Creating wedding checklist as early as possible

When planning a wedding, there are tons of activities or ideas that you need to consider. For those of you that do not hire a wedding organizer, then you need to be as organize as possible to reduce stress and avoid unexpected costs.

You can start by doing a simple wedding checklist. If you are computer literate, you can make a spreadsheet in excel with simple columns of: Number, Activities, Status, Price, and Note.
- Number is only a sequence number.
- Activities are for the activities or steps that you need to accomplish before for wedding day.
- Status. Whether pending, done, or canceled.
- Price. Actual price or estimated budget that you would like to spend for selected activity.
- Note. This is just additional note for you activities. For example: if the activity is finding a wedding venue, you can put phone numbers or websites of several vendors for consideration.

If you are not a computer literate, you can put the them in the paper. You will be surprised that this simple wedding checklist could help you a lot to reduce the stress and work within your wedding budget.

Planning a budget wedding

Here are some shocking facts about wedding cost:


1. It usually cost less than $100 to manufacture a wedding dress that normally sells at the store for $2000.

2. More than 70% of wedding vendors will mark-up the price a product or service higher if the word 'wedding' is mentioned. They know that you want the best for your wedding. Thus, most couples would not mind to pay higher.

3. In 2006, the average cost of a single wedding was $27,852, which had increased by 32% since 2000.

Based on these shocking facts, Erica Yoon published her ebook on how to plan a budget wedding. It is a must to read for couples that want to maximize their budget to have unforgettable wedding events at affordable budget.

The ebook will reveal on how find a quality brand new wedding gown with budget less than $200. With regards to the wedding venue, she shared some tricks and tips to do a reservation technique that could saved you a lot. In the end, wedding party tips to save up to 70% on the alcohol costs and wedding cake.

Take a look on her ebook preview and decide it yourself if you want to save up your wedding budget so that you can spend more on the honeymoon. AmazingWeddingPlanning.

The Knot Ultimate Wedding Planner: Worksheets, Checklists, Etiquette, Calendars, and Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

This practical companion to The Knot Complete Guide to Weddings in the Real World acts as a stand-alone guide to the nuts and bolts of planning a wedding. The Knot Ultimate Wedding Planner is where the bride and groom can record wedding ideas, create budget guidelines, check items off their to-do list, generate the guest list, store contact information for their wedding vendors, and get tips and advice on the best way to plan their big day.

Chapter by chapter, the planner walks the bridal couple through each major step: for example, choosing the reception site, picking a photographer, and deciding on a menu. Author Carley Roney and the editors of The Knot Web site have talked with both wedding professionals and hundreds of thousands of brides and grooms, and have a good idea of the necessary ingredients for a successful wedding. Most helpful and thorough are each chapter's "Questions to Ask" checklists and the "Knot Knowledge" tips, which include money-saving ideas. The book also contains a gift log, a budget tracker, and a wedding-day phone contacts sheet.

Roney offers loads of helpful advice, such as recommending that the bride and groom declare "wedding free zones" where the couple makes time for activities together that have nothing to do with planning the wedding. Each chapter also includes her down-to-earth answers to commonly asked questions, such as whether it's appropriate for a relative to host a shower or if the wedding couple should pay for guests' travel expenses. With all of its tips, advice, and organizers, The Knot Ultimate Wedding Planner may just be, next to a wedding coordinator, the best way for modern couples to ensure their wedding is a smoothly run, stress-free affair. --Kris Law

PLANNING FOR THE PERFECT ROMANTIC HONEYMOON

Making arrangements for a wedding is sufficiently nerve racking. While making arrangements for a honeymoon is supposed to be a delight. So long as both the bride and groom are of the same mind about the location and the happenings, this fraction of the new life journey should be a snap to plan. Making plans for the ideal romantic honeymoon should take an account of things that are pleasing to both.

In general, a pleasant and romantic honeymoon can take place anyplace where the honeymooners can get some valuable time together with a lot of time and space alone. Very few people want a lot of others all over for the duration of their exceptional unique trip together. The holiday, whether it is for a weekend or a complete month, is intended to help out both of you to ease in to married life and make long lasting recollections. It is supposed to be enjoyable, comforting and romantic.

