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You're getting married! This is no doubt the most exciting
time of your life and for good reason. However, for many
brides, the time leading up to their wedding day can be
equally as stressful. You have a lot to plan for and only
a limited amount of time in which to get it all done. Relax.
Wedding planning doesn't have to be a headache. With a little
planning and a lot of luck, your wedding day will be all
you ever dreamed it to be.
The first thing you'll want to address is setting a date.
Sit down with your new fiancée and any family members
who may help pay the wedding expenses. Discuss the time
of year you'd like, whether you want an indoor or outdoor
ceremony, and what your overall budget will be. Then, once
you have a general time frame; take out your calendar and
choose the big day. Remember, if you are planning on a large
wedding in a rented church or hall, allowing at least nine
months to a year for scheduling is ideal. With a smaller
wedding in a backyard or family church, six months may suffice.
Now is also the time to select your attendants, book your
caterers, musicians, photographer and secure the transportation.
During the course of planning your wedding, you will occasionally
meet with each business to arrange for the menu and inform
them of how many people will be attending. If you are working
with less than one year of planning time, you will also
want to pick out your stationary and attire for the wedding
party at this time.
In all of these areas, think about theme. More and more
couples are choosing to have a wedding event that revolves
around a common theme. This could be pertaining to the season
of year (for instance, a winter or autumn theme), to an
interest of the couples (sports, animals, etc.) or just
something fun (such as a Hawaiian or Western theme). Once
you've got your theme selected, the real fun is figuring
out ways that your decorations, music and food can all tie
in with this theme.
If, during the course of your big day, you find taking
care of all the details involved with your dream wedding
become too much for you to handle, you may consider hiring
a professional wedding planner. He or she will have inside
experience and connections with halls, photographers, caterers
and other business owners. They will be able to help you
navigate through all your options. Generally, a planner
will charge ten percent of your overall wedding budget so
have that figured out before meeting with anyone. If, in
the end, you do decide to plan everything yourself, make
sure you enlist the help of friends and family members who
are willing to give you a hand. Finally, remember to go
with the flow and realize that starting your new life with
the one you love is the most important thing. Everything
else is just icing on the wedding cake. |
