Friday, December 11, 2009
Now that you’ve chosen a wedding date and determined your wedding budget you’ll be eager to get started with planning the wedding of your dreams. There’s just one thing…how involved does the groom want to be in the planning? Does it match your expectations?
I’ve found that there are a few different types of grooms out there. Which one applies to your groom?
- wants to be very involved and included in every detail related to your wedding
- wants to only be included in major wedding elements like the catering menu, music, or venue but not as concerned with the color scheme, floral arrangements or menu cards
- just wants to know when and where to show up on your wedding day
Are your expectations higher or lower than those of your groom? This is a subject that should be discussed early on so that you both know what to expect.. Believe me, being on the same page will make both your lives easier during the wedding planning process.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
One very important element of your wedding, besides the bride & groom of course, is the wedding budget. How much will you have to spend for your wedding?
Here is a quick way to come up with this figure:
- Existing Funds – Look at how much do you currently have in your bank accounts then decide how much of that amount you want to use toward your wedding
- Joint Funds – Determine how much money you can save each month as a couple and then multiply that by the number of months you have until your wedding
- Tax Refund – If you usually receive a refund on your taxes each year you may want to include an estimated amount to your wedding budget
- Contributions – Sit down with your parents to see if they plan to contribute
Once you’ve come up with your budget amount it will be the basis for your entire wedding not just for your reception. EVERYTHING for your wedding will come out of this amount…wedding attire and accessories, flowers, officiant, transportation, photographer, videographer, décor, stationery, hair & makeup, wedding party gifts, etc.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Choosing your tentative wedding date takes some thought. Although most brides have dreamed of when they’d like to get married, you’ll need to choose your date based on your personal/professional life and availability.
- School Schedule – Are either of you in college or Grad school with final exams in May? If so, a May wedding might not be a great idea. Imagine yourself trying to juggle the final details of your wedding along with studying for a major test or preparing a paper that will count as half of your grade. Do you have kids? If so, will it be easy to have someone get your kids off to school while you’re on your honeymoon? If not, you’ll probably want a summer wedding.
- Work / Career Demands – Does your job get extremely busy during certain times of the year? You’ll want to avoid those months. Are you an Accountant who does taxes? Then choosing a wedding date during the very hectic tax season probably won’t work for you.
- Travel – Will most of your guests have to travel from out of town to attend your wedding? Thanksgiving weekend probably isn’t the best choice considering it is the most traveled holiday in America.
- Weather – Have you always wanted an outdoor wedding? Avoiding dates in late Fall or Winter will be very appreciated by your guests (this may not apply to West Coast readers). You’ll also want to rethink the month of April since it tends to rain a lot {c’mon you’ve heard the saying…April showers brings May flowers}
- Honeymoon Destination – Do you want to honeymoon in the Caribbean? You’ll probably want to avoid months during hurricane season.
These are just a few examples of things you’ll need to consider when picking your wedding date. Ultimately, your actual date will depend on the availability of the venue(s) you select but you should have a month and day in mind before you start your search.
