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Wedding Tip #42
Give yourself plenty of getting ready time on your wedding day and keep track of time.
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Wedding Tip #41
Tip your wedding helpers before they get busy. If you tip ahead of their duties, they know you already appreciate them and they will go that extra mile.
Have your assigned seating completes 2 weeks prior to your wedding. You will enjoy that week before your wedding much better!
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Have your Best Man or Dad accept all gift cards so they are handled appropriately and safe.
Wedding Tip #38
Why hire a Wedding Planner
A bride is given the enormous task of planning the most important day of her life having had no experience in this arena and no need to do it more than one time (fingers crossed). Even the most organized Type A personality can be unsuccessful at wedding planning. In this Google world, one would think it would be easy to go it on your own. In reality, it makes it more difficult because the choices are endless. The opportunities to DIY and Pinterest yourself to death are out there. The new relationships that have to be researched reviewed and established takes hours, weeks and months to organize. Where to begin? Who can you trust with the most important day of your life having never had this task before? Think of it as a business. You would not entrust your business to anyone you did not “know”. Building these relationships takes time.When you want photos of your wedding, you hire a professional photographer. When you want music at your party, you hire a professional band. When you want a video, you hire a professional cinematographer. When you want to plan the biggest day of your life, you go at it alone not having any knowledge or experience. Does that make sense? Wedding planners exist for a reason. If all people could successfully do it on their own, they would.
A wedding planner should be the first person you call after the engagement ring is on your finger. Imagine the ability to find out everything you need to know without searching the web for countless hours thereby adding to the stress of planning what is supposed to be the most important day of your life. The multitude of questions that arise include: should we send a save the date, how many people should we have in the wedding party, where should we host the reception, where do we block rooms for our out of town guests, how do we get everyone transported and the list goes on and on and on. A professional wedding planner can answer all of those questions easily and keep you from second guessing your choices. What a wedding planner owns is intellectual property, much like any other consultant; be it attorney or financial planner. A Wedding Planner has done the research, has the knowledge and has the professional connections that you need. The Wedding Planner also has the ability to organize a winning team to insure your wedding weekend is exactly what you wanted and paid for.
Planning the average wedding from beginning to end requires about 600 to 800 hours of work. (15-20 weeks full time) Planning your wedding can become your “job”. A wedding planner is not a luxury item; a wedding planner is your "General Contractor”. You certainly would not build a house without a GC, why would you plan your wedding without a Wedding GC?
Think of it as an investment.
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Don’t seat brides side grooms side at your ceremony if either group is not equally represented. It looks funny in pictures.
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Wedding Tip #36
Tell your groomsmen how many programs they have to hand out – is it one per person or one per couple?
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If the groomsmen are wearing traditional bow ties, include a handout with a “how to”.
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Wedding Tip #34
Be sure the groomsmen have spit shined shoes.
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Wedding Tip #33
If you are providing transportation for your wedding, hire someone to manage it. They can manage who is getting on the bus, who is providing directions to the location, where is the pick-up, are there any special events with road closures, and so on. It is a widget you will spend major dollars on and if not well managed can ruin the day. The other option is to hire a wedding planner!
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Ask your florist to donate your flowers at the end of the evening to a homeless shelter or a church. They can be used for Sunday Services.
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Set realistic goals for what you can afford for your wedding.
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Wedding Tip #30
Bring your maid of honor or your friend to your last dress fitting so they can learn how to bustle your dress.
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Eat healthy food and drink water during your wedding day. Be sure your groom and groomsmen do the same
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Don’t wait too long after your wedding to have your gown cleaned after the wedding and be sure to use a trusted professional.
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Wedding Tip #27
Check the marriage license rules and regs in the county where you will be married to be sure you have all the proper documents.
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Keep your groom as involved as he will be. It is “the most important day in your life”. You should share in it equally and openly. ........................................................................................
Wedding Tip #25
Tilt your flowers slightly forward when walking down the aisle, they appear better in pictures.
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Wedding Tip #24
Create an invitation that is “you”. Set the tone and expectation for your wedding with the wedding invitation.
Wedding Tip #23
Escort card tipUse an escort set with name on the outer envelope and table number inside. That way, if you have any changes to your seating last minute, you can easily shuffle table numbers within the envelopes rather than having to create a new calligraphed card.
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Wedding Tip #22
Love Letters
Write each other a Love Letter to be shared on your wedding day. If you can, keep up the habit through your marriage. It will help keep you in tune with each other’s thoughts and feelings.
Write each other a Love Letter to be shared on your wedding day. If you can, keep up the habit through your marriage. It will help keep you in tune with each other’s thoughts and feelings.
