A lot of wedding day dramas stem from poor or nonexistent planning and most can be avoided with a little forethought. Here are some things for you to consider to ensure that your wedding day will be everything you dream it to be.

1. Your Budget

One very important aspect to a stress-free wedding day is a carefully planned and well thought out budget. Money is one of the most common causes of stress and you don’t want it to be a thorn in your side on your special day. After all, you won’t enjoy eating that delicious steak nearly as much as you should if you know you had to break the bank to have it served at your reception. Similarly, losing one earring isn’t nearly as tragic if the set only cost fifty dollars rather than fifteen hundred. Don’t spend more than you can afford and you will be able to relax on your wedding day, knowing that you still have money left for the honeymoon and your future life together.

2. Sleep

Getting enough sleep is also imperative in the lead up to your wedding if you want to avoid wedding day dramas. Even if you are spending the night with your bridesmaids, you must insist on getting to bed at a good time. Try to get a good night’s sleep every night for at least a week before the wedding so you are well rested and full of energy on your special day. If you would like to plan a late-night party, do it early enough that the lack of sleep won’t affect your wedding day. Everything seems twice as frazzling and distressing if you are overtired.

3. The Big Day

Make sure you don’t have a big ‘to do’ list for the actual wedding day. Take care of as much as you can in the days and weeks leading up to your wedding so you are not overwhelmed on the morning of your special day. There is very little other than actually getting dressed that absolutely must be done on the big day. It’s very tempting to say, “Oh, I’ll just pick that up on the way to the church in the morning,” but don’t give in! You will have enough to think about with your hair, make-up, jewelry etc so don’t intentionally leave anything to clutter up your day.

4. Down Time

Make sure you give yourself time alone in the lead-up to your wedding. It is easy to get swept up with good friends, out-of-town guests and of course, your special someone. You want to spend time with everybody; catch up with old friends, get to know new ones, and carried away with the whirlwind of activity that comes along with planning a wedding. Those are all good, important, even necessary things. But you must take some quiet time by yourself. Think about the importance of the step you are taking. Take a few moments to do some calming deep breathing in the few days before the ceremony. If you are calm, prepared and collected, you will not be nearly so stressed on your wedding day.

5. The Unavoidable

Of course, sometimes things come up on the big day that are completely unavoidable – your make-up artist is running late, one of the floral displays is missing, a stray dog wanders into your reception…All of these things can happen no matter how well you plan ahead. The key is to make a conscious decision that you are not going to let the little things bother you. Instead, focus on all the wonderful things going on and remember that the day is about you and your partner declaring your undying love for each other and making a lifelong commitment to be together forever…not about how many flowers are in the room. Put things in perspective and you won’t be able to take the big smile off your face all day.

6. Friends And Family

Friends and family love to help with your wedding. Appoint two people (preferably one girl and one guy) who are not members of the bridal party to deal with anything that comes up during the day. That way, you don’t even have to worry about it. There will be someone else there to take care of whatever crops up.

Conclusion

Taking note of all of these factors will help you have a wonderful, enjoyable and fun wedding. You will be able to bypass any stress and frustrations that are the norm for so many brides. Not only will you be able to enjoy yourself at your wedding, but you will be starting your married life off on the right foot – happy and stress free!

Planning ahead is really quite easy and can be a lot of fun. Make sure you grab your copy of the Free WeddingDayDelights.com Checklist and a great planning guide like “Amazing Wedding Planning” and you will be all set for your special wedding day!

Click Here To Get Your Free Wedding Checklist NOW!

Technorati Tags: Wedding Day, wedding day dramas, wedding day planner, Wedding Planning

Television shows and movies feature brides planning their weddings with unlimited budgets and with absolutely stunning results – the kind of results brides-to-be aspire to. The problem is, a beautiful wedding with an unlimited budget isn’t a challenge to create but most of us just don’t have that much money to throw around! The good news is that a budget wedding can be just as elegant and memorable. It just takes a little thought, some careful planning and the right information at your side.