Prior to setting up a trip, it is a good thought for both the groom and the bride to sit down and talk about alternatives. Be sure to select a place jointly - one that is really pleasing to both. Even though it is expected that a lot of time will be spent in the room, attempting to go out should be an enjoyable decision that presents lots of romantic potentials, too.

Here are some guidelines on places to go:

* Beach destinations. For many, there are a few things more romantic such as gazing at a sunset on a perfect beach while sipping on drinks with little paper straws and looking at palm trees sway in a warm breeze. If this is pleasing, then places such as Hawaii, South Carolina, California, Florida, and even the islands of the Caribbean and some European destinations and so on are all good choices. They all present their own unique appeal and other potentials for romance and exciting activity.

* Europe. If staying in a historic city maybe surrounded by the walls of a romantic, medieval fortress seems like a dream come true, then countries such as Germany, England, Scotland and Ireland might be thought about. Tourism possibilities are hard to believe in any of the destinations and lodging can really be as expensive or as standard as a couple's budget asks for.

* Mountains. There are few places more romantic than isolated mountain chalets. Getting back to nature presents some hard to believe sights, which turns out to be very romantic and the seclusion cannot be beat. Places to think about for this type of trip comprise of anyplace in the Rockies, the Smokey Mountains, New York, Pennsylvania, Canada and Europe. Again lodging can comprise of expensive chalets or more rural log cabins and maybe even tent camping. No matter what, anything both the groom and the bride consider goes.

* Ocean cruises. When it comes to gorgeous sights and chic dealings, cruises are inevitable. With lots to do and see, there is ample to please you outside of that stateroom.

It is immaterial what you do or where you go on your honeymoon, just keep in mind that the tour is for both the bride and groom. It is a time to kick back, loosen up and get to be acquainted with each other even better before the day-to-day routine of married life sets in. Just make sure that the trip is pleasing to you both - make it enjoyable and unwind. It is the bits and pieces that lifetime recollections are made of.

A romantic honeymoon can be economical, reasonably priced or exaggerated. As long as the two most important people are having an enjoyable time, that is all that matters. Forget about the constant worry of planning behind at the wedding and just take pleasure in the honeymoon.

Bridal Shower Party

As a bride to be, you must want to share the joy before the wedding with your closed friends or/and relatives. It is time to set a date for bridal shower party. There are few things that should be considered to have a nice bridal shower party:

1. Somebody should be in charge of this bridal shower party. Usually the bride's maid will be responsible and shoulder the party. However, assuming too much is not a good idea. That is why a responsible person and sponsors for the wedding shower should should be clear.

2. Guest list. Responsible person should consult groom and bride for the guest list for the wedding shower party. A common thing to do is to spread the invitation by word of mouths. However, a proper wedding shower invitation could be great. A cute bridal party cards could be used to set the mood of guest list before coming to the party.

3. Themes and Games. A party would not be memorable without proper theme and games. This could be the tedious part to make sure that all guests will enjoy attending bridal shower party.

In the end, your guests might not know each other, so make sure there will be a person in charge to introduce new comers to all the guest. Name tag could be used but it is not necessary. A good ice breaker game is better for them to know each other.

DECIDING ON YOUR WEDDING DRESS AND WEDDING HAIRSTYLE

Selecting the right wedding dress and the right wedding hairstyle are the most important decisions you will make ever. This is your big day, and after the groom you cannot ignore your quotient of style!

Regarding the wedding gown you will be spoilt for the right choice because of the variety of color, styles and shapes they are available in. subsequent importance must be given to how you will wear your hair, and at the end the wedding dress and the hairstyle must complement each other to complete the look.

If you ask me what to do, then I would advice you to go shopping without any expectations. It is sure that you already have envisioned the type of dress that you would like to see on yourself on the big day, but it is common knowledge that 75% of the brides carry home something quite different from what they had in mind. Going wedding shopping is a most enjoyable activity, and never again in your life would have the scope to experiment with that many numbers of wedding gowns!

