Friday, August 24, 2007

2 Types of Budget for Your Wedding

There are two different types of wedding budgets, a traditional budget and a nontraditional budget. Depending on which budget you plan to use, is based on how much you can spend and/or if there will be other sources helping with the financial part of the wedding. Have all the financial help and warnings ready when making the budget.

1.) The traditional budget is one that many have used through out the years. A traditional wedding “was” the most common wedding budget type, because that’s how society was (not as much now as it was then). There are still quite a bit of people who still follow this budget type though because keeping a tradition alive is very important.

The bride’s family pays for…

* The engagement party
* The invitations
* Thank you notes
* Ceremony cost
* Wedding consultant
* The reception
* Photographer
* Videographer
* The brides attire
* The flowers for the bride’s family
* The transportation for the bride’s family
* Any outside travel arrangements for the bride's family

The groom’s family pays for…

* The rehearsal dinner/party
* Any outside travel arrangements for the groom’s family
* The flowers for the groom’s family
* The attire for the groom and groomsmen
* The transportation for groom's family

2.) A nontraditional budget is a budget that more and more people are using for a number of reasons. This budgeting is more of a liberal way of allocating the money sources. For example: with this budget no set financial responsibility is given to any set party (think of it like your delegating the stress evenly). To organize this type of budgeting you can ask each set of parents what they can contribute towards the wedding financially. This budget type is also for the “Independent Couple”, who does not have any other source providing money towards the wedding (More power to you for doing it on your own!).

Every wedding is unique in its own way so make sure you do not “use” a budget that will not fit your needs. Making a close to accurate budget is almost crucial; because this is the time you sit down and prioritize what is more important to you. Allocate the money to the appropriate sources and make sure to stick to the budget as close as you can due to it is quite easy to “overspend”. That is why being knowledgeable about the making of a wedding budget is important.

Once you create a budget that everyone can agree on, you can now focus on how to save money on things that you prefer to spend less on! Good luck with making your budget!

Author: Melissa D. Smith
http://www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/savingsanity

Newly Wed Honeymoon: 3 Tips Preparation

Honeymoon is supposed to be something memorable. While you try to plan your budget wedding, I am sure you plan as well your for honeymoon. Some of the couples even budget the wedding so that they can spend more on honeymoon.

Things to remember when you travel:

1. Travel Light. This is your honeymoon, you do not need to bring a lot of things. Even most of the time, you need less material clothings.

2. Make sure that your luggage is durable. You do now want to be hassled by broken luggage during your travel. You can find cute and good quality luggages from different selections of brands.

3. Confirm your booking. Before traveling, call your agent and hotel to make sure all have been properly reserved according to the dates you want.

Research a little bit about the place to visit. It is good to have more knowledge about the place so that you can enjoy it better. In this site Innovation Luggage, you do not find only good offered luggage, you can find some tips and articles. I personally like the travel tips entitled "7 Romantic Getaways".

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Honeymoon in Spain

Newly married couple must be excited to plan as well their honeymoon. Spain is one good place to spend your honeymoon. Last time I visited Spain, especially in Madrid, I enjoyed my stay there. The city is well organized that you can get all information you want as a tourist. You will never fell lost there.

madrid at nightCities that I recommend are Madrid and Barcelona. In Madrid, you have a good night life until morning. But who needs it when you are in a honey moon, right? You might be better enjoying walking with your couple in Madrid at night. It is really amazing. For the ladies, you might bring some extra money or credit cards, because when the shops are on sale… wow… you can have really a good deal. Even from the branded stuffs.

barcelona beachBarcelona, on the other hand, has beautiful beaches. You can relax and enjoy the sunset with your loved one. I can still imagine myself laying on the sand with a glass of juice relaxing the whole afternoon.

With current technologies, you do not need to worry on planning your trips and booking hotel. You can search the hotels according to your budget in Hotels in Madrid and in Hotels in Barcelona.

What I like is the section “Last minute deal” which gives you a lot of saving in your part. Well, those of you who can speak Spanish, you can check promo deals at Hoteles en Barcelona.

In those sites you are assured to get better prices compared when you contact directly the hotels, apartment, or hostels.