Here are some ideas to help get you started:

1. Attire

A big part of any wedding budget is going to be the attire. This includes attire for the bride and groom as well as members of the wedding party.

There are many ways to save money on a wedding gown. One is to check out the clearance racks at all of the local bridal salons. You may be able to find a sample dress for a fraction of the original price. Even if it needs a little work from having been tried on so many times, it can still result in a huge savings.

Another place to look is classified ads, such as those on Craig’s List. Gowns being sold in this manner are often sold just to make room in the former bride’s closet, so the sellers are not usually looking for a lot of money.

Renting a bridal gown may be another good option for a budget wedding. You may have to drive a little to find a bridal salon that rents their gowns, but it will be worth the drive. You may be able to rent a designer gown for just a few hundred dollars.

For the men, consider having the groom wear a suit instead of a tuxedo if the wedding is to be rather informal. If he is going to rent a tux, shop around for the best prices. Many rental places will offer the groom’s tux free if you hire attire for the groomsmen at the same time.

2. Flowers

Some brides spend more money on flowers than is really necessary. While flowers certainly add to the overall beauty of your day, they offer a great opportunity for you to trim your costs to create your budget wedding.

Firstly, consider smaller arrangements and bouquets. This is a simple way to reduce your costs without making many changes to the overall design. Put simply – the more blooms you have, the more expensive it will be.

For the bouquets, consider something as simple as a few roses with ribbon wrapped around the stems. Some brides and bridesmaids even carry a single rose or other flower. If this doesn’t appeal to you, you can always add foliage to your bouquets and arrangements to make them larger without adding significant cost.

You could also simply visit a wholesale flower shop and then create the arrangements and bouquets yourself.

Another idea is to eliminate some of the flowers altogether. You probably still want a bouquet to carry, but instead of placing floral arrangements on the altar or in the center of your tables, consider using candles instead. Elaborate candelabras can be rented for a fraction of the cost of flower arrangements and look absolutely stunning. Candles are also wonderful for creating an intimate and romantic atmosphere. This is a great choice particularly for an evening wedding.

3. Cake

Wedding cake is typically priced by the slice. Simply ordering a cake for fewer guests can save you a lot of money and keep you on track for your budget wedding.

Many guests will not even eat your wedding cake, so having fewer slices (or smaller slices) should not cause you any problems. But, if you are worried you won’t have enough, order sheet cakes. They will be kept and served from the kitchen so your guests never have to know. Then you can still have the cake of your dreams and feed everyone while saving on the expense.

For example, say that the cake you like is $5.50 per slice and you are having 250 guests. Your wedding cake would cost you $1375. If, however, you ordered the cake for 150 people, the cake would be just $825. Add a couple of full sheet cakes for another $40 each and your grand total is $905. That’s a saving of $470!

4. Food

Food is often the biggest single expense of a wedding and can easily run into the thousands. There are ways, however, to reduce your food expenses without making your celebrations any less enjoyable.

For example, rather than serving a full meal, consider having your wedding at a time of day when a cake and punch reception would be appropriate.

Or, if a sit down meal is important to you, have a buffet rather than a plated and served meal. This is a great choice as it allows picky eaters to be able to take what they want and, of course, it saves you money on your budget wedding.

Some brides even take on the task of preparing the bulk of the food themselves. This is not as daunting of a task as it may sound, but it can be a bit of work. Make sure that if you choose this option that you have plenty of help from members of your family and bridal party. If you can pull it off, it will not only save you a lot of money, but make your wedding day even more special because of the contributions of all your loved ones.

Your Budget Wedding

These are just a handful of ideas. There are so many more things you can do to reduce your costs without reducing the quality of your special day.

If you are planning a budget wedding, make sure you grab your copy of Erica Yoon’s “Amazing Wedding Planning.” She is the queen of helping you save money while still creating the wedding day of your dreams. Her book is full of insider secrets and ideas that you won’t find in your typical bridal magazines and it is an absolute must-read for the cost-conscientious bride!

