The Happy Wedding

While some brides love to be involved in the myriad of details involved in planning a wedding, others simply have no patience for it. However, not all brides have the luxury of hiring a wedding planner to handle the planning process. So, if you are a harried bride with little time and patience to spare, here is a short wedding guide to help you start thinking along the right lines.

What many brides don’t realize is that planning a wedding is like tackling any other task at work. If you have basic project management skills, you can plan a wedding. Any project has a beginning, a middle and an end phase. A basic wedding guide is like a blueprint that will tell you how to accomplish the project’s vision and aim. With this simple four-step process, you can begin to turn your wedding from an unmanageable monster to a realistically achievable goal.

So, let’s get started with what, perhaps, will be one of the most important projects of your life!

Wedding Guide for the Harried Bride: Recruit Your Core Project Team

Any good project manager knows that complex tasks need a competent and capable crew to reach project goals. Find a few reliable friends and family members that are willing to assist. (Of course, keep in mind that your friends and family are volunteers, NOT employees and modify your expectations and demeanor accordingly.)

Wedding Guide for the Harried Bride: Find Your Expert Source

Every project team has Read the rest of this entry »

There is more to wedding planning than a beautiful bride, great food, and wonderful scenery. Planning the perfect wedding can be time consuming, stressful, and overwhelming. It will take most brides 7 to 12 months to plan their wedding. Most brides have an average of 189 guests and will spend an average of $20,000 to $25,000. Planning a wedding for 189 guests with a budget of $25,000 to $25,000 is a task in itself. However, most brides worry about other things such as exceeding their budget, forgetting crucial details, their reception not being fun, and guest’s not showing up. Most brides choose not to hire a wedding planner which adds more stress and headache.

Furthermore, if you choose not to hire a wedding planner it is imperative that you are organized and vigilant. If not, you may become susceptible to what most brides worry about as mentioned above. It is also wise to have your mother help you plan your wedding. Weddingchannel provides free planning tools for brides not hiring a wedding planner: wedding website, planning checklist, budget calculator, guest list manager, scrapbook, and a save-the-date with free registration. Weddingchannel also offers a one stop shop to wedding registry. You can manage all your registries in one place. You can manage all your registries in one place. Big names such as Tiffany & Co., Bloomingdales, Macy’s, Crate & Barrel, Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Neiman Marcus, Restoration Hardware, Fortunoff, Gumps, JCPenney, Barney’s New York, Charity Registry, Starwood Honeymoon Collection, Sandals Resorts, and Read the rest of this entry »

All to often the magic of a wedding is tainted by the ugly reality of financial concerns. It is said that today’s wedding cost an average of thirty thousand dollars. Considering that the average wage of America is between thirty and forty thousand, that white dress and all the associated wedding reception cost can quickly turn a fantasy experience into a nightmare of logistics and dollar signs.

Many brides and grooms suffer what is called “sticker shock” when they begin setting a budget for the wedding. The cost of photography, dresses, flowers and tuxedos will quickly add up and that is not even taking into consideration the wedding reception cost. It can be expensive to get married but there are ways to minimize the expenses while still having the wedding of your dreams.

Wedding planning takes time and effort. Even with a wedding coordinator, the details for a bride can become overwhelming when dealing with the dress alone. Far too often the wedding reception cost takes a huge portion of the allotted budget due to poor wedding planning. In order to avoid this unsavory side dish it is necessary to manage wedding reception cost carefully.

A wedding reception can be what you want it to be. All too often cost can turn a happy day into one of frustration. The key to avoiding this is to stick to your budget and shop around for reception sites and caterers. If the initial costs per guest seem to be Read the rest of this entry »

Planning a wedding can be a very trying task and often people cannot decide what they are going to do for their wedding. More and more people are choosing to go with a theme for their wedding. The wedding theme ideas that are available today for wedding planners are endless. The possibilities are endless when you are planning a theme wedding. Most theme weddings center around something that both the bride and groom like or have an interest in. They could also be centered around the time of the year in which the wedding takes place.

There has been an increase in the number of people who jump on a plane and fly down south to a warm location to get married. When you are having a beach wedding then you are basically having a beach wedding theme. There are a number of things that you can do for a beach wedding. Beach weddings make people think of romance and of magical days and nights looking at the sunrise and the sunset. If you are going with a beach theme for your wedding you can choose to do many different things. You can choose to do a nautical theme or you may want to do a sand and surf theme for your wedding. Whatever appeals to you should guide your decisions.

However if you choose to go with a theme such as a beach theme there are certain things that you should keep in mind. If you are keeping your wedding Read the rest of this entry »

For years, newlyweds would go on their honeymoons and then start their lives together. Yes, they would take future vacations, but they were generally family trips or vacations with children. Now, many couples are enjoying the rising trend of taking a second honeymoon.

For many, a second honeymoon is a chance to rekindle the romance in a marriage. It is a way to celebrate a special anniversary or to celebrate renewing your wedding vows. Unlike your first honeymoon, a second honeymoon doesn’t have to be an elaborate trip. It can be as simple as a weekend getaway to a bed and breakfast to recharge and reconnect with your spouse.

Planning your second honeymoon is something that you should do together. For some couples, this is different than planning the first honeymoon as many times grooms will plan the honeymoon as a surprise for their brides. Planning the second honeymoon together can make the trip even more memorable. Many couples choose to go somewhere that they have both wanted to visit, or go back to where they enjoyed their first honeymoon. All-inclusive resorts are also very popular destinations for second honeymoons; check when you book to see if the resort offers a special second honeymoon package.