One of the costliest wedding ventures of your life would be selecting your wedding gown. The majority of the people who specializes in wedding dresses would be come an extra step to help you in the selection, and will freely allow you to go to the trial room as many times as you want. There are a small number of places though where you would need to book ahead to get appointments. Remember Julia Robert in Pretty Woman when she visits Rodeo Drive and what she faces? If you apprehend the same treatment in your place, chuck the idea of going there at all. You should never be forced to make a choice in a hurry and nor should you be treated like a third class citizen.

Until the moment you hit on the right dress for you, you should keep on trying every style because you never know what would ultimately give you the best shape. Try out different skirt and bodice, bias cut, all-in-one empire line, spaghetti straps, strapless, short sleeves, long sleeves, off the shoulder, tulle, silk, organza, with and without a petticoat. You can also carry with you some hair clips so that while you are trying out the different dress style you can also change the look of your hair and know what goes with what.

There are many bridal magazines now available, so before you venture out shopping you can browse through their pages to get ideas. This way you will know beforehand some of the designers, fabrics, colors, shapes and styles, so that you can form an opinion about the wedding dress. In the bridal magazines, you will surely come across different hairstyles for a wedding. But keep your expectations as per your individual tastes and how much it will suit you; models in the pages of a magazine look good in whatever they wear, which may not necessarily work for you too.
Among all the models try to one who shares your face shape and skin tone. Also mix and match hairstyles and wedding gowns – many a times a particular hairstyle looks especially beautiful with a particular wedding gown.

As an instance, tall, slim brides look fetching in simple dresses of silk with cropped and short hairdos or tousled curls all falling round her face and neck, while wedding dresses that are without straps look gorgeous with hair all fitted up together.
When you arrive at a shop that sells wedding gowns, brief the assistant about the kind of dress that you would like. Try that on yourself and get a feel of the dress. But the assistant may have a different suggestion for you, which you can also give a try. They are veterans in this profession and have handled so many brides that they will instinctively know just by looking at you and conversing with you, what would go best with your personality. Be adventurous and give yourself another chance. It is never a cliché to say, “You will just know when you try on the right one!” because it rings with truth.

Go ahead and also ask them about hairstyles, because they just might have a few tips up their sleeves about hairstyles too!

CHOOSING YOUR WEDDING CEREMONY OFFICIANT

It is a fact that the wedding reception gains the most number of discussions before the wedding; it is the actual ceremony where you must focus your attention. You will have to meet the officiant or the prospective officiants before the wedding ceremony to discuss about it and any such requirements that you must consider before the wedding. Find out if the officiant is an open-minded person who tries to incorporate your ideas into the ceremony, which would help you to decide whether you want him or them to officiate. There are certain questions you must ask, and they are the following:

• Will the officiant deliver a speech or a sermon?
• Will the officiant show you the sermon so you can review it before the ceremony, and if necessary, then provide some inputs?
• At what time should the officiant come for the rehearsal?
• Does the officiant think that counseling is required before the wedding?
• Will the officiant accept personal non-secular inputs for the wedding ceremony, like vows, songs and readings?
• What will be the costume of the officiant?
• Is it necessary to bring the license of marriage to the ceremony, or is signing it required before the ceremony?
• Does the officiant know of any wedding site, in case you have not already zeroed in on one?
• If the officiant also acts as the officiant of the site, then are there are restrictions there that you need to know before hand like, tossing items, dress code, décor, music, photography and videography?
• What are the items that the officiant can provide and what are the things that you must make arrangements? Such things to consider are, microphone, isle runners, pews etc.
• What is the fee for the ceremony? Or is to be considered as a donation?

Important Things to Consider

The personal temperament should go hand in hand with the vision of the officiant as you have in mind. That should also set the mood for the wedding. Some officiants may posses a serious and formal demeanor, while others may be casual and friendly types who add their own special humor to the officiating process.

In case the officiating person bears no relation to you, you must think out about your comfort level with him or her and if you would be happy to see this person as your officiant, because he carries out the most crucial part of the wedding. A wedding takes place between two people to make them man and wife, and the officiant is the first person to declare this to the world. You should have a rapport with the officiant before you make him an everlasting part of this happiest and closest moment of your entire life.

