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Once the ring is given and the proposal is accepted, one
other big decision awaits a bride and groom-to-be: to hire
a wedding planner or to not hire a wedding planner. When
you hire a professional to help coordinate your wedding,
you get someone who will take care of the hundreds of wedding
details such as ordering flowers, haggling with DJs, interviewing
photographers, sampling menus and scouting out venues. But
it also means relinquishing control of all the details that
will make up one of the most important days of you and your
mate's lives. Plus, many couples find that planning their
special day together provides a bonding experience.
Still, planning a wedding involves dealing with a lot of
vendors and countless issues and even more "ideas"
from good-hearted family members like Aunt Millie who thinks
Muffy, her beloved cat, should be the ring bearer. Figuring
out a way to tell Millie that a three-legged cat gimping
down the aisle was never what you imagined for your big
day can be stressful all on its own.
For these reasons, it pays to have some type of wedding
guideline. You will want to start by creating a checklist
because there are simply too many details for one person
to remember. Plus, it will be a necessity to have on the
big day when wedding jitters take over and your mental clarity
is anything but.
The next step is to figure out your budget. Budget is the
most important thing to keep in mind because with all the
specialty items that are available these days, it's easy
to get swept away in all the glitter. This also includes
establishing a set dollar amount for how much you are willing
to spend for each item on the checklist. Allocate more money
for the things that are most important to you such as the
gown or the photography.
Now that you have an outline in place, you now need to set
a date. If you're on a tight budget you may want to consider
avoiding Fridays and Saturdays as the rent for these days
can be much more expensive.
After setting the date, it's time to start thinking about
where you want the wedding to be. An important factor to
consider when checking out venues are the size of the party.
If you don't plan on inviting more than 20 guests then a
big venue won't be necessary. However, if you and your mate
plan on inviting all your relatives, immediate and distant,
local and international, then you will need a big enough
venue to hold everyone.
With the date set and a venue secured, the fun stuff can
really begin. This part of the checklist involves all the
details that will create a beautiful and memorable day.
The wedding invitations, the wedding gown, the flowers,
the photography, the music, the food, the decorations and
the table settings. There are quite a few details associated
with these items so you will need to be careful when planning.
Although the task sounds daunting, planning a wedding can
be as much fun as the actual wedding day. Just be ready
to work hard, stay organized and withstand the pressure.
If you do, you and your mate are sure to have a day that
you will never forget.
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