Top Dos and Don’ts for Planning Your Wedding

Need a simple, straightforward approach to planning your wedding? Then take a look at these top dos and don’ts for planning your wedding.

Our top dos and don’ts for planning your wedding will help simplify your wedding planning process. They will even help you sort out the fluff from the really important stuff. Keep reading and find out what you should and shouldn’t do on your big day with our top dos and don’ts for planning your wedding.

Do: Choose a Theme

This might seem pretty self-explanatory, which might make you wonder why it made our list of top dos and don’ts for planning your wedding. The answer is simple, though. A theme will ensure a cohesive look and feel throughout your wedding decor from beginning to end. Your theme should be incorporated into every aspect of your wedding, from the ceremony to the reception. You may even want to use your theme for your honeymoon location, especially if you choose an exotic theme.

Don’t: Micromanage

This is probably the hardest rule to follow on our list of top dos and don’ts for planning your wedding. It can be hard to surrender some control on your big day and the weeks leading up to it, but giving away some control is essential to the survival of your sanity. Stress overload can create a very edgy bride and a day that is less than perfect. Remember, the most important detail of your wedding day is the beginning of your new life together.

Do: Hold Your Reception after Dark

Make your reception a night to remember by holding it after dark. The late night hours are intended only for adult guests, so you’re creating something more like a date night out for busy parents, making this rule on our list of dos and don’ts for planning your wedding a way to create a night everyone will remember. Serve drinks, food, and have lots of dancing to keep the night hoppin’. You may even consider serving a late-night “breakfast.”

Don’t: Forget the Sparkle

Forgetting the sparkle takes the magic out of your reception. This is important for all weddings, but especially when the couple is planning a nighttime reception. Holding your reception in a ballroom offers automatic sparkle, but you can also create your own with crystals and candle accents. And don’t forget—this rule on our list of dos and don’ts for planning your wedding also applies to the bride and her attire!

Tips for Resolving Your Guest List Dilemmas

Arguing over the guest list? Afraid of offending someone? Can’t afford all the guests you want to invite to your wedding? Too many guests for your venue? These tips will help you handle a myriad of guest list dilemmas. 

Resolving your guest list dilemmas can be pretty overwhelming. Plenty of arguments have sprouted from this early wedding planning element. Couples have a hard time agreeing on who should go and who shouldn’t. Both the bride and groom struggle with the process of narrowing down their guest lists to fit the wedding budget and venue accommodations. Worries of offending people by not inviting them start to surface. Yes, the guest list dilemma is one of the most difficult aspects of wedding planning, but there are some tips that can make resolving your guest list dilemmas just a little easier.

Start with Your Dream List

The first step to resolving your guest list dilemmas is to start with your dream list. Bride and groom should make their own lists for this phase. Don’t worry about your venue accommodations. Don’t worry about your budget. Just make a list of every single person you would like to see at your wedding.

Trimming the Fat

The next step in resolving your wedding guest list dilemmas will be a little more difficult because it’s time to come back down to earth. Start by singling out the very most important people on your list – the people that your wedding wouldn’t be complete without. This is your A-list. Set this list of people aside. Now, start to look at the other guests on your list. Consider why they are important. Have you talked to them in the last six months? Do you talk to them regularly? If not, consider removing them from your list. Now look at who is remaining and write this list out. These are your B-list guests.

Bringing it Together

Bride and groom now need to take their A-list guests and combine them. How many guests do the two of you have between each other? Will your budget and venue accommodate all of them? If so, then you have completed your first round of guests. Send out wedding invitations to these guests early and obtain an RSVP from all attending guests. If you have room for more later, then great! Then it’s time to invite those on the B-list. If not, know that the people most important to you will be in attendance and you have successfully completed the task of resolving your guest list dilemmas.

 

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Bridal Vendor Shopping 101

Are you ready to start hiring your vendors for your wedding day? Here are some basic bridal vendor shopping steps you should take before signing any contracts.

Securing your bridal vendors is one of the very first steps to take when you begin planning your wedding, but it helps to acquaint yourself with some bridal vendor shopping 101 first before you sign on the dotted line. Booking vendors such as your caterer, florist, and wedding coordinator are rather large expenses, and they often require lengthy contracts that make it difficult to change or cancel once you sign the agreement. This is standard and is necessary for the vendor to run his or her business smoothly, but it also means that you need to know what you want and what you can afford before you make any contractual or financial commitments.

Keep the following bridal vendor shopping 101 in mind when you begin planning your wedding:

Ask around—One of the best ways to begin your vendor shopping process is to ask around for recommendations. Talk to other brides, bridal boutique owners, consult the BBB, and attend local bridal shows to meet potential vendors in person. Once you do your research, begin writing down each contender and make appointments with the ones you’d most like to meet with.

Get it in writing—When you meet with potential vendors, get everything in writing. Even if you’re not securing a contract, ask for a business card with an estimate number written on it, or for some sort of written correspondence that recaps the numbers and services you agreed on. This will help you keep track of your options as you begin the process of elimination and will also ensure that you are given the deal you agreed on during your initial meeting.

Know that quality costs more—Whatever you do, don’t be cheap. This doesn’t mean to choose vendors you cannot afford, but it does mean to be realistic about what your budget allows and to realize that quality typically costs more. Remember that it is not always beneficial to opt for the least expensive vendor option. Keep this bridal vendor shopping tip in mind as you begin meeting with potential vendors.