Do not shy away from discussing personal affairs with the officiant before the big day. He or she can be there for you to resolve problems that can be spiritual and mundane including the conflicts within your family members, if any such need arises.

You must not forget to invite your officiant to the dinner rehearsal also. It’s a friendly move from your side and also very becoming. This is also a terrific way you can introduce your family members and friends to the officiant, in case they are unaware as to who is the individual chosen for the purpose.

CHOOSE YOUR WEDDING DANCE JUST RIGHT

One of the greatest things about your wedding is that it is your celebration. You are consequently the king or queen of the occasion so you get the crown and the first dance. It is the moment in time to get down.

By tradition, you will be doing the two-step. On the whole that means pick and choose a song that you can move back and forth to and take two steps to as you position yourself on the floor. This can be actually sweet but if truth were told... you can do that at some old time.

If you have the slightest capability to dance and you are eager to have a bit of enjoyable time, find out how to dance one very exclusive number. Take into service a choreographer if you require one. Show off your skill to move to the music.

If you have only done modern dances, you will come across that ballroom dances are beyond doubt a combination of the skills of two people. You need to work with your partner’s strong points and grab hold of the tempo as one. It may perhaps take a lot of rehearsals so that you move about and seem to be stunning together. After all, dancing should be striking to look at as well as to perform.

Out of most ballroom dances, it is the waltz, which is preferred most at weddings. The waltz is enjoyable and simple to become skilled at. You will also find it easy to dance the waltz in a wedding dress. Traditional music selections include the Skater's Waltz or the Blue Danube Waltz.

If you desire to use more contemporary music, variations have been made of fairly a number of songs as well, which may consist of your most wanted love song. The Way You Look Tonight and Moon River are just two of the songs used as options.

The Foxtrot is one more well-appreciated dance for weddings. Couples can sway fast to the melody of Cheek to Cheek or more slowly to Someone to Watch Over Me. The foxtrot is a much more energetic dance compared to the waltz but it retains the same romantic and dreamy feel.

Of course if you in reality dance nicely with each other, do not be timid about it. Why not go for the performance of a tango and warm up the floor. Make it totally sizzling!

Whatever dance you opt for, just have fun and enjoy yourself. Let yourselves be Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire and enjoy your dance to the hilt. Practice a lot and do not overlook to keep the dresses in mind. Get the celebration in progress the right way... with you having a great time.

BEAUTIFUL WEDDING FLOWERS ON A MODEST BUDGET

There is one thing that everyone craves for, and that is called style. So many make claims of possessing style, but truly speaking few understand its essence. Style is not bought and sold in the market, and spending huge amounts of money does not always translate into fine taste. Style is something more complicated than that.

Talking of weddings and the flowers that must grace the wedding, style and money may not follow the same tune. But there is good news. Nowadays arranging of flowers is bending more towards minimalism. So it’s a lot less difficult to come up with an eye-catching interior design on reasonable finances. So what is the way of reducing the cost of flowers without compromising with style? Let me present you with some terrific ideas, like designing a motif of flowers for the wedding that at once easy on the pockets and speaks of style too.

Have an Intimate Bridal Party

If the list of invitees is kept to minimum, then the florist will have to design just that many boutonnieres and bouquets. This would result in quick savings that will not contradict your floral aspirations. And if there are too many close pals then think of giving them alternative important posts – like a ceremony reader.

Shrink the Guest List

You will have to adorn fewer isles at the ceremony if there are fewer seats to begin with. And lesser tables at the reception party of the wedding ceremony would indicate lesser floral decoration pieces to keep on them. The concept is this – that you will have fabulous arrangements – just not too many of them.

Go With the Season

Get a list of the flowers for that season in which your wedding is taking place. The flowers that bloom during the season are easier to get hold of and are seldom very expensive.

Keep It Simple Sista!

Irrespective of the season, there are a few kinds of flowers that would surely be costly to purchase. You can have a session with your florist to know your options. You can in fact make less costly flowers look as stunning as the expensive ones - pack together the same kind of flowers. If you have ever seen a bunch of daisies packed together, you will know what I am saying.