One of the most important things for many couples is that their second honeymoon is a trip without their children! Leaving the kids at home (or taking a second honeymoon once the kids are grown and out of the house) is a Read the rest of this entry »

Thirty-five grand! Yes, that’s right, the average Mid-Atlantic couple is expected to spend around $35,000 for their wedding, according to www.TheWeddingReport.com.

Although a huge investment, it’s only the average. Many brides actually achieve platinum-wedding status with wedding budgets exceeding $100,000.

A wedding is typically the most expensive party of a couple’s life because most brides have been planning their perfect wedding since childhood. Little girls are socialized to play dress up as brides and admire princesses, such as Cinderella, who have lavish weddings and horse-drawn carriages.

Not that there’s anything wrong with a fairy tale wedding, if you can afford it. However, many couples fall victim to the desire of keeping up with the Joneses and end up starting their life together in debt, courtesy of Visa and MasterCard. It’s important to create a realistic wedding budget together, and then stick to it.

On average, a couple will spend about fifty percent of their wedding budget at the reception. A typical wedding reception will usually accommodate 150 to 200 guests. Couples must consider what style of reception to have. Do they want buffet, plated dinner, or heavy hors d’oeuvres? All of these choices play a part in the wedding budget.

The wedding category is one of the last recession-proof industries around. I’ve heard wedding professionals say, “You’re about to spend more money than you have ever spent on things that you have never bought before.”

Wow, with a mantra like that, Read the rest of this entry »

You have decided to get married and have set a date of when the special event will be and start to think of all the responsibilities that comes with a wedding and realize it is so overwhelming, what to do? Why not consider hiring a wedding planner to plan out your wedding.

Wedding planners specialize in being able to bring an entire wedding together all in one day, by including all the services that go along with planning a wedding. A wedding planner has contacts things such as hiring a wedding limo or limos, finding a wedding DJ, reserving a banquet hall and contacting and ordering a wedding cake for the special day. With so many responsibilities, some things may get over looked, and some very important things, such as sending out wedding invitations, booking a wedding photographer and wedding videographer to capture the entire wedding on film.

Toronto has so many wedding services and searching for a wedding planner is no different. Wedding planners are dimes a dozen in terms of numbers in and around Toronto and choosing the right one comes down to researching what they have to offer and what they are capable of planning for your wedding. That is why Toronto Wedding Services has made the search for the planning of your wedding much easier.

We have factored in affordability, services and professionalism and determined who we feel is the best bet for planning your wedding and who you should consider when you want to go with a wedding Read the rest of this entry »

Planning a wedding can be a fun, learning experience. You learn how to organize, work within a budget, compromise, negotiate, make decisions with fewer hassles, and acquire many other skills in the process.

The first steps in any successful wedding planning begin with setting the date and knowing what you and your fianc want on your special day. Yes, it is important to include your fianc in all major decisions and plans. You may have input from members of both your and your fianc’s families. Ultimately, the two of you must make the final decisions together.

Deciding on the date and location of your wedding is the first step in the process. Do you want your wedding to be a religious or civil one? If it is to be a religious service then it is important to discuss and meet with any clergy who will be the celebrants at your wedding before beginning making the other arrangements for the wedding. There may be compatibility tests to take and marriage-counseling issues to deal with before you finalize the details of the wedding. You and your future spouse may also be required to attend an engagement retreat to begin learning how to live with one another after you are married.

Once you have made the appropriate arrangements with those who will be officiating at your wedding ceremony, then it is time to reserve the place of the wedding. If Read the rest of this entry »

by Kevin Kinyon

When planning a wedding ceremony, one of the most common questions wedding planners receive is, “How many songs do I need and where should they go?” The answer to that question varies simply because there is no wrong way to go. There are some guidelines to follow when placing music within a wedding ceremony. One sample program is included below.

Sample Wedding Ceremony Program

Prelude – For the prelude, you might select a pianist or perhaps a string quartet or flutist. The music played in the prelude is usually instrumental.

Processional – Whether you choose “Here Comes the Bride” or another accompaniment as you march down the aisle, your processional will announce your arrival. All in attendance will stand as you make your way toward the center point. The most common instrumentalists used for the processional are a pianist and organist. You could certainly opt for another instrument if you prefer. However, keep two things in mind. The instrument(s) need to be loud enough to hear. A flute would not be recommended. Also, if your wedding ceremony is indoors, be sure the instrument isn’t too loud, as it will make guests uncomfortable.

Poetry/Scripture Readings – If you choose to include this optional segment, you might consider having a soft instrumentalist playing in the background. A harpist, string quartet, organist or pianist would work well here. Most brides Read the rest of this entry »

Planning a wedding can be both an overwhelming and exciting challenge. There are so many details to think about, from the wedding invitations to choosing a wedding videography studio. There is a never ending list of things to do right from the moment your fiancé proposed to you. It usually takes months or possibly years to plan and organize a wedding. There are a lot to accomplish in just little time but still every detail should be perfect.

To complete everything you planned for your wedding it is important for you to create a timetable. Following a timetable will be able to help the wedding day to go smoothly as possible. Every wedding is different so a timetable should be customized to each individual situation. The arrangements for large formal weddings begin as soon as the wedding day is set. Here are a few basic guidelines you can consider in making your own wedding ceremony timetable.

• Three hours before the wedding, the bride and her bridesmaids should arrive at the church. They should begin putting on make up, curl their hair and put on their gowns. This will take about an hour.

• Two and a half hours to two hours, the florist should arrive with the flower arrangements. This will include the bride’s bouquet, the corsages, flower girl’s baskets and boutonniere’s. This is also the time when the groom, his parents and the ushers will arrive. The ushers are in charge of pinning the corsages Read the rest of this entry »