Wedding Tips: Make Your Dreams Come True

TIP! If you plan to serve your own food at the wedding, try shopping wholesale at places like Costco. If you shop wholesale, you will be able to purchase your wedding food affordably.

Have you decided when you want to get married yet? Do you want flowers? If so, will they be live or artificial? Wedding planning involves a large number of decisions, and it can feel overwhelming. Whether it is your wedding, or a wedding that you are planning, you will find tips to create success as you read.

TIP! Online wedding gown purchases can be easy on your wallet, but give yourself enough time for alterations as needed. I spent $100 on the gown I purchased for my wedding, but spent another $200 for altering it.

You can get a better rate on almost any venue by booking during an off period. Traditional wedding season is from May to September. Wedding venues are usually more expensive during this time. If you’re set on booking during this season, book as far in advance as possible.

Should you want to cater the food yourself, look to wholesale stores like Sam’s. Wholesale prices are generally lower. See if your friends can chip in for food costs.

TIP! If you wish to look more stunning on your wedding day but are strapped for cash, consider renting diamonds. You can get the stunning look without spending too much money.

See if you can use a loved one’s property for your big day. For example, a large backyard could be the perfect setting, and you will save a lot of money this way. Offer to pay people to come into the place ahead of time to do some cleaning and then after the event, and that will be the only costs.

TIP! Ever wonder what you will look like gliding up the aisle at your wedding? Set up a large mirror and practice walking toward it. If you plan to wear high heels with your dress, this is especially important.

Use decorative items for every part of your wedding theme. Use the same ribbon that you use for the bouquet in the centerpieces. Those little details make all the difference when it comes to your whole wedding day coming together.

Gift Basket

TIP! When having pictures taken, don’t force guests to wait. Get as many pictures as possible before the ceremony.

If you are having a destination wedding, why not treat your guests with an indulgent gift basket delivered right to their hotel rooms? This gift basket can include helpful items such as sunscreen, sunglasses, disposable cameras and tourist maps that add a nice touch of flavor to the vacation. You can also put in a guide to restaurants that are local.

TIP! Make sure the lights at the venue are on a dimmer switch. This may seem like a minor factor, but many couples like dimming the lights for a first dance, and switching to brighter lights for the remainder of the event.

Even if you picked out and bought your dress, the wedding shop should keep it until your wedding. The likelihood of something happening to it is much higher than if you leave it at the bridal store! Storing it at the store will guarantee it stays pressed and fresh for your wedding day!

TIP! If you want to discover local talent to assist with your wedding, try Craigslist. Before you pay them, go to meet them and take someone with you.

Have your wedding while on a cruise with your close family and friends. The wedding itself will almost feel like the honeymoon. A lot of cruise companies will give you a great rate if you’re getting married and want to have a honeymoon on the ship.

TIP! Consider silk flowers for your wedding instead of spending a lot of money on luxurious floral arrangements. One advantage to silk flowers is the fact that they can be purchased ahead of time and the arrangements can be made prior to your wedding day.

You can have a loved one go online to become ordained so that they can officiate over your wedding. This will give your loved one an important roll in the ceremony, while also saving you a bit of money. Take caution, however, to make sure that doing this is a legal option in your community.

TIP! Since they take such a huge chunk of your wedding budget, make good choices when planning your centerpieces. As an alternative, try selecting a simple but elegant centerpiece that isn’t too large or overwhelming.

Centerpieces can quickly cause your reception to be a dud financially and socially. Use a small, simple center piece instead of a large one that takes up a lot of table space. This has the added advantage of not making it difficult for guests to talk to each other due to a huge obstruction.

TIP! One way this is done is by offering a menu consisting of popular ethnic dishes. Throw in a bit of ethic themes with special desserts and drinks.

If children are attending, make sure they are dressed comfortably. Favor soft fabrics, and avoid dressing children in clothes that are too tight to fit comfortably. It’s important that any shoes they wear are comfortable, which means new shoes, will need to be broken in. Taking care of these small details will allow children to focus on participation in the wedding instead of fussing with their attire.

TIP! If you are going to have kids in your ceremony, dress them in clothing that is comfortable. By utilizing softer fabrics, the children in your ceremony will look great while feeling quite comfortable.

If you have decided to give a speech in a wedding, make sure that you plan for it and practice it enough. If you do not plan your speech, you may cause the audience to stop paying attention, or you just might get stage fright.

TIP! If there will be no dinner served for the guests, you can use that free space for renting various furniture to ensure a comfortable evening among the crowd. Furniture like chaises, sectional pieces, or a lounge chair can often get your guests to interact more.

Plan every aspect of the wedding from the food to the events that occur within the reception. By ensuring that your guests are comfortable and enjoying themselves, you are expressing your gratitude for their presence.

TIP! If you plan to have an outdoor ceremony, be sure to take weather (sun or rain) into account to ensure happy guests. Either find a venue with an inside area, or rent some tents in case of bad weather.

If your environment is humid and tropical or it is cool and dry like in the Mediterranean, it can be difficult to find seasonal flowers from your state. You should get in touch with professionals who work near your wedding’s location to learn about which flowers can be easily obtained.

TIP! So that you and your fiance are prepared for the first dance at your wedding, you should both spend some time practicing a dance with you wearing a long skirt. You could be used to dancing or walking around in a long skirt, but your future husband might not be used to it.

No matter what type of reception you want, keep your caterer informed; for example, if you want an outdoor reception, help your caterer understand that. There are some food choices that will not be appropriate for an outdoor wedding as they may spoil easily in heat or wind, for example. One way that these weather issues can be dealt with is to use sturdy covers for the food. Keep a small refrigerator around to cool drinks down.

TIP! Make sure to interview a handful of videographers and review their work before hiring one. Look at samples of the videographers work to be sure it is high quality in every way.

Make your flowers stand out by using centerpieces of varying heights. Different types of vases should be included in the design. Then, place flowers such as sweet peas, hydrangeas or peonies around the tall vases. The shorter, fuller flowers should be lighter in color than the taller, more prominent blooms.

TIP! You can save money by finding alternatives for wedding flowers. But you can get creative with ribbon, silk flowers and other decorative items to cut costs.

Think about whether children will be allowed at your wedding. You can spare yourself a lot of aggravation and money if you don’t invite children. Then again, many people may not attend if they cannot find a babysitter.

TIP! Practice smiling in the mirror before your wedding. This will give you beautiful photos at the wedding.

As you audition various videographers to film your wedding and reception, compare several vendors. Always request a portfolio, or ask to see an online gallery of previous clients. Make sure that you also keep in mind the quality of the sound and editing that your videographer provides. Make sure you will be receiving DVD copies of your wedding, rather than outdated VHS tapes. Use your intuition when choosing a videographer, because after all, they will be capturing your most memorable day.

TIP! All the bridesmaids and the bride’s mother should be dressed and ready well in advance. You need to be the central focus during the final moments prior to the ceremony.

After reading these tips, it’s safe to say that you probably weren’t aware of even half of these ideas. And that’s because no one ever realizes just how much goes into planning a wedding until they’re actually staring at it in the face. A wedding is perhaps the most detail-oriented celebration out there, so be sure that you’re using these tips to help you out.

Wedding photos