Remember, just because your wedding is a budget wedding it doesn’t have to look cheap or tacky at all. With careful planning, a little creativity and the right information on hand, your wedding will look like a platinum wedding, but without the platinum price tag.

Click Here To Grab Your Copy Of Amazing Wedding Planning & Start Saving Now!

Technorati Tags: Budget Wedding, budget wedding ideas, wedding budget, wedding cost, wedding on a budget, Wedding Planning

Your wedding theme is one of the first things that must be decided on when planning your wedding and will shape the entire event from your wedding gown to your decorations to your place settings.

Your wedding theme can be as simple or as complicated as you want. A simple theme may be a set of colors that remain consistent throughout the entire event. For example, if your colors were white, silver and light purple, your bridesmaids may wear light purple dresses, you might tie silver bows around your chairs and you may decorate everything with white and purple flowers.

You do not have to limit yourself to just choosing a color scheme though. Some couples like to go all out and have, for example, a medieval wedding in a castle with medieval style clothing and a medieval banquet. Or perhaps a science fiction style wedding complete with aliens and spaceships.

More than likely though, if you are looking for a wedding theme, you are looking for something a little more in between. You want something more original than just a color scheme, but probably not so out there as aliens and spaceships. You want something that makes a statement about you but still retains the sense of occasion that is your wedding.

Choosing a theme to suit you and your partner can be a little confusing and figuring out how to implement it can be overwhelming. That’s where guides like Kari White’s “Unique Themed Weddings – A Complete Guide To Creating Your Own Magical Wedding Day” become invaluable. Not only do they show you how to create the theme wedding of your dreams, but they make it fun too!

If you haven’t chosen your wedding theme yet, here are a few ideas to think about:

1. Seasons

It is very easy to theme your wedding around the time of year in which it is held. For example, if you are having a fall wedding, you may choose rich autumn colors and use colored leaves and berries as part of the decorations. Or if you are having a winter wedding, you may choose glistening whites and silvers and decorate with snowflakes.

2. Holidays

If your wedding is close to a particular holiday like Christmas, you may choose to theme your wedding around it. Christmas weddings are very popular and may feature lots of reds and greens and use poinsettias for the decorations. Other holidays to consider include Halloween, Valentine’s Day or even the 4th of July.

3. Cultures & Destinations

It is common for many couples to include elements of their own family’s culture in their weddings but you can adapt elements of other cultures into your own wedding too. For example, perhaps you want an Irish themed wedding complete with Irish blessings, four leaf-clovers and lots of greens. Or perhaps you want an Asian-style wedding with Asian foods and decorations. If there is a particular international destination that you and your husband love (like Italy) why not include elements of that in your special day?

4. Occupations

In some cases, your or your partner’s occupation lends itself very well to featuring in your wedding theme. This particularly applies if one or both of you serve in the military, as fire fighters or as policemen. But your occupation does not have to be so official to be considered. With a little imagination, just about any type of work can be made into a theme.

5. Hobbies & Common Interests

A common interest you and your partner share can be a great source of inspiration for your wedding theme. For example, if you are musicians, you may choose to have your whole wedding in black and white like piano keys, decorate your invitations and place cards with music notes and place a statue of two people sitting at a piano on top of your wedding cake.

6. History

You may decide to draw inspiration for your wedding theme from history. For example, you might choose and old southern wedding, complete with Scarlett O’Hara dresses and period food selections. Or you may opt for a medieval theme.

7. Flowers & Butterflies

If you are worried about having a theme that is too over the top for you, simple themes like a specific type of flower (like a rose or daisy) or butterflies will not overwhelm your day but can still be used to create a beautiful backdrop and personalize your wedding.

Your wedding theme is a personal choice between you and your partner. Keep in mind that whatever you choose will be immortalized in your wedding photos and videos, so make sure you both love it!

