How Does This Work?
My boyfriend asked me to marry him and I said yes. Im all excited and everything but I dont know what to do from here. What kinds of plans do I need to make? What time of the year is perfect? In traditional weddings which part of the family pays for what as far as the family of the bride and groom. I do know one thing, that is we want to stay under a strict budget, nothing costly. Can anyone please help with ideas!!!
First of all, it is traditional that the bride’s family pay for the wedding and reception. The groom’s family pays for the rehearsal dinner (kinda sucks, I know).
Right now, you need to get a date set, and either get save-the-date cards out (you can e-mail if you prefer), or call people you plan to invite. Then, start calling around to find places to have the reception and/or the ceremony. The earlier you can get deposits in, the better.
I’ve planned many a wedding, and here are my suggestions:
1. Having a mid-to-late December wedding is a GREAT idea, since the church will already be decorated for the Holidays.
2. Have a photographer’s assistant and a floral assistant do your pics and flowers. It will be tons cheaper, and just as good. You may also want to try a floral warehouse.
3. Publix makes the best wedding cakes ever. Cheap, too.
4. You do not have to have engraved invitations, no matter what anyone says. Embossed is a good alternative, but a lot of people print them on their own computers!! If you do want to order invites, check out Party City or a local party planning company. They offer the same professional invitations at half the cost.
5. Keep an eye out for big bridal sales (David’s Bridal is famed for their $99 dress sale), and don’t be afraid to look on eBay!! You can also ask some stores if they have display dresses on sale. They are sooooo much cheaper!!
6. If you don’t go for the December wedding, having big ferns (fake ones do great) at the altar makes it look full without the price.
7. You can’t beat the mix-and-match separates at David’s Bridal for the Bridesmaid’s dresses.
8. For the reception, consider a Pot Luck dinner, of have a few relatives who are great cooks put something together for you. The reception rule of thumb is, as long as there is booze and good music, NOBODY CARES about the rest!!
9. Do NOT spend a lot of money on table decorations. Nobody will remember them, and they always end up costing a fortune.
10. Chair covers are a waste of money, and they look stupid.
11. For wedding favors (a MUST), you can make a contribution to a well-known charity (in any amount), and the charity will send you small place cards to place at everyone’s table, stating that you and your husband made a donation in their name. You can also get small picture frames to hold name cards in for at the tables, and they can take the frame home with them. Another popular thing to get is packets of flower seeds.
12. If you want to splurge on something, hire a GOOD DJ or BAND!!!
13. When you are looking at reception halls, MAKE SURE that you ask them what all is provided, and what you have to bring. Some places provide chairs, but not tables. Some places make you bring your own dishes. Some have it all…just be sure to ask!
14. If you do plan to have drinking at your reception, a great alternative location (and where I did mine) is a hotel ballroom! It’s great for out-of-town guests, and people who have one too many will be able to crash! It doesn’t need to be a fancy hotel…they will take good care of you regardless.
Just start your planning NOW (I echo the suggestion to visit http://www.theknot.com and also http://www.weddingchannel.com for valuable planning resources), so that as the date gets closer, you can ENJOY this special time and not be worrying about last-minute craziness!!
Best of luck and CONGRATULATIONS!!
go to the http://www.theknot.com, def helps answer all wedding etiquette and steps in preparing a wedding, its been helping me!
There are a few ways in which you can take your wedding. You can elope and have a reception where you show your wedding. You can get local places to sponsor to help you out..al you have to do is print their logo on stuff. Or you can do everyhting your self. there are many sites that will help you create a nice simple wedding….choose a backyard or a forest preserve where you can have the wedding and reception. This will cut a huge cost. The other large costs that most couples do not expect are the cake and the photographer, so if you know anyone who can help or give you a discount take it!
Congratulations and Best Wishes
first of all congrats! im also a new fiance! lol or whatever you want to call it
i went to the store and bought a wedding magazine they have a check list in there
then i went online and looked up who does what for the wedding and there’s so many web sites to help out just put in wedding duties and im sure you will find something to help you out
Get a book!! My wife bought this organizer with so many hints about what to do, when to do, who can help, etc. Ours even had a pocket in the back for receipts. Talk to your friends, married or not. This is one of the greatest times of your life. The memories of the planning are only the start. Be warned, the stress of planning a wedding will come no matter how well you think you planned.
Last tip, make sure someone has saftey pins on the wedding day.
Well first your need to set a date. I would think that if your want to have it outside try to make it early than june or after august. I got married outside and we stayed on a budget. It was a country still wedding. We used my aunts house and she had a gazebo. Also the grooms family pays for the rehearsal dinner.Both familes pay for the invetations. As for the wedding decrations. my mom and i made all the flowers and my aunt made my dress and the bridesmaids dresses. we just payed for the materals. and instead of chairs we used hay bales.
There are a bunch of wedding planning websites out there that you can check out but the one that I prefer to recommend, just because it feels the most thorough of all of them is The Knot:http://www.theknot.com
I would also suggest going into a book store or the corner store and picking up a couple of bridal magazines. Everything you will find in their pages, you will also find on The Knot and possibly more. There are a couple of things that need to be planned for first, once a date has been selected and they are the church/ceremony venue, reception venue (if it is not the same as where the ceremony is) and then your dress/wedding attire. Most bridal salons will tell you a minimum of 6 months to get the dress in and depending on how elaborate a dress you choose, it can take that long and then you have to figure in time for alterations and fittings. Reception and ceremony venues, depending on where the wedding will take place can book as long as a year in advance so that is why they need to be booked almost immediately.
One thing to keep in mind – try to relax and remember to breathe. Also, choose people to be in your bridal party that you know will be able to help you with this because you will need that help. Best of luck and congratulations on your engagement.
Go to Vegas.