Wedding Tip #21
Invitation tip
Number
your RSVPs on the back to correspond with your guest list addresses. If
someone forgets to fill out their RSVP with their name, you can cross
reference.
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Wedding Tip #20
Band Prep
Create a song list of 10 songs you love and 10 your hate to give your band an idea of your music style for your wedding.
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Wedding Tip #19
Wedding gown tip
Have your seamstress create a label for your dress that has your wedding date and your grooms name: for example: 4-13-13 John’s Bride.
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Wedding Tip #18
Ceremony Tip
If you are having an outdoor ceremony, check for possible air traffic. Helicopters and low flying planes can be a drag during your vows.
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Wedding Tip #17
Ceremony tip
Be sure to speak loud and clear at your ceremony. Your guests have traveled for that special moment and not being able to hear anything makes them feel uninvolved.
Wedding Tip #16
Ceremony Participants
If you have readers for your service, share their readings with them early, bring print out copies in a large font to your rehearsal.
Wedding Tip #15
Supplies for “The Day”
Put together an “emergency kit” for the day: breath freshener, white chalk for spills on your dress, small sewing kit, safety pins, pain reliever, tampons
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Wedding Tip #14
Wedding gown prep
Have your dress delivered, if possible, to your hotel or house. Hang it so it may not touch the floor and remove from the bag. Any wrinkles will naturally fall out. Never steam your dress yourself – bring in a professional.
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Wedding Tip #13 How many guests will you have?
Begin before ANYTHING else with your guest list, in excel format, to decide your guest count. Once you know your guest count you can then find your location.
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Wedding Tip #12
Reflect on the memories
You likely hired a photographer and perhaps a videographer. Use these pictures and videos to re-experience the event and talk about it with each other, with family and friends. This way, the wedding day lives on rather than coming to an abrupt halt.
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Wedding Tip #11
Have an exact match for your bouquet
Save the scraps from your wedding gown and give to your florist to use for your bridal bouquet wrap.
Wedding Tip #10
The most important word in marriage
When planning a wedding, you are given the task to create what YOU & YOUR FIANCE want. Be sure to speak up, be open and honest about what YOUR thoughts are. If you don’t like the same color your mom does, say something, If you don’t want a DJ but your groom does, have an open discussion about your wants and needs while listening to him. If you have an open conversation full of honesty during your entire wedding process, your day will be what you both anticipated and during the planning process you will have learned how to compromise. The most important word in Marriage.
Wedding Tip #9
Tented weddings
Be sure to work with a planner who has done tented weddings before and many times. Hosting a tented wedding at home is like building a venue from scratch. There are so many more widgets to control (and the weather is not one of them!): tent, restroom trailer, lighting, generators, rental equipment and the list goes on… A planner who knows all the elements will be a HUGE asset to your wedding day.
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Wedding Tip #8
If you happen to be a beer drinker, put it in a proper glass. A beautiful bride in a wedding gown holding a beer bottle just isn’t classy!
Wedding Tip #7
Be considerate of the older family members attending your wedding. If they are not in the bridal processional, be certain to have reserved seating and communicate it to them and to the ushers.
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Wedding Tip #6
When hosting an outdoor tented wedding, be sure to post on your invitation “shoes for lawn” so the ladies know what style shoe to wear.
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Wedding Tip #5
You wanted a summer wedding, now be mindful of your guests. The heat can be dangerous, especially when there is a lack of water. Make sure your guests, caterers, wedding photographers, and DJs stay hydrated by providing access to coolers of water bottles or constant water service. Again, utilize your wedding favors as a mini survival kit for your guests by adding a small bottle of water to the arrangement. Wedding accessories often include personalized water bottle labels that you can add to the bottles so that they match the rest of your wedding decorations. Don't forget that you and your groom stay hydrated throughout the day too! Also providing parasols or paper fans can help in the sweltering heat.
Image by Jordan Brian Photography
Wedding Tip #4
One glass of wine too many during your rehearsal dinner has left your eyes looking tired, red and puffy.
Fix it: Line your inner lower lash line in navy blue to brighten the whites of your eyes. Cover dark circles with a cream concealer with multiple shades in one to get the right color.
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Wedding Tip #3
How to prevent hands from looking veiny in ring photos
Here's an easy trick I heard from newlywed Glamour editor Susan Cernek: Before a ring photo, hold your arms straight up--"like a Barbie doll with the arms cranked upward," Susan describes--so that all the blood drains from your hands and fingers. It'll make veins much less noticeable.
Wedding Tip #2
Always have the budget discussion with both sets of parents before you begin planning. Knowing your monetary boundaries will set expectations and save you time.
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Wedding Tip #1
Be sure to wear your shoes around the house before your wedding day. Breaking them in a little while doing the dishes or vacuuming will give you a better chance of comfort on your Big Day!