How you feature your wedding theme in your special day is also completely up to you. You can go all out or you can be subtle. It can be reflected in every single detail (like your clothes, venue, food, décor, invitations, place-cards, flowers, cakes etc) or in a few select items. Your wedding can be as elegant and beautiful or as quirky as you wish. The trick is to know how to tie your theme into your special day to create the exact effect you want.

Your theme will help you create wonderful memories on your special day, so make sure you get it right. Grab a copy of Kari White’s “Unique Themed Weddings – A Complete Guide To Creating Your Own Magical Wedding Day” and let her guide you through the steps you need to take to create the wedding theme and the wedding day of your dreams.

Click Here To Grab Your Copy Today!

Technorati Tags: Wedding Planning, wedding theme, wedding theme ideas, Wedding Themes

Brides are now learning that they do not actually need a wedding planner to make their big day perfect, and the money they save by not hiring one can be funnelled back into the wedding and honeymoon (or even into a new home deposit).

The job of a wedding planner is not to make decisions for you. Instead, she gives you suggestions and then, based on your decisions, contacts all of the necessary vendors and coordinates with them on your behalf to be sure everyone is where they need to be at the right time.

While the wedding planner may have a rolodex full of contacts, she doesn’t necessarily do anything that you cannot do yourself.

Here are some tips on how to be your own wedding planner and save a bundle of cash in the process.

1. Make a List & Be Organized

You should get a big binder and fill it with tabs – one for every detail of your wedding. The tabs should include the wedding party, wedding gown, groom’s tux, wedding party attire, ceremony venue, reception venue, colors, décor, flowers, guest list, invitations, favors, transportation, menu, cake, DJ/music, photographer, videographer, rehearsal dinner, honeymoon and any other wedding details you need.

Then, when you have any ideas or information about each detail, it gets immediately filed under the correct tab. As you eliminate ideas (for example, choosing one favor over another) you remove the information about items you will not be using.

Every detail of your wedding should be contained within that binder. Anyone you need to call, price lists, menus – EVERYTHING – should be right there at your finger tips.

When you meet with a vendor, notes about the meeting go in the binder. When you sign a contract, a copy goes in the binder. When you make a payment, the receipt goes in the binder.

Having everything in one place and knowing that you have copies of all phone numbers and contracts at your fingertips is going to greatly ease the stress of keeping all the details organized.

2. Finding Vendors

Many brides hire a wedding planner to alleviate the worry of finding vendors to carry out the various details of your wedding. It can seem a daunting and overwhelming task but finding vendors is actually quite easy and not as challenging as you might think.

You should attend at least one, but preferably more, bridal shows. It will give you the opportunity to see numerous vendors representing every detail of your wedding.

You’ll be able to taste cakes, view photographer’s portfolios, see various wedding flowers up close, look at sample bouquets and see many other samples of wedding related items and services. Collect business cards from anyone in whom you might be interested. Make notes on the back of the card and file it in the binder as soon as you get home.

Another way to find vendors is by word of mouth. Think of weddings you have been to in the past. Did you love the cake? Ask the bride who made it. This is one of the best ways to find vendors because you are already somewhat familiar with their work.

Of course, the good old yellow pages will also list vendors of every type. You’ll want to visit those that interest you and see photographs or samples of their work.

3. Keeping Everyone Organized

While not hiring a wedding planner will save you money, it may require a little bit more of your time. For example, once the final payment has been made to each vendor, it is a good idea to check in with them in the weeks leading up to the wedding to be sure everything is still on track.

In general, you should call two weeks before the wedding. Ask if everything is going well, and if they need anything else from you. Then, you should call again two days before the wedding to verify the time they will be arriving and/or setting up.

This will, of course, involve making quite a few calls but this task can easily be divided up among your bridesmaids, trusted family members and friends.

You can be your own wedding planner with results that are just as fabulous as if you’d hired someone to do the job. And in a lot less time than you might think! Organization and having the right information on hand is the key.