Consider Alternative Arrangements

You can also go in for the latest hot trend of the season – beautiful decorations with vegetables, fruits, or grasses. Go green, in other words. Another favorite idea is to scatter flower petals around votive candles. This would create a romantic effect without crippling you financially.

Choose a Naturally Beautiful Location

Call on Mother Nature for help, and who would ask for expensive designs for the wedding? If you plan to have your wedding during the beautiful season of spring in a garden, then no flower arrangement would be necessary at all. Similarly a beautiful church can do the décor trick for you because it would be splendid to look at by its own merit. Then again, during holidays many facilities are decorated anyways. Hence a December wedding might just give you breathtaking garlands and poinsettias without spending a single penny.
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Pre-Wedding Pictures. Important? YES!

For those of you that have look around for wedding photographers, you might notice that the package often include pre-wedding pictures. If not, better to ask the photographer to include it as well in the price. Do not underestimate your pre-wedding picture because it can save you some money, time, and memorable shots!

Save some money? How? Pre-wedding picture can be your wedding decorations in your chosen wedding venue. It will be better if you have the pictures that could depict the story on how both of you met each other. If you do not have the old pictures, you can recreate them with the help of you wedding photographers. These pictures could be put in the entrance of your wedding venue and will surely attract the attention of the your wedding guest to give a little bit introductions about your love journey.

Saving time and having memorable shots because you will have a picture as a couple in your relaxed time prior to your wedding day. I have seen a lot of wedding picture in the wedding day have bad results because the couple have tired and some of the make-ups have little bit smeared because of tears, sweats, or even kisses on the chick with wedding guests.

Pay attention of discounted Wedding Place / Venue

With regards to my previous post entitled "Choosing a wedding venue – Categorized into 3 wedding venues", I would like to add that some wedding venues offer discounted for certain memberships. This kind of permanent discounts often do not mentioned when you inquiry about the venue. Sales people usually only remember of the on-going promotion or discounts.

This happened to my friend just recently when he wanted to book a wedding venue. The sales man kept on telling about the on-going promotion that my friend can avail if the wedding food caterer is coming from their partner's company. After a careful read on the brochure, my friend found out that a member of retired government military officials could obtain as much as 20% discount on the published rate. My friend confirmed it to the the sales man, and he seconded the motioned. The sales man said that he usually did not speak about this discounts because his potential clients were seldom a retired government military official.

Having this in mind, my friend went home and contacted his relative who is a retired government military official to do a booking. Well, it saved him 20% of his wedding budget. Good deal! That is why when you try to book your wedding place, try to ask all the discounts available. Read their brochures carefully to detect any discounts that the sales man / woman might miss.

Choosing a wedding venue – Categorized into 3 wedding venues

Wedding venue in general can be categorized into 3, namely:

1. OWN venues. This is where the couple will host the wedding on the places that no need to pay for the venue. A common example is parents’ or relatives’ house. By default, these kinds of venues can save up your budget for wedding. Just take note if the venue can hold enough space for your wedding guests.

2. PUBLIC venues. Public parks, gardens, or beaches are considered public venue. In most countries, this could be a “budget” solution for wedding venues. However, you need to check if permits or licenses are required before holding your wedding in public places. Set a side enough budget to process the permits to your local government. Aside from its budget venue, public venue is a great place to express yourself in unconfined atmosphere of a wedding.

3. RENTAL BASIS venues. This type is a common choice of the couple because it offers privacy and environment that the couple can choose from. There are a lot of places like auditoriums, club houses, country clubs, conference centers, convention centers, hotels, houses of worship, mansions, museums, resorts, hall, stadiums, yachts or cruise ships, and many more of places that you can thing of. Using rental basis allows you to think freely about the wedding theme that you want to apply on the wedding venues. Cost of wedding venues could be vary depending on the size and popularity. Some are even already fully booked for weekends for the whole year ahead.

Based on the categories above, couple should sit together to decide the wedding venues based on your wedding budget and preference. A common misperception is that to have OWN venue is always cheaper in term of total costs for the whole wedding costs. It is NOT always true. Wedding venue cost is only one of the costs of wedding budget, you might get a free venue but you need to order or prepare yourself for the food and decorations. Some RENTAL BASIS venues are often offering package for venue, food, and decorations so that you could save more for the whole cost of the weddings.