Monday, August 20, 2007

The wedding planning tips to consider

All the couples want a dreamy wedding that you have been waiting for, so they are planning a wedding for months. There are many things to take care of, here are some wedding planning tips to help you.

Start planning long before the wedding. That is if you have the luxury of time.

The first important thing is your budget. After the wedding,the amount of the bills that have to pay terrify a lots of young couples. So, plan the budget. Hire a DJ, a photographer, and a caterer way before the wedding will take place. Also, according to your budget you will have a complete guests list. If you can`t afford, Don`t invite too many people.

In addition, the bride`s wedding dress and the groom`s tuxedo are the most important clothes from a wedding. So make sure you buy the one you best love and take it try. You will not like any undesired last minute surprises, would you? This applies to the best man`s tuxedo and the bride`s maid`s dress.

Also, remember to rent enough rooms for your guest`s accommodation. Sometimes, you have to talk for accommodations up to 6 months before the wedding date. These are the wedding planning tips that you must keep in mind all the time.

Notice everything in detail

When you have to decide the wedding menu,there is another problem occurs.You still should to visit several restaurants and see their offers.This is a advice in our wedding planing tips.

To make a general idea on what should you do, is to visit some wedding shows. This way you can plan your wedding as you should. There are so many things that are important, so remember to take some notes from those wedding shows. If you cannot attend any wedding shows, You should to visit some internet wedding sites. You`ll always find wedding planning tips online. Or read wedding Magazine. You can click on the magazine imagine to find out more.

Modern Wedding MagazineAlso, some couples tend to choose a theme for their wedding. Some choose to give a traditional look on their wedding; others prefer Hawaii style, and so on. You can do about everything you want, as it is your wedding, a one-in–a lifetime moment.
It is always a good thing to plan a wedding well in advance. Unfortunately, This may cause some people have stress problems. So, You could talk to a priest, minister, rabbi or counselor about all the problems. Someone who works with engaged couples will be the best person to give you reliable advices and maybe some other wedding planning tips. Everyone desires to have a perfect wedding!

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Prepare For Your Budget Wedding - Some Tips

You may have probably started your wedding planning. You have a lot to prepare for. Some couples may find them lost since they do not do the work step by step. Below are some of the tips for your preparation.

You need to firstly set your budget. Of course it depends on how much you can afford and how much you would like to pay. You do not want to spend more than what you originally plan to spend. Some couples find wedding loans one of their options of financial sources but it is suggested that it is better not to be in debt because of the wedding. As a result, you should try your best to stick to your budget.

You can make a list of items in the order of their importance. You make find it quite difficult to decide which items are more important. However, in order to stick to the budget, it is unavoidable to make these painful decisions. You can certainly decide the importance based on your preference. At the end of the day it is your wedding and you should give the items you like higher ranks. However, you should also be objective so that you will not miss any "must have" items. The list should also be accepted and agreed by both of you and your partner.

After you make the list, you can discuss with your friends and relatives about the items on the list. This will be one of the most difficult tasks. It is not easy to handle the different, or sometimes contradicting, opinions for your wedding. You should always remind yourself that it is your wedding. You are only seeking for opinions and advices. If you agree with what your friends and relatives say, you will adjust your plan and list. If you do not agree with some of their opinions, you can discuss with your partner again to see if you should stick to your original ideas.

When the list is totally fixed (in fact, you may still adjust it later), you can try to find ways to add your personal touch to the top items so that your wedding can be more personalized. Unless you have plenty of time and budget, it is not wise to try to personalize every little item in your wedding.

Planning a wedding is like working on a design project. You have limited time and budget and it is not realistic to make everything totally perfect. As a designer myself, I will try to make the most important parts perfect and other parts acceptable. This notion also applies to wedding planning. Of course your "acceptable" standard may already be a "perfect" standard for some others.

Now you have already prioritized your wedding items. You can start really working on them. If you find a task too hard for you to handle, you can always ask for help from your friends and relatives. There is nothing to be shy to ask for help. And as I always say, they should be more than happy to help you since it is your wedding.

If you plan your wedding and work on it step by step, it is sure that you should be able to have a memorable wedding.

Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jerry_Leung
Jerry Leung is a wedding invitation designer with great interest in Chinese Style Wedding cards. He designs unique Personalized Wedding Invitations. http://www.983wedding.com/

Saturday, August 18, 2007

How To Save Money On Your Wedding Dress

Both bride and groom should be involved in most wedding planning activities. However, the wedding dress or gown and bridal attire purchases are strictly the bride's domain.
So, here you are, a bride to be with a wedding date and a lot of wedding planning activities to take care of so your dream wedding becomes a reality and your first thought is - your bridal attire.

Shopping for a wedding dress or gown and bridal attire is a lot of fun but can be extremely expensive and rather frustrating. Guess what! You can reduce both expense and frustration and enjoy the process without sacrificing quality. To find out how, keep reading.

This is how:

DO SOME HOMEWORK

As soon as your wedding date is confirmed start researching in magazines, on the Internet and by visiting bridal shops and trying on dresses and gowns so that you have at least a general idea of the style of dress or gown you want.
Look for seamstresses who specialize in wedding gowns and dresses and ask for a price range. From $ but no more than $.
As you choose your style, consider the following:
Choose a classic dress or gown. If you opt for a ball gown style be ready to spend more money because the more fabric it takes to make a gown, the more it costs.
Remember that sometimes less is more and opt for no embellishments or with embellishments only on the bodice. Having embellishment on the sleeves, waistline, hemline,and or train, will raise the price of the gown and may actually make the gown over embellished and less elegant.

RETAIL STORES AND SALONS SAMPLE, CLOSEOUT, DISCONTINUED ITEMS AND INVENTORY REDUCTION SALES

Time your gown and wedding attire shopping with samples, closeout, discontinued items and inventory reduction sales.
Bridal stores and salons pay a hefty price for their floor space. They need to make room for the latest new styles.

Take advantage of it and you win! How?
Simply call up the shops and salons in your area and find out if and when they're having their next sample and inventory reduction sale.
Ask if they will allow you to preview the dresses that will be offered.
Some, especially privately owned stores, will be glad to comply and may even encourage an early purchase. After all, they want to sell the items and reduce their costs and inventories.
Note that samples are usually available in size 6, 8 or 10.
Closeout items come in all sizes.
While you are there, check out about other wedding attire for you and your wedding party.

If you must wait for the sale itself, arrive early and bring a companion.
Wear clothes that's are easy to slip in and out of. Do not stop to consider every dress you see.
Pick up anything that you think you might like and let your companion hold it.
Once you are done, try the dresses on as quickly as you can as time is short and competition may be great and have your companion look at other brides for more possibilities for you.
She may pick up dresses other brides tried on but did not choose, yet have the exact features you want.
Once you have narrowed your choice to one two or three dresses, unless they fit you perfectly, lucky you!, check out if the store offers alterations the costs and the time frame. If the cost seems too high, contact the seamstresses you have already interviewed.

DEPARTMENT STORES CLEARANCE

Do not stop there. You do not need to wait for a special sale, check all of the clearance racks at the bridal sections in department stores frequently. You'll be favorably surprised at what you can find.
The only drawback is that what you see is what you get. You purchase any sale item as-is.
Though you can have a gown altered to a smaller size at an additional cost and risk, it cannot be made larger.
You cannot add sleeves to a strapless gown.
The color and designs are set so you may have to compromise.
Also, take into consideration that you may need to dry clean a dress or gown that has been sold as sample, discontinued or inventory reduction sale.

CHECK OUR THE INTERNET

Do not disregard the power of the Internet.
Go to google and search for wedding gown or wedding dress.
Visit as many web sites as time and patience allows.
You'll come across bridal shops that have web sites and see many designers names their styles, colors and price ranges.
You'll also come across online only shops.
The online only shops are not saddled with the huge overhead that brick and mortar shops pay and often pass their saving on to their customers by offering lower prices.
It is important that you are aware that for some reason, most wedding gown sizes run small (A small 6, a small 8 etc...) So, unless you are sure of your size and have an alteration seamstress available, you may be better off ordering the next larger size.
If you plan to shop on the internet, be sure to provide the vendor with the following measurements:
# Size
# Bust
# Waist
# Hip
# Hollow to Waist
# and Hollow to Hem. Hollow to Hem is the measurement from the hollow of your neck to the floor, taken while you are wearing the shoes and slip you plan on wear at the wedding.