Erica Yoon is one bride who managed to organise the wedding of her dreams while still working 64 hours a week (and without running around like an insane person)! She shows you how you can do the same in her “Amazing Wedding Planning” guide.

Her simple 10-Step process will guide you through the entire wedding planning experience so you can get things done quickly and easily in the shortest amount of time possible while having a wonderful time.

She’ll even show you how to book all of your vendors and your reception hall in just one day! And how to save mountains of money without compromising on your dream wedding and without hiring a wedding planner.

Click Here To Grab Your Copy & Start Planning Today!

Technorati Tags: wedding planner, Wedding Planning

It is only natural that you would want everything to be just perfect, no matter what the cost. But the truth is, money doesn’t grow on trees and you do want to have some cash left for your honeymoon and for your newly married life. Starting your new life together in debt is not much fun.

So what should your wedding cost and is a budget really necessary?

When you look at the figures, the average wedding cost can be a little intimidating. According to market research firm, The Wedding Report, the average cost of a wedding in 2008 was $21,814. While this seems high, you’ll be surprised at how easy it is for hidden or unexpected expenses to add up, giving you a figure even higher than that. That’s why you need a wedding budget and you need to stick to it.

When working out your budget, try to be comprehensive and try to avoid under-estimating. Keep in mind that the average couple spends more than twice the amount that they had originally planned for their wedding.

Here are some things to consider when creating your wedding budget.

The reception takes the largest chunk of the average wedding cost at 40-50% of the total budget. This includes everything from location to food to a DJ or band for your wedding dance.

The cost of venues vary greatly. If you are getting married in your own church, you may only have to pay the cleaning fee. Other locations can charge anywhere from a couple of hundred to several thousand for rentals. Consider choosing a location that can host both your ceremony and reception. That way you only have one venue fee and your transportation costs are lower. Keep in mind that some venues require you to use their bar service, catering service and/or DJ. These may add on extra fees to the wedding cost that you were not expecting.

Count on 10% of your budget for attire. This includes clothing and accessories for the bride and groom. Don’t forget to include jewelry, make-up and hair services. Generally, bridesmaids and groomsmen pick up the tab for their own attire, but you may wish to purchase jewelry for the bridesmaids that they can wear on the day as your thank you gift to them.

Flowers for both bouquets and decorations are a part of almost every wedding and range between 8 and 10% of the total wedding cost.

If you choose to hire a professional photographer and/or videographer, plan to spend at least $2,000, or 10% of the average budget. This may seem like a lot, but consider this aspect carefully. Right now, it may seem a logical place to cut costs, but these memorabilia will be priceless in 25 years time.

Other smaller expenses include:

Invitations, place cards, thank you notes and other paper items (3-5% of your budget)
Transportation (2%)
Miscellaneous items like taxes, tips and insurance (6%)

Don’t forget to also purchase thank you gifts for the wedding party and table favors for your guests.

Keep track of everything you spend and categorize it appropriately. You will soon see the little costs adding up and be able to cut back when you reach the spending limits that you have set for yourself.

Your wedding cost is significant but with careful planning it does not need to be exorbitant. A well-thought-out budget will relieve your money stress and allow you to enjoy your special day. And, of course, there are always plenty of ways to cut costs without reducing the quality of your wedding or sacrificing any of the things that you dream of.

Erica Yoon can show you how to save 50-80% of your entire wedding cost without compromising on your dream, regardless of your budget. She did not hire a wedding planner and yet managed to save over $10,000 on her own wedding with a few insider secrets – secrets she wants to share with you.

If you want to know how you can reduce your wedding cost and still have your dream wedding, you need to read her “Amazing Wedding Planning” book. It’s full of insider tips and tricks you just won’t find anywhere else.

Click Here To Grab Your Copy & Start Saving Today!

Technorati Tags: wedding budget, wedding cost, Wedding Planning