To avoid any misleading, try to make a list of your wedding costs in details. Compare each of the costs if certain wedding venue is selected. The most important is try to make your wedding planning as fun activities. For “soon to be” brides, if making a notes in a colorful note are fun, please do so. Do not stress out to much with the preparations. In the end, the wedding should be a joyful and memorable event of your life.

What's the budget menu for Wedding Food?

Wedding is such an occasion, where you invite all your very close friends and relatives and they all need a special attention. It is your duty to take care of their food and the entertainment when attending you wedding. The main thing which comes to our mind is the good food and some entertainment for these relatives and friends.

Good food is always the way to keep you friends and relatives happy on your wedding, but good food is not necessarily means the expensive food. For example you can serve the lobster and steaks which are most expensive dishes in the world, and also can present chicken, fish and other simple meat to make your relatives happy and it depends upon a good chef to make a fish as tasty as lobster. So it will be great to appoint one good chef for your function rather spending a lot on the expensive food.

Entertainment is very important part on the wedding as well, because you invite some people who don’t know any one else in the wedding other then you and you can not give all your time to only those persons. So it is better to play some music or like that for entertaining those people. A recorded music can be best choice at such time as live bands take too much money. So when you enjoying music you need whiskey or wine too to serve. So choose only those brands which are cheap because after two or three drinks every whisky becomes same.

Food and entertainment have done, but another important aspect is the Venue for the wedding. So choose only such venue which can fit to your gathering. Not a big one or not to small, and important thing is to choose the venue which is easily reachable, well maintained and comes under your budget.

You need to have "Special wedding checklist"

Top notch wedding checklist

# Irrespective of whomever you chose to provide necessary services, make sure that you state your needs exactly including the stuff you don't want or want to avoid, leaving no scope for any vagueness. Make sure that you put them down on paper and the providers sign the agreement.

# Verify all arrangements with the vendors and providers by meeting them at least 72 hours before the d-day. Confirm times, dates, menus, locations and their services by rereading them. prepare a master list of their phone numbers; mail them a reminder note with all specifications and instractions. Make sure they know their way to the venue.

# Never ask family or friends to provide any services, always hire professionals. It is a big problem if you don't like the results especially in the topic of photography, food and flowers. service for hire would always includ professionals and can be expected to do their job perfectly. Make sure that the bartender is not a friend of yours. He may end up getting the party drunk without any evil intentions.

# Take care of your wedding dress, never try to alter or iron it. In case you need any alterations or ironing, call the bridal shop. Do not smoke, drink or eat with the wedding dress on. Keep the wedding dress away form pets and outdoors. Make sure you rehearse your movements with the dress on before the wedding, to get the hang of its movements and trail. Make sure the bridesmaid's dresses are altered in your presence to make sure they are not too short, loose or tight.

# Always try to have a spare for all electronic equipment used – camera, tape recorder etc. along with batteries, just in case they dont work.

# Make sure you are licensed to marry, get you marriage license prior to the marriage and carry it on the wedding day.

# Make sure there is someone responsible to take care of the last minute details, like attending phones, feeding the guests, minding children etc.

# Just to make sure you are punctual, try a trial run to the wedding location a day or two before at the appointed time. You will get a hang of the route and traffic conditions.

# Carry the emergency bag that must contain – a needle and thread, nail polish, hair pins or clips, safety pins and an extra pair of undergarments. Make sure you have the emergency medications in it, if you suffer from any condition. You could include some light snacks, in case someone gets hungry. # Avoid late night on the wedding eve. Also avoid drinking alcohol and coffee in excess, so that you will be in good spirits on the d-day.

# The last but the most important – Never panic…! Don't let the small things disturb you and stand in your way. Keep your smile in place and use the ultimate weapon – your sense of humor. Nothing or no one is ever perfect, but all of us strive to be. All the very best.

About The Author: Yehiel Carter can help you with wedding planning and etiquette. He is an expert on anything related to planning your wedding, For more information and advice go to: www.bestweddinginstructor.com/bestweddingever