things to consider.
When and where to have the wedding
You may have a preconceived idea of the time and place. Perhaps, you met at the park, so Botanic Gardens may be your place of choice. Perhaps, you like to read, so you choose an old Library building. Perhaps, you like to play golf, so you arrange for a golf club reception. Decide if it is the time or the place that is more important to you and go from there. Saturday is accidentally the most popular wedding day, so you will have to compete with others, but it is popular for a reason - it's convenient for out of town guests and all the working public. If you are flexible with the date - picking Sunday or Friday may offer more options if you are set on a particular place. The time matters too. Are you planning a fancy dinner for 200 or do you want a buffet brunch for a cozy group of 30? Most people are used to the evening wedding, but you can do what works for you and your budget. Most weddings happen in July, December and May. Avoid those times and you may have more options if you are set on a particular place. Yet, these times are popular for a reason - good weather for July and May weddings and holiday festive spirit for December weddings.
Budget
Yes, weddings are a romantic subject and perhaps you don't want to be bogged down by petty financial details. Stop right there. Plan the right budget and you will lose less sleep and it will be helpful for your life together, as money will come up very frequently in your future. You can always rely on the services of wedding planners which are excellent at what they do, but they will also need a budget. If you have the time, I believe you can do it on your own. Just plan wisely. The most important budget advice I can give you is be realistic about what you can spend overall, but be flexible about the money allocated to each planning area.
Music
Assuming you picked the time and the place and decided on the budget, the next logical step is music. Music sets the tone and you may need it for various parts of the wedding - ceremony, cocktails, reception. If your budget allows for a band, it will be well worth it, as guests will have a great time and your wedding will be memorable. Check out local message boards on various wedding sites, such as TheKnot.com or Weddings.com and ask if someone can recommend a band. You can also ask your friends or co-workers. Once you generate a few recommendations, call to ask if you can audition them. All it takes is going to a few weddings - this may also give you some ideas for your wedding. Many bands will let you listen to their demo online or on a CD. Once you select the band you like, book them early. If you prefer or can better afford a DJ, it's also a popular music selection. You can ask around in the same manner as for a band, or visit a few wedding fairs - many DJs and other wedding services for that matter, will be there. No matter what your choice of music is, think of some songs you want them to play and some you would gladly avoid - they will need that list from you at some point. You will need to think of selections for the ceremony, the party and your first dance.
the Dress
The dress makes the wedding. You may already have an idea of what you will wear - and that's great. If you don't, prepare to be impressed by the collections available today. You can buy your dress off the rack at specialty bridal shops, or Macy's, or other department stores. You can also have the dress custom made for you. Perhaps you want an haute couture designer dress. It's a good idea to look at bridal magazines - they have numerous pages dedicated to wedding dresses - as well as search online. Once you know the style or even brands that you like, go try them on - you may be surprised what looks best on you. Whatever your choice, look at MANY options. It's just like finding your future husband - you will know when you have the right dress on. Along with the dress, you may also want to pick your veil, garter belt, stockings and other accessories.
Shoes are a matter of preference - many a bride wear sneakers - if they are tall enough and the dress is long enough, no one would notice and they are more comfortable and able to walk the next day. Bridal shoes or just any beautiful designer white high-heal shoe will make you feel more special and taller and leaner on your wedding day. Once you select your dress, give a thought to your bridesmaid dresses. Your bridesmaid dresses should complement your theme and/or your dress. Pick the dresses that will look good in the pictures and will not make your bridesmaids mad about your choice of color or the amount (or even the presence of) ruffles.
Flowers
You will get the best price on the flowers if you go with a local shop - keeping it in the community helps keep the prices down. Think of the times you liked the flowers you bought for your home or your friends - their wedding flowers are likely to be just as good. It's a good idea to know your theme or colors by the time you talk to the florist, which should be 3-4 months before your wedding. If you don't have a theme, think of the season - for example, red is good for February and December weddings, yellow and orange work well for fall and blues, greens, pinks and whites are perfect for the summer. I suggest you keep an open mind about the type of flowers you want - if you are set on roses, that's OK, but perhaps adding irises will make an interesting twist. When selecting your flowers, you will need your bridal bouquet, your tossing bouquet (to the next to get married girl), your groom's flower and your family and wedding party flowers. Your florist will also need to decorate the reception hall - from table décor and centerpieces to entrances and gift table. After the wedding, keep the bouquet - it will be a nice memory of your wedding.
Photography and Video
You definitely want to preserve the memory of this once-in-a-lifetime event. If your budget is on the higher end, you can hire both a professional photographer and a videographer. However, consider if you will watch the video more than once to determine if you truly need it. Perhaps, one of your family or friends can use a camcorder - it won't be professional quality, but this is one area you can probably save on. As to the photographer, ask around, go on local message boards and pay them a visit. Take a look at their sample work - does it align with what you were envisioning for your pictures? Ask yourself if you want a formal setting for pictures or have them all in a documentary, real-life like quality. Think about when you want the photographer to shoot - do you want to capture your preparation for the wedding? Do you want to capture some of the places you both went to? Do you want to capture the city you both met at? These are the kinds of questions that will come up. Other important questions to ask the photographer now are if you can keep the negatives, how long he or she will shoot for and what album packages are available. Your wedding album will be an important memory of the event that you can look at for years to come. But don't go overboard - capture the most important details.