Caveat Emptor - Buyer Beware

There are many online wedding dresses - gowns retailers on the Internet.
Some offer actual designer products and others offer replicas or gowns designed to look like, but with moderations, while others have their own designs.
So before you order a dress or gown, check the web site thoroughly.
Look for an address, and a phone number and by all means CALL the owner personally and interview him or her.
Be sure that ALL your questions are answered and that you are COMPLETELY satisfied and comfortable buying from that PERSON. Base your decision on the person not on the web site.
IMPORTANT! Never store your wedding dress or gown in plastic. Depending on the material used, it may yellow or become gray and never lay it flat as it may crease. Store it in a cloth bag and hang it in a closet free of heat, dust and other impurities.

SHOES

You need shoes to go with your wedding dress or gown. But do you really need wedding shoes?
Think about it. The difference in price between purchasing shoes at a shoe store or at a bridal salon may surprise you.
Yes, adding the simple term wedding to the description of a pair of shoes may double even triple its price.

GLOVES, VEILS AND TIARAS

These items are much less expensive than a dress or gown. Therefore your risk of purchasing them on the Internet is small.
Yet, you can save a lot of money.
Look for a pair of gloves you saw offered on the Internet for less than $20.00 in a bridal salon and figure out your savings.
The same holds true for veils and tiaras.
Do the math and cash in on the savings.

Article Copyright © Nily Glaser, All Rights Reserved 2007

Copyrights © 2007 All Rights Reserved Nily Glaser of A-wedding Day and Gan Publishing

Right Wedding Planner for Budget Wedding

Though the planning of a wedding is exciting it is also time consuming and you have to go through all types of stress. If you want to have a stress free wedding and enjoy the days before your marriage, with your family and friends, it is better to have a wedding planner who will assist you in making arrangements for the wedding. This will reduce the load on your shoulders and help you to get control of the situation with out losing the fun during the wedding time. The service of the wedding planner is quite valuable. They can assist you in deciding and arranging different things you may need. Once you hire a wedding planner it is his or her duty to make the wedding function a success.

The first and foremost thing a wedding planner can help you is in deciding the budget of the marriage. A highly professional wedding planner can guide you about the kind of wedding possible with a given budget. He can calculate and tell you about the expenses you will have to face during the various levels of the marriage, according to your idea. If you are planning a theme wedding, weeding planner can help you in picking out the theme according to your budget. This will help you to increase or decrease the budget according to the various choices and be ready with the required amount, before hand.

A wedding planner can help you in finding a church or any other venue of your choice. If you prefer to have your wedding in open air a wedding planner will definitely help you to find the appropriate venue. He can provide you with the information about the churches in the area and other potential venues inside or outside the country. Most of the wedding planners will have tie ups with reception halls and venue people and are able to arrange it at a much lesser rate than if you approach them directly.

Reception is another area where a wedding planner can be of help to you. Wedding planner can help you to decide on the drink to be served and the cake to be ordered. The food to be served within your budget can be decided with the help of the service provider. A planner can give you ideas about the seating positions for the day. Wedding planner will have the information about the best caterers available and about their menus. A planner can arrange the catering people of your choice and get discounts also. Usually they will have net work with catering people; this will help you to get good service from them.

Selecting the wedding attire is a stressful thing. a wedding planner can give you advice about the attire for the bride, groom or for the entire family members. If you prefer made to order attire or the ready made attires , wedding planner can give information about the sources of dresses and other accessories needed for the wedding. Next important thing a wedding planner can do is to arrange the flowers and other decorations essential in the venue. They can give you the ideas about various decorations according to your theme or interests. Wedding planner can tell you about the availability of the particular flowers in different time of the year. This will help you to choose the flowers for decorations.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Roy_Dietelzieg

Friday, August 17, 2007

Why need a budget wedding?

Nowadays couples are looking for budget wedding. It is not because the couple does not value the wedding itself. They just become more practical so that they can use the extra money for something important or urgent.

Anyway, budget wedding in the end does not necessarily mean "cheap" wedding. With proper planning and research, your budget wedding can look extravagance and memorable. That is what the couple looking for, right?